Betty Hutton is an actress you most likely will either love or hate. I should be up front and mention that I am not a fan of her films, as she had a strong tendency to deliver her lines like she was a carnival barker! When she sang, she tended to belt out the tunes as opposed to singing. And, when she acted, she was similar...with little in the way of subtlety or finesse...just LOTS of energy and power. So, as you read my review, understand that I am not enamored with her acting.
When the film began, a note appeared on the screen which said that the film was INSPIRED by the life of Texas Guinan....Hollywood code for saying that much of this biopic is fiction. I hate this about too many biopics during the classic era--where the studios didn't trust the source material and felt a need to embellish things. In some cases, the embellishments were minor...in others pretty much ALL the story (apart from names) is fiction. A great example of this is Cary Grant in "Night and Day"...which was nearly all made up and shows little resemblance to the life of Cole Porter. How much "Incendiary Blonde" deviates from truth isn't so clear, however, as Texas Guinan certainly is NOT a household name today...in fact there's very little about her apart from a Wikipedia page I found about this woman. But what they did have in that article indicates that Guinan actually played very fast and loose with her life story. So...I guess that if Hollywood changed the facts here and there, well perhaps it didn't matter since NO ONE seems to know the full story of this colorful lady.
The story began with Texas (Betty Hutton) going from obscurity to leading lady in a wild west show much like Buffalo Bill's. Then, she went on to a career on Broadway, films and ultimately a top night club performer. And, as a night club performer she was all Betty...loud, brash and the life of the party.
So is this any good? Yes....but not in the least bit subtle. But the story is glossy and interesting...whether it's true or not. But one thing we do know to be true...Guinan's death was NOT at all like they showed it in the movie. But saying she died from dysentery isn't exactly a cinematic way to die!
When the film began, a note appeared on the screen which said that the film was INSPIRED by the life of Texas Guinan....Hollywood code for saying that much of this biopic is fiction. I hate this about too many biopics during the classic era--where the studios didn't trust the source material and felt a need to embellish things. In some cases, the embellishments were minor...in others pretty much ALL the story (apart from names) is fiction. A great example of this is Cary Grant in "Night and Day"...which was nearly all made up and shows little resemblance to the life of Cole Porter. How much "Incendiary Blonde" deviates from truth isn't so clear, however, as Texas Guinan certainly is NOT a household name today...in fact there's very little about her apart from a Wikipedia page I found about this woman. But what they did have in that article indicates that Guinan actually played very fast and loose with her life story. So...I guess that if Hollywood changed the facts here and there, well perhaps it didn't matter since NO ONE seems to know the full story of this colorful lady.
The story began with Texas (Betty Hutton) going from obscurity to leading lady in a wild west show much like Buffalo Bill's. Then, she went on to a career on Broadway, films and ultimately a top night club performer. And, as a night club performer she was all Betty...loud, brash and the life of the party.
So is this any good? Yes....but not in the least bit subtle. But the story is glossy and interesting...whether it's true or not. But one thing we do know to be true...Guinan's death was NOT at all like they showed it in the movie. But saying she died from dysentery isn't exactly a cinematic way to die!