Starring Sonja Henie, Richard Greene, Joan Davis, and Cesar Romero
Directed by Roy Del Ruth
Music by Harry Revel; Lyrics by Mack Gordon
We go back to school with Sonja Henie and return to her vehicles with this hit from late 1938. Henie's settings to this point were mostly in her native Norway or typical resorts. Fox at least tries to vary things slightly by first tossing her into a department store, then higher education. How do the two settings fit into one story about a clerk who becomes the belle of a northern college? Let's start at the department store with George Cabot Sr. (George Barbier) as he wonders where his son George Jr. (Romero) is and find out...
The Story: George Junior is a playboy who gets married every other week. His current wife Marcelle (Gypsy Rose Lee) is suing him for divorce. Hoping to make his father's department store more profitable, he suggests they send women out to college campuses as living models and encourage the co-eds to buy their clothes. He suggests sports clerk Krista Nielsen (Henie), who helped him home when he was drunk. They send her to Plymouth College to model winter sportswear.
The girls think she's being stuck-up at first, with her constant changes of clothes, but she wins over handsome student Larry Taylor (Greene). He convinces her to stay when the boys make fun of her clothes horse tendencies at the tryouts for their Winter Carnival, and her amazing performance there does the rest. She doesn't want to leave when George Junior wants her to move to Florida to model swimwear, but ends up being suspended after she's implicated in Marcelle and George Jr.'s divorce. Larry goes with her to convince Marcelle to give up her suit...and then to find a way to make everyone happy, including George Sr.
The Song and Dance: The college and department store settings at least makes this one stand out slightly, along with a nice supporting cast. Fox borrowed Buddy Ebsen from MGM to play off sarcastic Joan Davis. She's a teacher who wishes the school's sleigh driver would pay less attention to his pregnant horse and more to her. I'm actually glad they don't play Gypsy Rose Lee's role as the villain. She doesn't mean Krista any harm. She just wants her husband to pay attention to her. They really get creative with the ice ballets here, too, especially the nifty Alice In Wonderland Ballet in the finale. Bringing in Roy Del Ruth from Warners, where he did many of their best musicals, helped too. He gives the film a fair pace and a nicely playful tone.
Favorite Number: The first song in the movie doesn't come until nearly 15 minutes in, but it's our introduction to the Plymouth University students, their "Marching Along." "This May Be the Night," everyone declares as they're driven in Buddy's sleigh to the big skating rally. The boys make fun of Krista's constant clothes changing, dressing in drag to show how "Classy Clothes Chris" looks rather silly to them. Krista's offended, until Larry convinces her to ignore them and give a great performance. She does, wowing them all over with her simple polished solo. The University chorus kicks in again when she leaves with the "Plymouth Farewell Song," performed in the background as Krista's forced to leave the college.
The big one is the Winter Carnival in the finale, held at the remodeled department store. Arthur Jarrett performs the hit "I've Got a Date With a Dream" with the ladies of the chorus and Ebsen and Davis. Henie picks it up with the male chorus on the ice. Ebsen and Davis do some clowning in fancy dress to "Could You Pass In Love?" which is also picked up by Henie and the chorus. "The Alice In Wonderland Ballet" lets Henie in fairy-tale ruffles and bonnet cavort with skaters dressed something like the characters from the famous book.
What I Don't Like: The setting may be novel, but the story's just plain silly. It's supposed to be college, but you never once see anyone in a classroom or even studying. George Junior's model idea is so ridiculous and unrealistic, no wonder the student body made fun of Krista. Larry has a point that the kids are more likely to be struggling to pay their tuition than buying her fancy clothes. Greene has a charming English accent, but he's mostly dull alongside the adorable Henie, and Ebsen and Gypsy Rose Lee could have more to do.
The Big Finale: Worth checking out for the skating sequences alone if you're a fan of Henie, ice shows, or Alice In Wonderland adaptations.
Home Media: DVD only from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.
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