SMARTY (1934) @ The ARKADIN/$7
Details
October 2025 Schedule
https://i0.wp.com/arkadincinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/October-2025.webp?resize=768%2C593&ssl=1
General Admission - $7
5228 Gravois Avenue | St. Louis, MO 63116
Microcinema in the Heart of Bevo!
https://arkadincinema.com/events/
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Since this 50-seat theater DOES sell out its most popular events, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you buy your tickets online asap.
There is NO FEE for this service.
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PLENTY of Public Parking a block closer to the Bevo Mill @ Walsh/Duke & Gravois!
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After the movie, we will gather in the lobby for lively, provocative, and insightful conversation--OR as close as we can come to that, anyway--HA!
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Forbidden Hollywood is a monthly series hosted by STL film critic Katie Carter celebrating the Pre-Code films of the early 1930s, when movies were wild, racy, transgressive, and tons of fun.
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Based on the play of the same name by F. Hugh Herbert.
Marketed with the taglines “A picture with a wallop!” and “She changed her husbands like she changed her hats,” Warner Brothers’ 1934 comedy SMARTY may be more accurately described by its UK title, Hit Me Again. Vivacious Joan Blondell stars as Vickie, who sets the action of the film in motion when she goads her husband Tony (Warren William) into slapping her at a party. A messy whirl of divorce, remarriage, and extra-marital affairs among their social circle follows. Its abrasive treatment of its subject has generated controversy in the decades since its release, but while SMARTY is frequently derided for supposedly endorsing spousal abuse, it’s actually an incisive dive into the life of a woman who enjoys rough sex and knows how to get it, populated by female characters who always maintain their agency. Featuring one of the most pre-Code casts imaginable— character actors Edward Everett Horton and Frank McHugh as well as Claire Dodd join William and Blondell—SMARTY is the sort of gleefully sordid, uniquely pre-Code film that couldn’t even be made today.
NOTE: On Rotten Tomatoes, this movie has no rating on the Tomatometer and a 10% on the Popcornmeter.
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The Arkadin does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. However, we encourage researching titles to determine if a screening may contain content that could be upsetting to you. Please feel free to contact us for guidance on specific films. Information about content can also be found on Common Sense Media, IMDB and [DoesTheDogDie.com](https://www.doesthedogdie.com/), as well as through general internet searches.
https://arkadincinema.com/event/smarty-1934-presented-by-forbidden-hollywood/ [Includes Trailer]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smarty_(film)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025803/quotes/?ref_=tt_dyk_qu