Claudette Colbert stars as Sally Trent, a struggling showgirl, and unwed mother who, unable to care for her infant daughter, puts her up for adoption. The heartbroken Sally throws herself into work and soon rises to fame as Mimi Benton, a vivacious nightclub sensation with a scandalous reputation. But when she inadvertently becomes the voice of "Aunt Jenny" in a radio bedtime program for children, she uses the show as a platform to search for her child, who she insisted keep the name, Sally.
Ricardo Cortez co-stars as handsome radio station manager Tony Cummings who romances Mimi and doesn't care about her reputation. David Manners (Dracula) is the father of the child who returns after years in China to find that his old girlfriend is now the notorious Mimi.
The 1933 melodrama was made before the Hollywood production code was enforced and features a heroine who is not judged for having a child out of wedlock or keeping the name of the father a secret. Her ordeal has made her tough and cynical and she refuses to be shamed or apologize for her lifestyle. The film also displays a progressive attitude to race by making Carrie (Mildred Washington), Mimi's black maid, a character with her own personality and life apart from the job, as well as a touching scene where Mimi discovers a little girl named Sally who wrote to the show is black. The poignant moment allows Colbert to show her character's maternal heart in her tender conversation with the girl.
Like many films of the classic Hollywood era, it sweeps all sorts of complications away in a tidy happy ending, and the leading men have little personality or presence. But Colbert powers the film and portrays a deep complexity under the free-living façade of her Mimi Benton persona. She also performs all her own singing.
It was previously available on a bare-bones DVD from Universal and as part of the "Pre-Code Hollywood Collection" box set. The Blu-ray features an audio commentary by film historian Kat Ellinger and trailers. A strong option purchase.