A Southern soaper which Warner Bros. was hoping would ride on the advance steam perpetuated by M-G-M and their upcoming "Gone With the Wind"--and starring Bette Davis, who had been bypassed for the role of "Wind"'s heroine, Scarlett O'Hara. It's a somewhat dire stew about a spoiled belle in 1850s Louisiana who hopes her shocking little-girl tricks will light a fire under her stoic sweetheart, enough to jolt him into making a commitment to her. Despite a fully thought-out performance from Davis (who won a Best Actress Oscar), this costume mini-epic never quite realizes its ambitions...and never seems completely satisfied with itself. Henry Fonda's affected twit of a boyfriend is like a wet blanket on the proceedings (can't Bette's Julie aim any higher than this?) and the supporting cast is like a round-up of Warners' contract players (none of whom do anything surprising). Still, there's enough fluttery melodrama on display in the picture's first-half to make it worth-seeing for Davis-buffs, though the second-half concerning a spreading epidemic lacks urgency. ** from ****