dm032 Reviews

That's My Baby! (1944)

Mediocre, but Valuable Vaudville Time Capsule

[4/10 · 16 March 2006]

Father runs a big corporation but is suffering from a severe case of melancholia. Daughter and persona non grata boyfriend cook up a plan to have every ex-vaudevillian and dancer on the club circuit that they can find attempt to make him smile. Groan. Scatterbrained ex-wife finally saves the day by remembering that father once had ambitions to be a newspaper comic illustrator (!) Nevermind, it doesn't make that much sense.

Not the most enjoyable movie ever made, but an amazing time capsule of vaudeville acts: Gene Rodgers, the stupendous boogie-woogie piano player; Mitchell & Lytell, Abbot and Costello wannabees; Alphonse Bergé & Doris Duane, a must-be-seen inverse striptease act; Al Mardo and his priceless bulldog; and most of all Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham, who steals the show with his break dancing.

The Admiral Was a Lady (1950)

just really funny

[10/10 · 28 June 2002]

found this gem on a free streaming video site - not likely to see it anywhere else. Really enjoyable movie set just after WWII about a woman ensign (nicknamed the admiral) who falls in with a gang of lovable losers - four ex-GIs who work diligently from dusk to dawn at finding ways to avoid work. There's a silly subplot about them trying to get her back together with her long lost fiancee, and an even sillier sub-sub plot about a rich millionaire and meddling detectives. The main point of interest is the repartee between the "admiral" and the men. Sometimes she's tough as nails, but at other points it's like Dorothy's relationship with the tin man, the lion and the scarecrow. Would really like to see a computer-enhanced remake with Humphrey Bogart as Jimmy, Marilyn Monroe as Jean and Edward Herrmann as the millionaire. Favorite line - "how can such a nice man be so useless?"

Made for Each Other (1939)

gag me with a spoon

[25 February 2002]

Is it a melodrama? Starts out more like a lighthearted comedy, then veers into a slow-paced slice of life before ending with a cliffhanger ride in a single-engine plane through a cross-country blizzard. Hmmm......The cinematography was good though - the chiaroscuro of the close-ups made it almost worth price of admission. The endless procession of hired help was fun too. Best line - "Don't let the seeds spoil the watermelon." Sorry, there's only so many seeds I can spit out.

When Thief Meets Thief (1937)

Jump for this movie

[8/10 · 13 February 2002]

Lovely but relatively unknown movie about a thief redeemed through love. Fairbanks was dashing as usual. Alan Hale was underused as his adversary, but it was fun seeing him play a suave bad guy. Valerie Hobson was not your usual damsel in distress - she shoots first and kisses later. Favorite line "Poor Rickey - he has to tell me he loves me in the British Museum.." A great film to rent on Valentine's Day.

Neptune's Daughter (1949)

so so fluff piece

[9 September 2000]

ho-hum bit of nonsense as tough-minded businesswoman Esther Williams falls bit by bit for South American polo playboy Ricardo Montalban. Their courtship is paralleled by the romance between dorky masseur Skelton and William's man-hungry sister, Garrett. Best scene is the double version of "Baby it's Cold Outside" with Williams and Skelton as the coy maidens.

Quality Street (1937)

delightful comedy of errors

[28 August 2000]

Delightful comedy of errors. Pheobe (Hepburn) is in love with the dashing Dr. Brown, but alas her love is unrequited. They meet again 10 years later on his return from the Napoleonic Wars. She has wilted under the strain of teaching little children and is self-conscious about her age. On a whim she decides to dress in her former radiant style, and ends up being mistaken by Dr. Brown for Pheobe's niece. They start to court, and from there it's all silly and predictable, but... sparkling dialogue, great acting and wonderful supporting parts (especially the nosy old spinsters at the windows)

The Toast of New York (1937)

enjoyable and thought-provoking

[10 August 2000]

Great film - starts out as a whimsical joyride and ends with a thought-provoking meditation on the evils of greed. Arnold is grand as the larger than life huckster turned Wall Street whiz. Farmer is his temptation (she actually stars in a musical by that name in the movie) and boy does Arnold take the bait. Unusual mix of biblical imagery and slapstick, but it all holds together. One point of interest - Arnold and Farmer play almost exactly the same characters in another movie of that period - "Come and Get it"

Love on the Run (1936)

super cast

[3 August 2000]

Enjoyable piece as society dame falls for reporter in disguise. Road trip is a tad contrived, something about spies and secret plans, but who cares - this movie is powered by the sparks flying between Crawford and Gable. Sidekick Tone is great as the wisecracking nuisance.

Flash Gordon (1936)

so bad it's good

[3 August 2000]

Don't you hate it when lousy videos aren't lousy enough? Not a problem here. Deadpan delivery of really silly dialogue, clouds in outer space, sets that borrow from the Greeks, the Romans, and the Vikings in the same shot, repetition of meaningless plot devices (two gladiator-style fights to the death), fat guys wearing wings and carrying spears -I give it the Plan 9 award

Platinum Blonde (1931)

witty fun

[3 August 2000]

An enjoyable romp as salt-of-the-earth reporter falls for society babe. Stew is quick on wisecracks but slow to realize the dangers of the gilded cage. Best part of the movie is the repartee with the butler - gotta love the bowing contests

Come and Get It (1936)

enjoyable

[31 July 2000]

An enjoyable piece, due mostly to the charisma of the central characters. Arnold and Brennan were obviously having a lot of fun in their roles. Farmer makes a shaky start as character #1 (what's with that accent!) but redeems herself completely as character #2. It's a energetic, feel-good movie.

Morning Glory (1933)

less dialogue, more heart please

[31 July 2000]

Lots of chatty monologues on the trials and tribulations of stardom. Hepburn delivers most of her lines with an uncharacteristic and affected quality. Would have been better with less talk, more plot and more encounter between the characters. DFJ in particular is given very little to do except look concerned.