If you want to watch a good movie about a gang of thieves headed by a pretty lady thief and starring Henry Fonda as their mark, try watching "The Lady Eve". If you want to watch a not so good movie about a gang of thieves headed by a pretty lady thief and starring Henry Fonda, you might want to try "Rings on Her Fingers"...but I wouldn't. Oddly, despite the similarity of the plots and being only one year apart, the two films are so much different.
When the film begins, Gene Tierney is a working girl approached by a couple of grifters (Spring Byington and Laird Creger). They want her to help them fleece rich guys...and she readily agrees. Their first mark is John Wheeler (Fonda)--a guy who is planning on buying a yacht. Instead, they pretend to own a yacht and sell him a yacht that isn't even theirs. But Wheeler is a bit of a boob and doesn't realize Susan (Tierney) is one of the gang and soon they fall in love and plan on marrying. The only trouble is that she's not the only fake--he's not rich at all.
While this idea could have worked, what follows is just rather dopey. She wants to help him recover much of the money they stole and arranges for him to start winning at a casino. Then, he gets the notion that he's super-lucky and quits his job to become a professional gambler. During all this time, a private detective hired by Wheeler is investigating the theft. What's to come of all this? Who cares.
The bottom line is that you have two films with very similar plots yet one is not very good due to pedestrian writing. Additionally, the writer made Fonda's character such an idiot that he was frustrating to watch. All in all, the film SHOULD have been a lot better given the cast but it is, at best, a time-passer. A bit of a disappointment.
By the way, if you do see this film or other early Gene Tierney films, you might not recognize her. Like a few other actresses (Rita Hayworth immediately comes to mind), the studio decided to do a BIG makeover and they really accentuated Tierney's cheeks in her films starting around the time she starred in "Laura" (1944).
When the film begins, Gene Tierney is a working girl approached by a couple of grifters (Spring Byington and Laird Creger). They want her to help them fleece rich guys...and she readily agrees. Their first mark is John Wheeler (Fonda)--a guy who is planning on buying a yacht. Instead, they pretend to own a yacht and sell him a yacht that isn't even theirs. But Wheeler is a bit of a boob and doesn't realize Susan (Tierney) is one of the gang and soon they fall in love and plan on marrying. The only trouble is that she's not the only fake--he's not rich at all.
While this idea could have worked, what follows is just rather dopey. She wants to help him recover much of the money they stole and arranges for him to start winning at a casino. Then, he gets the notion that he's super-lucky and quits his job to become a professional gambler. During all this time, a private detective hired by Wheeler is investigating the theft. What's to come of all this? Who cares.
The bottom line is that you have two films with very similar plots yet one is not very good due to pedestrian writing. Additionally, the writer made Fonda's character such an idiot that he was frustrating to watch. All in all, the film SHOULD have been a lot better given the cast but it is, at best, a time-passer. A bit of a disappointment.
By the way, if you do see this film or other early Gene Tierney films, you might not recognize her. Like a few other actresses (Rita Hayworth immediately comes to mind), the studio decided to do a BIG makeover and they really accentuated Tierney's cheeks in her films starting around the time she starred in "Laura" (1944).