Plot Summary - Buster Keaton talkie about Elvira Plunkett (Anita Page), a small town beauty contest winner, "Miss Gopher City", Kansas heading for Hollywood and travelling with her goofball manager Elmer J. Butts (Keaton) and her very overbearing Mama. On the train she meets handsome movie star "Larry Mitchell" (Robert Montgomery) who brings her to a premiere of his new film, MGM's "The Love Call", at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Soon Elvira and mom are at the studio, watching Larry filming a musical. Elmer has all sorts of trouble getting into MGM and gets himself chased around the lot by a guard, managing to wreak havoc on several films being shot. Larry tries to help Elmer by getting him a small part - but Elmer can't hack his one line "the Queen has swooned". After a Hollywood party, Larry invites Elvira to his place, but turns out to be just a wolf in innocent Elvira's eyes. And Elmer ends up getting a screen test in Larry's film, for the comedy part - soon just about everyone has gotten a part in this film but Elvira! A love triangle with Larry and Elmer both in love with Elvira is in the works too, but gee, that "Larry" sure is a good-looking one.
Review - Okay, here's the good - the film shows a nice glimpse of Hollywood circa 1930, including behind-the-scenes at the MGM studio, outside of the Chinese Theatre, not to mention some neat to see cameo parts by such silent era stars as Jackie Coogan, William Haines, Lionel Barrymore, director Fred Niblo, and more. Robert Montgomery is oh so young and handsome (he's one of my personal faves), Anita Page is charming and beautiful, Buster Keaton made me laugh several times (I thought his dance moves were pretty good too!), even the actress, Trixie Friganza, who plays the Mama is very funny. The bad - the sort of "film within a film" stuff just goes on too long. And by that I mean the movie that everyone is starring in which looks like a complete dud, and they show way too much of scenes being filmed from this - I was getting quite bored with it. Okay movie, not up to Keaton' silents though. Rating - 7/10 stars
Showing posts with label William Haines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label William Haines. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
The Girl Said No (1930) Film Review
Watched three films today starring comic actress Marie Dressler, a day of her films being featured on TCM. First up, "The Girl Said No".
Plot Summary - "The Town Cut-Up". William Haines appears as Tom Ward, recent college graduate - a flamboyant, wild, cocky jokester who is immature, loud and *plenty* obnoxious. He hangs with a lively young crowd who like to go out drinking and partying - one evening a former fellow student, disliked for his straight A's, arrives at the nightclub his gang are at, accompanied by a beautiful blonde named Mary (Leila Hyams). Tom is immediately all over this poor gal, grabbing her, forcing kisses on her, he even brings her to tears. He tells her "she's passing up a good bet" (ha!). The next day he arrives at the office where she works as a secretary and continues to badger her - she hates him, but - of course - in the way often seen in filmland, she starts to secretly sort of like him. Amazing. Tom actually gets hired at her office as a bond salesman, his career throughout the film seems to be on very shaky ground (it's sort of hard to follow what job or lack of job he currently has at any particular point) - and she continues to push him away, though he continually proclaims his "love" for her. When trouble comes to his family and money is hard to come by, Tom tries to grow-up - but he seems nearly the same as always to me (angrily throwing a phone through a glass door because of jealousy - not exactly mature).
Review - I thought this film was reasonably entertaining. William Haines, who started his career in the silent era, is quite good in this - his character is very unlikable I thought - and Haines, usually playing a more appealing (though often cocky) personality, does a really good job in bringing that to life. Marie Dressler practically steals the show in a short but memorable scene where she plays a wealthy woman being treated by Haines, who, posing as a doctor, doses her with alcohol to get her to buy one of his bonds. Rating - 7 stars
Plot Summary - "The Town Cut-Up". William Haines appears as Tom Ward, recent college graduate - a flamboyant, wild, cocky jokester who is immature, loud and *plenty* obnoxious. He hangs with a lively young crowd who like to go out drinking and partying - one evening a former fellow student, disliked for his straight A's, arrives at the nightclub his gang are at, accompanied by a beautiful blonde named Mary (Leila Hyams). Tom is immediately all over this poor gal, grabbing her, forcing kisses on her, he even brings her to tears. He tells her "she's passing up a good bet" (ha!). The next day he arrives at the office where she works as a secretary and continues to badger her - she hates him, but - of course - in the way often seen in filmland, she starts to secretly sort of like him. Amazing. Tom actually gets hired at her office as a bond salesman, his career throughout the film seems to be on very shaky ground (it's sort of hard to follow what job or lack of job he currently has at any particular point) - and she continues to push him away, though he continually proclaims his "love" for her. When trouble comes to his family and money is hard to come by, Tom tries to grow-up - but he seems nearly the same as always to me (angrily throwing a phone through a glass door because of jealousy - not exactly mature).
Review - I thought this film was reasonably entertaining. William Haines, who started his career in the silent era, is quite good in this - his character is very unlikable I thought - and Haines, usually playing a more appealing (though often cocky) personality, does a really good job in bringing that to life. Marie Dressler practically steals the show in a short but memorable scene where she plays a wealthy woman being treated by Haines, who, posing as a doctor, doses her with alcohol to get her to buy one of his bonds. Rating - 7 stars
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