Kansas City Princess (1934)

Two wisecracking manicurists flee an irate gangster.

Director:

William Keighley

Writers:

Sy Bartlett (story), Sy Bartlett (screenplay),

Stars:

Joan Blondell, Glenda Farrell, Robert Armstrong

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joan Blondell	...	Rosie Sturges
Glenda Farrell	...	Marie Callahan
Robert Armstrong	...	Dynamite 'Dynie' Carson
Hugh Herbert	...	Junior Ashcraft
Osgood Perkins	...	Marcel Duryea, French Private Eye
T. Roy Barnes	...	Alderman James 'Jim' Cameron
Hobart Cavanaugh	...	Alderman Sam Warren
Gordon Westcott	...	Jimmy the Dude aka Frankie Smith
Vince Barnett	...	Quincy, Dynamite's Henchman
Ivan Lebedeff	...	Dr. Sascha Pilnakoff
Renee Whitney	...	Mrs. 'Lovums' Ashcraft
Arthur Hoyt	...	Mr. Greenway

Storyline

Rosie and Marie are wisecracking Kansas City manicurists. Marie is an unabashed golddigger but Rosie would like to marry her gangster boyfriend Dynamite, who's given her an expensive ring. When she loses the ring, both friends have to flee Dynamite's wrath; their adventures include masquerading as girl scouts and taking an ocean voyage to Paris.

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Plot Keywords:

manicurist | gangster | engagement ring | diamond | train | 

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Taglines:

What a riot when two man-handling manicurists from the Midwest start trimming mugs and polishing suckers at a convention! (original ad)

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 October 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

I vasilissa tou Kansas

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

64 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Marie Callahan: Now get this and get it straight. A girl's got to have three things nowadays: money, jack, and dough! 'Bout time you learned it.

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Connections

Referenced in The FBI Story (1959)

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Soundtracks

"Freckle Face, You're Beautiful"
(uncredited)
Music by Carmen Lombardo
Lyrics by Cliff Friend

User Reviews

This farce has some good laughs at first, but it peters out half-way through.

Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell play fast-talking, wise-cracking blondes, roles they often had because they did it so well. They wind up trying to escape from small-time hood Robert Armstrong, who believes Blondell gave her engagement ring to Gordon Westcott, who actually stole it from her. The chase is on when Westcott meets Armstrong and shows the ring to him. He steals it back again, but is furious enough to wring Blondell's neck if he catches up with her. The fun in the first part is all in the chase, with the girls staying one step ahead of Armstrong, first by donning scout uniforms to get on their convention train, and then by jumping into a cab already occupied by two aldermen going to Paris by ship. Armstrong flew to New York to get there ahead of the train and followed the cab, with all three boarding the ship. Before you know it, they are on their way to Paris, but broke. The girls use their wiles to get passage money, and Armstrong uses his gun to force millionaire Hugh Herbert to hire him as a bodyguard. Farrell is more the gold digger of the two, and when she hears a millionaire is on board, they pose as French manicurists to get into his room, where Armstrong is waiting, but more pacified. At this point, the focus of the film changes, much to its detriment. The three hatch a plan to get Herbert's wife, Renee Whitney, to stop fooling around with Ivan Lebedeff in Paris and come back to Herbert. The idea is to trap Lebedeff in a room with one of the girls, so that Whitney can see how unfaithful he is to her. It didn't quite work out that way, with Herbert in for a big surprise.

The first half of the film was genuinely funny, with lots of quips and one-liners, including Farrell reminding Blondell that girls these days need three things - money, jack, and dough. The second half was more tedious than funny, and except, perhaps, for the surprise ending, was a waste of time.