1h 19min | Musical, Comedy | 2 December 1943
Director: Gregory Ratoff
Stars: Mae West, Victor Moore, William Gaxton, Hazel Scott, Xavier Cugat.
David Lichine ... choreographer
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035978/
Mae West's 12 films were released in: '32, '33, '33, '34, '35, '36, '36, '37, '40, '43, '70, '78. She had writing credit on 10 of them; not this one. This is her film first away from Paramount. On IMDb, Other Works for her includes her return to live theatre in the '40s.
Although she didn't write this, and isn't onscreen as much as in her Paramount films, MW does bring her spice to her role. She only sings twice, and the second time (brief finale) she is filmed mostly from afar, and can barely be heard singing with the male chorus. She gets a couple of closeups in that finale, where she sings without the chorus, and gives us the lyric "If you want things put in order, come and see me, south of the border." Sounds like her writing there. (The IMDb page for this film has 3 photos of MW in a costume I didn't see in the film.)
VM seems to get the most screentime, and he's his usual mild-mannered funny sweetypie. At one point he says to MW (b. 1893) that he (b. 1876) was over 40. His inflection on "over" is a confession that he's Far over.
After MW and VM, Hazel Scott is the best thing about this film (and among the best in I Dood It). During her first number, she plays 2 piano simultaneously, and one of them has black/white keys reversed in color. In her 2nd number, she plays some of the number standing up and with her back to the keys. But I think I'm most impressed by her playing the basic melody of Caissons with her left hand while standing and looking away while acting. She plays with pianos like a guitarist who plays the guitar behind his head. Sure enough, her IMDb bio says she was a child prodigy.
Songs performed (official release, no menu, 8 chapters, 10 min each)
- ch1. I'm Just a Stranger in Town (1943), Performed by Mae West in the show "Indiscretions"
- ch2. Unidentified Song, Performed by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra and Lina Romay in Spanish
- ch3. There Goes That Guitar (1943), Performed by Joan Thorsen and David Lichine (uncredited)
- ch4. Antonio, Performed by Lina Romay and Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra
- ch5. The White Keys and the Black Keys (1943), Performed by Hazel Scott
- ch5. Thinkin' About the Wabash (1943), Performed by Mary Roche, Jack Owens and chorus
- ch7. Caisson Song (1907), Performed by Hazel Scott and all-black chorus, men in army uniforms with rifles
- ch7. They Looked So Pretty on the Envelope (1943), Performed by Victor Moore
- ch8. Hello, Mi Amigo (1943), Performed by Mae West and chorus in the show "Tropicana"
I don't understand the low ratings here. But I know I've developed a tolerance for bad films so long as they have enough music. This one is borderline, but my comments above the song mean I foudn enough to like.
Columbia, dir. Ratoff; 6
