(80 mins.) Released 1931-11-14
Director: Charles F. Reisner
Stars: Bert Lahr, Charlotte Greenwood, Pat O'Brien, Kathryn Crawford
Busby Berkeley ... dances created by
comedy, musical, romance
originally posted 2 Oct 2017 00:32
More Charlotte Greenwood and Busby Berkeley. Bert Lahr's first feature. Bert and Charlotte are eventually paired, she chasing him because she wants to marry anyone to have a family.
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Bert invented a new flying machine that, in theory, can go higher than prior machines. Eventually he flies it in a contest, and Charlotte's interference "helps".
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The musical numbers come from the aviation school, with more women than men. They need to take a physical exam to qualify, so everyone gets down to their identical bra and waist to thigh lacy boxers; not quite street wear in 2017, but very modest even in 1931.
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BB's rhythmic formations add value. We get lots of overhead shots with good precision, including spelling names of famous aviators. (But we're overhead in a building, not observed by airplanes.) BB adds props (literally propellers in this film) and variations to make the same routines different enough, but familiar enough, to please.
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Bert Lahr does much of the same mugging he'll do as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz (1939). He made only 10 films. His broad performance played well on stage, I'm sure. I'm glad to see him here, but don't crave lots more.
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Charlotte gets very physical with her comedy here, which is great. She does some with her crazy long legs and limber hips, as I'd hope.
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Because of BB's influence, this feels like a Warner musical instead of MGM, but my image of MGM musicals is probably shaped by Arthur Freed's producer hand, which doesn't emerge until The Wizard of Oz. It will be interesting to see if I tag an MGM musical as such before then.
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MGM, dir. Reisner [+BB]; 6+
