Starring William Powell, Bette Davis, William McHugh, and Verree Teasdale
Directed by William Dieterle
Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Irving Kahal
This isn't technically a musical, but it does have a big Busby Berkeley number that's worth discussing. At this point, Warners was still trying to figure out what to do with Davis. She wanted to be loaned out to RKO to appear in Of Human Bondage, but they opted to give her the glamor treatment first, with a platinum blonde wig and false eyelashes. William Powell was already on his way to MGM after Warners couldn't quite figure out his dapper persona, either. How do both come off in this strange combination of elegant gowns and elaborate cons? Let's begin with con man Sherwood Nash (Powell) as his latest scheme is going broke and find out...
The Story: Sherwood's encounter with struggling fashion designer Lynn Mason (Davis) inspires his next big idea. They provide discount shops with cheap copies of the latest Paris fashions, at least until the designers start complaining. His next plot involves Lynn creating her own gowns, inspired by designer Oscar Baroque (Reginald Owen), but signing the names of famous designers.
Once again, the designers complain...but this time, Baroque hires the two and Sherwood's photographer buddy Snap (McHugh) to spy on the designs of his rivals. When they're caught, Sherwood manages to blackmail Baroque's current girlfriend the Grand Duchess Alix (Teasdale) into getting her boyfriend to design a musical revue, using feathers sold by a friend of his (Hugh Herbert). It's a sensation...but when Sherwood opens his own competing house, that's when Baroque realizes he may have been outfoxed by this wily American...
The Song and Dance: This hodge-podge does manage some moments of amusement, especially when Powell is going a mile a minute with yet another big idea. He's a shady con artist and borderline crook, but you almost let it pass because he's so darn charming. The other big thing here - the fashions - don't disappoint, either. Warners went all out with costumes here, from glittering spangled gowns to the multitudes of feathered outfits and bikinis in Berkeley's "Spin a Little Web of Dreams" number.
Speaking of, this is fairly racy for a movie that came out just before the Production Code went into effect. In addition to the scanty costumes, there's McHugh chasing anything that looks vaguely female, a man in Paris trying to sell him "filthy pictures," and some scanty-bordering-on-nude costumes in the Berkeley routine.
Favorite Number: There's only one major number, but it's a lulu. Berkeley went all out with "Spin a Little Web of Dreams." A shop girl surrounded by feathers dreaming of a better life somehow turns into women playing living harps made of barely-dressed chorus girls, women in bikinis waving feathered fans in time to the music, and Berkeley's famous overhead shots turning them into feathery flowers.
What I Don't Like: There's no glamor treatment in the world that could make Davis comfortable in even a semi-musical. She's clearly bored throughout, making her decision about whether or not to marry Sherwood or the rather dull orchestra conductor Jimmy Blake (Phillip Reed) unnecessary and dull. And why didn't Warners go full musical with this one? This could have been so much more. Berkeley could have done more with the other fashion show routines, or they could have tossed in a few more numbers or given Reed and burbling Hugh Herbert more to do.
The Big Finale: The one big number is nifty, but not enough to make this interesting. For hardcore fans of Berkeley or the stars only.
Home Media: Easy to find on Warner Archives DVD and streaming, including HBO Max with a subscription.
No comments:
Post a Comment