A 1930 stage play by William A. Grew was the source for the 1932 Universal film Nice Women. Sidney Fox stars as Bess Girard, one of the contrariest heroines in movie history. At first the long-suffering naif daughter of a mercenary social-climber (Lucille Webster Gleason), Bess is smart enough to outsmart worldly gold-digger Dorothy Drew (
Carmel Myers). But she isn't smart enough to see through the dishonorable intentions of her wealthy, middle-aged beau Mark Chandler (
Alan Mowbray). By the time Chandler has genuinely fallen in love with Bess, she's thrown him over in favor of bloodless leading man Bill Wells (
Russell Gleason, the real-life son of
Lucille Gleason).
Frances Dee, an infinitely better actress than Sidney Fox, is wasted in the role of the heroine's sister. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide