Despite being a famous singer, Ruth Etting had a very limited number of film appearances. With 37 credits listed on IMDB, only four were for full-length films...probably because despite her lovely voice, Etting didn't possess movie star looks...and Hollywood, unfortunately, is all about looks. "One Good Turn" is one of her 34 short film appearances...though the plot is complex and the story easily could have been a full-length movie.
When the story begins, Ruth Eton (Etting) is in a singing duo with Eddie Farrell (Jay Velie). She is clearly the star and is carrying Eddie, so to speak. It's so obvious that Ruth is offered a lucrative solo contract. But Ruth is loyal and insists on keeping the partnership. In fact, she spends much of her time teaching Eddie to sing and improve his voice. And, when the duo is a success, he pays her back by dumping the act and going solo! But his big career soon falls flat when he loses his voice. What's next for him and his incredibly longsuffering ex-partner?
I noticed in quite a few of Etting's shorts, she plays the longsuffering woman in love with some knucklehead....which is interesting as her Hollywoodized relationship with a screwball gangster in real life followed this same pattern in "Love Me or Leave Me" (starring Doris Day as Etting).
So is this worth seeing? Yes, though it did seem that making it a short really hurt the film's believability due to the pacing. Worth seeing....but it left me wanting more.
When the story begins, Ruth Eton (Etting) is in a singing duo with Eddie Farrell (Jay Velie). She is clearly the star and is carrying Eddie, so to speak. It's so obvious that Ruth is offered a lucrative solo contract. But Ruth is loyal and insists on keeping the partnership. In fact, she spends much of her time teaching Eddie to sing and improve his voice. And, when the duo is a success, he pays her back by dumping the act and going solo! But his big career soon falls flat when he loses his voice. What's next for him and his incredibly longsuffering ex-partner?
I noticed in quite a few of Etting's shorts, she plays the longsuffering woman in love with some knucklehead....which is interesting as her Hollywoodized relationship with a screwball gangster in real life followed this same pattern in "Love Me or Leave Me" (starring Doris Day as Etting).
So is this worth seeing? Yes, though it did seem that making it a short really hurt the film's believability due to the pacing. Worth seeing....but it left me wanting more.