Irene Dunne stars as Ray Smith, the mistress of a well-off married man (John Boles) who lives her life selflessly for him, relegating her forever to the "Back Street" of the title. This film and Dunne's performance were the ultimate in "soap opera" entertainment for the early 1930's and audiences loved it. Boles, a wooden actor if there ever was one, is actually quite good in this movie as Walter Saxel, the man Dunne just can't seem to get enough of. Unfortunately, since he's married and raising a family, there isn't too much of him to go around. The tear-jerking ending is worth sticking around for, however, and it's a good idea to keep a box of tissues handy.

Despite the year (1932), the film tackles an issue that was somewhat taboo for the times (i.e. extra-marital sex and its consequences). It's all done tastefully and relatively true to the original novel by Fannie Hurst. For those unfamiliar with her work, Ms. Hurst was the Danielle Steele of her day, although she's largely forgotten now. So is this film, but it's worth seeing if only for a view of an early performance by the incredible Irene Dunne. Of course, the talented Ms. Dunne went on to star in more famous movies than this one, but she gives a worthy effort to the proceedings here and raises the film far above the norm.