THE HALF-NAKED TRUTH

Lee Tracy and Lupe Velez

THE HALF-NAKED TRUTH (1932). Director: Gregory La Cava.  

Carnival Barker Jimmy Bates (Lee Tracy), dancer Teresita (Lupe Velez) and the portly Achilles (Eugene Pallette) all work for the same struggling outfit. Jimmy is convinced he'd make a better press agent than the one employed by the carnival, and he concocts a scheme for Teresita that backfires, forcing the trio to flee on the first train to New York. There Teresita is rechristened "Princess Exotica" from Turkey and ensconced in a suite at the Ritz. Using his wiles, Jimmy is able to secure Teresita a spot in the latest show put on by producer Merle Farrell (Frank Morgan), but Jimmy decides, using even more outrageous schemes, to make a star out of hotel employee Gladys (Shirley Chambers) when he thinks Teresita and Farrell are pushing him out.  

Lupe

The Half-Naked Truth is a cute, if minor, comedy with excellent performances from the entire cast, which includes Franklin Pangborn as the hotel manager and Asta from The Thin Man in a butcher shop cameo. Velez, who is sassy and spirited, later starred in the Mexican Spitfire series before committing suicide at 36. Her bouncy "Carpenter" number on stage is a highlight of the picture. The film's composer, Max Steiner, appears as the conductor during this sequence. The following year Tracy played another press agent bedeviling Jean Harlow in Bombshell. 

Verdict: Some very amusing stuff in here. **3/4. 

THE GOLDEN ARROW

Bette Davis and George Brent

THE GOLDEN ARROW (1936). Director: Alfred E. Green.

When reporter Johnny Jones (George Brent) shows up on a yacht belonging to wealthy heiress Daisy Appleby (Bette Davis) hoping for a story, she mistakes him for a member of Society and begins to fall for him. But it turns out that Johnny isn't the only one who's playing a role. Daisy wants to keep unwanted suitors and fortune hunters away from her, so she importunes Johnny to wed her for a marriage of sheerest convenience. But when he learns that truth about Daisy, will everything blow up in her face? The Golden Arrow begins with possibilities but never recovers from its contrivances or the fact that it is never very funny. Davis and Brent give very good performances, as expected, and there is wonderful support from Catherine Doucet [These Three] as Miss Pommesby, who looks after Daisy, and Eugene Pallette [First Love] as Mr. Meyers. Dick Foran and Carol Hughes are also in the cast and are fine.

Verdict: One of those lousy movies Davis was always railing against early in her career. **.

SUSPENSE

Barry Sullivan and Belita in Suspense

SUSPENSE (1946). Director: Frank Tuttle.

A down-and-out drifter named Joe (Barry Sullivan) gets a job hawking peanuts at an ice show. The star attraction is a blonde named Roberta (Belita), who is married to the owner of the show, Frank Leonard (Albert Dekker of Dr. Cyclops). Roberta fights her attraction to Joe until certain circumstances develop that lead the pair into some vaguely macabre situations ... Suspense does have some suspense of a minor kind -- and its main strength is that it's unpredictable -- but its chief flaw among many is that the central plot twist is so utterly implausible that it throws everything else out of whack. Joe is such a confusing and underwritten character that Sullivan, who has given some very good performances elsewhere, can do little but say his lines as written and try to deal with the contradictions [which might have been interesting in another movie] as best he can. Belita was basically a figure skater -- and a very good one -- and not a bad actress, either. She was similar in looks and deportment to Marsha Hunt. Unfortunately she got her start basically playing herself in movies from Monogram studios, so her career in films was a short one. Suspense is also a Monogram production -- and Belita's first thriller --  albeit it appears that the studio spent more money than usual on the picture. Dekker and Eugene Pallette [First Love] as a manager give their usual adept performances. A grown-up Bonita Granville [Nancy Drew -- Detective] plays one of Joe's former flames and is more than satisfactory. At least one of the big production numbers sort of stops the movie dead. Tuttle's direction is okay, but even Hitchcock might have had problems bringing this script to life. There is some mildly inventive business involving Roberta skating her way through a gauntlet of sharp swords, but not enough is done with it.

Verdict: Half-baked Alaska. **1/2.

FIRST LOVE

Stack and Durbin

FIRST LOVE (1939). Director: Henry Koster.

"A flat tire on an $8000 automobile -- that's impossible!" -- Barbara

Connie (Deanna Durbin) is the poor relation of the wealthy Clinton family, with whom she goes to live after she graduates from a girls' school. Her uncle (Eugene Pallette) has as little to do as possible with his wife (Leatrice Joy) and spoiled children Barbara (Helen Parrish) and Walter (Lewis Howard), the latter of whom does nothing all day but sit around looking bored and sleepy. Barbara is a little jealous of Connie, and the film takes a Cinderella twist when she conspires to keep Connie away from a ball held by the family of Ted Drake (Robert Stack of Written on the Wind). However, the servants in the household conspire to make sure Connie gets to the ball while the others are delayed for hours. Durbin is quite good in a film clearly tailored for her particular talents, and she does a creditable job with "One Fine Day" from Madame Butterfly, although she's definitely no Renata Tebaldi. The movie has a strange, almost mean-spirited sequence with Connie's old teacher Mrs. Wiggins (Kathleen Howard, who is also very good) warning her away from the life of an old maid schoolteacher,  a whole bunch of whom weep during Butterfly as Wiggins predicts. This was Robert Stack's first movie, and he looks handsome if a little odd. Jack Mulhall and Mary Treen are also in the cast.

Verdict: Durbin fanatics will enjoy; all others beware. **1/2.

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939). Director: Frank Capra.

Jefferson Smith (James Stewart) is tapped to fill a senatorial seat by politicos who think he'll be easy to manipulate; even his new secretary, Clarissa (Jean Arthur) thinks he's a dope -- at least at first. Smith is befriended by a man he admires, Senator Paine (Claude Rains), unaware that this otherwise decent person will painfully betray him for his own ends when Smith winds up on the wrong side of a shady land deal. Edward Arnold [The Houston Story], Guy Kibbee [Babbitt], and Eugene Pallette are a variety of political types maneuvering behind the scenes, and Thomas Mitchell is an intrepid reporter, Diz. This is a fast-paced, entertaining picture that in its dissection of political corruption, crap, and crumb bums is as timely today  as it was way back in '39, and it gives Stewart one of his best roles. Initially unsympathetic, Arthur also scores, and there's a great supporting cast, topped by a superb Claude Rains who nearly walks off with the movie [as was so often the case] -- his final scenes are mesmerizing. One could argue that when it comes to the famous filibuster climax, Smith was awfully lucky that the wise old president of the Senate (Harry Carey) was in his corner. Among the film's many memorable moments are a dinner table scene with the governor (Kibbee), a whole bunch of kids, and even Baby Dumpling (Larry Simms)! Other cast members include everyone from Grant Mitchell and Pierre Watkin to Ann Doran and William Frawley!

Verdict: A great picture from Frank Capra and his talented company. ***1/2.