The Flirting Widow
Theatrical poster; Austin to the left, Mackaill in Fitzroy's lap (pretending to be overcome by the news of the "death" of her character's fiancé)
Directed by	William A. Seiter
Screenplay by	John F. Goodrich
Based on	Green Stockings 1911 play by A.E.W. Mason
Produced by	William A. Seiter
Starring	Dorothy Mackaill Basil Rathbone Leila Hyams William Austin Claude Gillingwater
Cinematography	Sidney Hickox
Edited by	John F. Goodrich
Music by	Alois Reiser
Production company	First National Pictures
Distributed by	First National Pictures
Release date	May 11, 1930 (1930-05-11)
Running time	72 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$179,000[1]
Box office	$348,000[1]

The Flirting Widow is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Dorothy Mackaill, Basil Rathbone, Leila Hyams and Claude Gillingwater. It was produced and released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros.^[2]

The film's plot is based on the story Green Stockings by A. E. W. Mason. The film was remade in 1933 as Her Imaginary Lover at the Teddington Studios, the British branch of Warner Bros.-First National Productions.^[3]

Plot

William Faraday refuses to let his youngest daughter, Evelyn, get married before her older sister, Celia. Celia, who has no interest in getting married, takes pity on Evelyn and her suitor Bobby and pretends to have gotten engaged to Colonel John Smith during a short vacation away from home. To avoid difficulties, she states that Smith has sailed to join the British Field Force in Arabia. When her father receives this news, he consents to Evelyn's marriage.

At Evelyn's insistence, Celia writes a love letter to her fiancé, never intending to send it. She later burns the magazine in which she hid the letter, unaware someone has posted it already. The letter is received by a real Colonel Smith stationed in Arabia. He is amused and curious.

After Evelyn's marriage, Celia publishes a death notice in the London Daily Times for her Colonel Smith. The real Smith decides to pay a visit to Celia, pretending to be a close friend of the deceased bringing some mementos. When he gives them to Celia, she is uncomfortable. She eventually realizes "Colonel Vaughan" is not who he says he is, but over the course of a single night, they fall in love.

Cast

• Dorothy Mackaill as Celia
• Basil Rathbone as Colonel Smith
• Leila Hyams as Evelyn
• William Austin as James Raleigh
• Claude Gillingwater as Faraday
• Emily Fitzroy as Aunt Ida
• Flora Bramley as Phyllis
• Anthony Bushell as Bobby
• Wilfred Noy as Martin

Box office

According to Warner Bros., the film earned $234,000 domestically and $114,000 from foreign showings.^[1]

Preservation

The film survives intact and has been broadcast on both television and cable. It is also preserved in the Library of Congress collection.^[4]