A Desperate Adventure

André Friezan is a hotheaded French painter whose temper is as famous as his brushwork. When a small circle of well-meaning friends secretly takes one of his canvases to put it on display, André flips out, convinced his private work has been betrayed. Romance threads through the chaos when Ann Carrington arrives, her presence softening some edges while complicating others. Misunderstandings pile up, loyalties are tested, and comic personalities clash as the characters scramble to manage pride, reputation, and attraction. The story stays light, relying on quick exchanges and situational humor rather than darker consequences, so the focus stays on relationships and the daily absurdities of artistic life.

Released in 1938, the film was directed by John H. Auer, with a screenplay credited to Hanns Kräly, Barry Trivers, and M. Coates Webster. The cast includes Ramon Novarro as André and Marian Marsh as Ann, supported by Eric Blore, Andrew Tombes, and Margaret Tallichet.

Box office records for many smaller studio pictures of the 1930s are incomplete, and no reliable gross or notable commercial tally appears readily available for this title. It survives mostly in studio catalogs and period trade listings rather than box office retrospectives.

While it never became a household classic, the movie is of interest to historians who track stars shifting from silent to sound cinema, notably Ramon Novarro. Eric Blore adds the kind of eccentric comic relief audiences expected then. The film echoes common romantic comedy mechanics of its era and turns on backstage-art themes that appeal to classic film enthusiasts.

Contemporary critical documentation is scarce and modern viewer metrics are limited, yet the film leans into themes of artistic pride, friendship, well-meaning deception, jealousy, and romantic misunderstanding. Its tone stays jocular, prioritizing witty banter and character dynamics over moralizing, so it reads as a breezy, era-specific take on love and creative temperament.