MovieChat Forums > Libeled Lady (1936) Discussion > Odd telephone conversation

Odd telephone conversation

posted 11 years ago by theoctobercountry
1 reply | jump to latest

There's one scene where Harlow is having a telephone conversation, and for some bizarre reason her replies (as heard over the telephone receiver) are clearly played back backwards. I'm quite sure the audio wasn't just garbled---it was backwards.

I can't imagine why this was done, unless it was a sort of joke by the producers who had her saying something that wouldn't get by the censors. And now I'm so curious---are there any tech-savvy people who can take this bit of audio and play it backwards, so we can hear what she is really saying?

[–] Satantangoandcash 9 years ago

I've heard backwards recordings used before in movies for telephone conversations where we don't see who's talking.
In this one they just used her last two lines and reversed them. Maybe because they didn't record her saying anything appropriate in response to Powell, or maybe it was for comedy because it makes her sound more upset. Knowing what she really says doesn't add anything to the conversation.

He says "…that doesn't sound like you."
Her reversed response played normally is:
"...but nothing you can say will stop me."
A bit later he says:"I can explain everything."
and her reverse response played normally is:
"All right, I'll meet you."
Then he asks her to meet him in 20 minutes.
After that she says the two lines again, normally, and in context with the conversation then hangs up:
"All right, I'll meet you. But nothing you can say can stop me from telling that Allenbury gal tonight. Remember that!"