1h 9min | Comedy, Drama, Music | 22 January 1945
Director: Howard Bretherton
Stars: Arthur Lake, Dale Evans, Lionel Stander.
Dave Gould ... musical sequences
Honey Freedley ... assistant choreographer (uncredited)
Watched on AmazonPrime. Bad print, often ghosted itself, but that might be the internet traffic.
And not just A pro-wrestler, but a specific one, whose body type doesn't match AL at all. But he wears a hood, so you can't see his face, and if horn rim glasses can disguise Superman, why not?
There are a couple of production numbers in the nightclub, and they are bad, but intentionally so. Or maybe Dave Gould had a stroke and lost all his Oscar-winning talent.
Dale Evans sings the same song twice: once in rehearsal and once with customers. She has 2 other songs she performs at the club. And Soundtracks lists a dance duo, with a waltzy-sounding title (Memories of Old Vienna), which I don't remember, but it might have just not caught my attention.
Even Lionel Stander doesn't charm this much. He's the brains behind AL's alter identity as the wrestler, but somehow he's too savvy to be fun here.
DE's values are so fickle: she likes the mean, slimy MC, then she likes the brutal pro-wrestler, but then she wants to reform him so he won't be so brutal, and she likes the meek version of AL too. I don't get it, and neither does she.
AL really is Dagwood again here, except he doesn't get to yell "Blondie!" to come rescue him. He's ok, but Penny Singleton was the dominant figure, not just in character strength, but in comedic value and charm too.
Previously rated 6; no idea what I was thinking. Not horrid enough for a 4, but really, seriously, don't bother with this again.
Indie, distr. Republic, dir. Bretherton; 5-
