SAFETY IN NUMBERS

The cast of Safety in Numbers

SAFETY IN NUMBERS  (1930). Director: Victor Schertzinger.

"My uncle says you're well-acquainted with the 400."

"We are. We know all of the husbands and none of the wives."

20-year-old Bill Reynolds (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) will inherit millions on his next birthday, so his uncle inexplicably sends him to New York to supposedly sow his wild oats, yet hires three chorus girls to look after him and keep him out of trouble and away from predatory females. You would think with a plot like this the movie would at least be some fun, but it's so badly written and paced that it's a real snooze-inducer. The three chorus girls are so amateurish that it's a shock to realize that one of them is actually Carol Lombard, who would of course develop into a talented comedienne and major Hollywood figure -- but you'd never know it from this movie. Geneva Mitchell is slightly saucier in her brief turn as Cleo Carew, who has a hankering for Reynolds. 

Rogers had some charm and aplomb, but the movie is dull and the songs not very memorable. Louse Beavers, playing a maid as usual, sings a number -- but you can miss it. The movie has a total of one laugh and only one interesting sequence, when we see a bunch of chorus girls in silhouette before a screen showing scenes of New York. Reynolds unaccountably  falls in love with Jacqueline (Kathryn Crawford), the plainest of the trio. Josephine Dunn rounds out the threesome and Virginia Bruce has so small a role that if you blink you miss her.

Verdict: Almost unbearably bad. 1/2 *. 

DELIGHTFULLY DANGEROUS

DELIGHTFULLY DANGEROUS (1945). Director: Arthur Lubin. 

15-year-old Sherry Williams (16-year-old Jane Powell) lives in a girls' school that is paid for by her sister, Josephine (Constance Moore of Buck Rogers), a big Broadway musical comedy star -- or so Sherry thinks; Josephine is actually a burlesque queen known as "Bubbles" Barton. Things come to a head when Broadway producer Arthur Hale (Ralph Bellamy) comes to the school and is impressed with Sherry's talent, but not with her youth. As for her sister, he just can't see putting a burlesque star in one of his "classy" shows. But this being Hollywood, chances are good that one or both ladies will wind up starring in a Broadway show. 

Ralph Bellamy and Jane Powell

Delightfully Dangerous features some excellent performances, with a very young Powell on top of things even at that early stage of her career (this was only her second film). Constance Moore has such style and class that one can't imagine anyone objecting to putting her on Broadway. Ralph Bellamy is Ralph Bellamy, his lack of sex appeal stripping the film of any sexual tension. Arthur Treacher and Louise Beavers are fun as Bellamy's butler and Moore's maid, dresser, and confidante. Ruth Tobey is cute as Sherry's best friend, Molly, and Shirley Hunter makes her mark as a bitchy classmate named Nadine. Christian Drake is appealing as Jimmy Burns, a young sailor and friend of Hale's who is attracted to Sherry when she's all dolled up and looks older than her years. 

It's interesting that at one point Josephine does a parody of the high-pitched soprano style of singing when that's just the sort of thing Powell specialized in. The show that Hale finally puts on is a combo of the old and new, with Straussian melodies interspersed with jive. While some of the production numbers are just plain weird and even a bit dull, the finale is colorful and features some excellent dancing. By far the best number features "Bubbles" on the stage at the burlesque house, doing a sharp, fun and sexy rendition of "I'm Only Teasing." There are some plot similarities to Doll Face which also came out that year.   

Verdict: Another typically unreal but somewhat entertaining Hollywood musical. **1/2. 

LOVER COME BACK (1946)

George Brent and Lucy

LOVER COME BACK (1946). Director: William A. Seiter.

"Jealousy is a particularly crude manifestation of the uncultured."

"Your complete and unashamed lack of principles almost amounts to integrity." 

"That's different -- I'm a man!"

Executive Kay Williams (Lucille Ball) cleverly fobs off a variety of wolves, including her boss, while her husband, Bill (George Brent), a war correspondent, is overseas. When he returns home, Kay discovers that he had a number of dalliances with women, including his photographer Madeline (Vera Zorina of On Your Toes). She decides to get even by pretending that she also saw different men while he was gone -- and after. Madeline waits hopefully in the wings, while Kay's in-laws -- Bill Sr. (Charles Winninger) and his wife (Elisabeth Risdon) -- offer conflicting advice to both parties and bicker with each other. Will the younger couple work out their problems or wind up in Reno? 

Elisabeth Risdon and Charles Winninger

Lover Come Back is a breezy and delightful film bolstered by excellent performances from the entire cast, with Lucy being especially bright-eyed, effective, and resplendent. This is a clear example that Ball's talent did not begin and end with the wonderful I Love Lucy. Brent gives one of his more memorable performances, and one can't say enough about the terrific Winninger and Risdon, who make quite a pair of nattering lovebirds. Then we've got Austrian actor Carl Esmond as dapper and aggressive Paul, who wants to marry Kay; William Wright (of Philo Vance Returns) as photographer Jimmy, who makes frequent passes; Raymond Walburn (of And the Angels Sing) as Kay's amorous boss J. P. Winthrop; Wallace Ford as the lawyer Tubbs, who switches sides in this battle of the sexes after he gets punched; and spirited Louise Beavers as the couple's lovable domestic, Martha. Others in the cast who appear briefly are Franklin Pangborn as a hotel clerk; Ellen Corby as a secretary; and Joan Shawlee as one of Bill's rather bitchy ex-girlfriends.

Lucy!

One could easily argue that Lover Come Back is a slight picture were it not for the feminist sub-text. The picture argues against the double standard that it's acceptable for men to cheat -- "I'm a man, after all!" -- but that it's somehow worse for women to do so. The screenplay by Michael Fessier and Ernest Pagano is also full of good dialogue, and while the flick is not a laugh-riot it is consistently amusing. Brent is a likable enough performer so that his slightly sleazy character -- despite his love for his wife -- is made more palatable. This was the last of nine films for the German actress and dancer Vera Zorina, who has a certain undeniable appeal. As for Lucy, she is just splendid and looks absolutely gorgeous throughout!

Verdict: Lucy leads a cast of pros in an amusing comedy. ***.

DU BARRY WAS A LADY

Ball, Kelly, Skelton, O'Brien, Dorsey

DU BARRY WAS A LADY (1943). Director: Roy Del Ruth.

May Daly (Lucille Ball) is a nightclub singer who is courted by both Alec (Gene Kelly) and Louis (Red Skelton), neither of whom are rich enough to suit her. She is squired around town by a man who is wealthy, as well as much older, Wille (Douglass Dumbrille). When Louis wins the sweepstakes May wonders if she can have any kind of life with the newly rich fellow, but before any decision is made Louis collapses and dreams that they are all back in the days of King Louis and Madame Du Barry. Who will May ultimately wind up with, and will the IRS man (Donald Meek) leave any money for Louis? Du Barry is a strange picture, whose plot -- such as it is -- is put on hold for about half an hour (after the brief opening minutes) while we watch Tommy Dorsey and his band perform and the Oxford Boys do their impressions of famous band leaders. Others in the cast include the delightfully deadpan Virginia O'Brien; Zero Mostel (who does a pretty terrible impression of Charles Boyer); Louise Beavers as May's sassy maid, Niagara; Dick Haymes, who only appears as the lead vocalist in a group of singers; and drummer Buddy Rich. There's also Clara Blandick as a funny little old lady on a subway who gives advice to Ball and Skelton. This is very loosely based on a Cole Porter Broadway show, although most of the songs in the movie were written by others. Du Barry isn't a very good movie, but it goes out on a high note, with the cast spiritedly performing Porter's "Friendship." Another bright spot is Kelly's dancing to "Do I Love You.", although Kelly doesn't get to do nearly enough dancing in this.

Verdict: Silly, amiable, light-weight, but well-performed, and the final number is a pip. **.

THE WOMAN CONDEMNED

Claudia Dell and Richard Hemingway

THE WOMAN CONDEMNED (1934). Director: Mrs. Wallace Reid (Dorothy Davenport).

Mediocre radio singer Jane Merrick (Lola Lane) confuses everyone, especially her boss and lover Jim (Jason Robards Sr. of Desperate), by taking off for unknown reasons and refusing to come out of her apartment. She gives instructions to her maid, Sally (Louise Beavers), that she is to tell everyone she is not at home. Then a woman named Barbara (Claudia Dell of The Lost City) is arrested when she is found sneaking around the tony apartment house where a woman is later found murdered. Reporter Jerry Beall (Richard Hemingway) goes to bat for Barbara when she's accused of the crime, and even winds up being married to her in court when he falsely tells one judge she is his fiancee. Confused? The Woman Condemned is suspenseful all right, primarily because you're wondering what the hell is going on and how these different people fit together. The solution is somewhat ridiculous, but what is especially mind-boggling is the silly reason for why Jane feels she needs to disappear. Director Dorothy Davenport, who had been married to the late Wallace Reid, an actor, was also an actress and she dabbled in writing and directing.She proves as adept as most of her male colleagues of the time. The cast in this is also adept, with Mischa Auer playing against type as a doctor. Richard Hemingway was a pleasing leading man -- despite his mild-mannered demeanor he was a boxing champion in real life -- but he had very few credits. Lola Lane [Deadline at Dawn] was one of the Lane sisters, Priscilla being the most successful.

Verdict: This holds the attention but there isn't much pay-off. **1/2.

THE BIG STREET

THE BIG STREET (1942). Director: Irving Reis.

"Love just gives you one room, two chins, and three kids!"

A simple-minded busboy named Little Pinks (Henry Fonda) develops an infatuation for a gold-digging singer named Gloria (Lucille Ball) and basically becomes her dog and slave after she loses the ability to walk. At one point he agrees to push her by wheelchair from Manhattan to Florida (although they manage to hitch a lot of rides in the back of trucks)! This absorbing (if at times draggy) comedy-drama is certainly not for all tastes, and some may find that the mix of Damon Runyan characters such as Nicely Nicely (who later turned up in Guys and Dolls) with a study of unrequited love doesn't always jell, and in truth the Runyanisms often come close to crowding out the main story. Still for those who are game The Big Street is often very funny and just as often quite touching. Although he's hardly perfect casting, Fonda manages to do a nice job as Pinks, and Lucy gives one of her best performances – a really lovely job – as Gloria, managing to be both bitchy and sympathetic at one and the same time. A lot of great character actors shore up the proceedings, especially Agnes Moorehead as a neighbor and friend of Little Pinks. Louise Beavers and Ray Collins are also especially memorable. For those who simply find the movie to be too far-fetched, think of it as a Damon Runyan fable, sort of his lighter take on Of Human Bondage. The movie is not just a study of pathetic devotion and love, but of friendship, as we see how all of Little Pink's pals – even if they think he's crazy and masochistic to do so much for the ungrateful Gloria – pull together for him because they love him and realize how much he loves Gloria. A very unusual movie, and a real tearjerker as well.

Verdict: Grab those hankies and love Lucy!***1/2.