rutabega Reviews

Pygmalion (1938)

Good, and definitely not My Fair Lady

[3 October 1999]

After seeing Leslie Howard as Henry Higgins, there is no way I could find Rex Harrison half as appealing, with his chanting/singing, in My Fair Lady. Leslie Howard simply is Henry Higgins, and if he seems unappealing and unlikable, that's because he's supposed to be unappealing and unlikable -- Henry Higgins is not a nice man. Howard does an incredible job with the role, and Wendy Hiller's Eliza puts Audrey Hepburn, as lovely as she is, to shame.

If George Bernard Shaw thought that Howard's interpretation of his play was good, then who are we to argue?

Man-Proof (1938)

Uneven, but entertaining

[3 October 1999]

Okay, so maybe it's really uneven, but there are wonderful moments -- like Myrna Loy's drunk scene, and many of the scenes between Loy and Franchot Tone, especially the "Why didn't we name them Nip and Tuck?" scene in the car. The premise could be promising, but a lot of the dialogue is stilted and silly. However, Myrna insisting that they had oars all the time is great.