Clive Hirschhorn describes this as 'pathetic' in the Warner Brothers Story. That's maybe a little unfair. For it to be pathetic implies it evokes feelings of pathos in the viewer whereas this evokes about as much feeling as looking at beige wallpaper. But it's Warren William doing what he always does so I watched it anyway - it was OK.
This picture highlights the problem with the old studio system. Today when a film-maker decides to make a movie he or she employs a writer and gathers a cast together, in the 1930s, movies weren't conceived like that, they were just product a film factory made. Warners and the other majors had a salaried standing army of writers, film-makers and actors all contracted to work 9 to 5 on whatever tasks their bosses gave them. Like the other majors, Warners owned a lot of cinemas and they all had an insatiable appetite for reels of celluloid to keep them alive. The quality of that food-stock didn't matter too much provided it encouraged their customers to sit in the comfortable heated picture houses rather than in their depression riddled garrets.
This is exactly the output of a studio just colouring in the rolls of celluloid with something the punters will look at. It feels like whichever actors weren't doing anything on one particular Tuesday got sent over to stage 7 with the instruction just to be in that picture until Friday then you're on stage 5 making the viking picture. Director Robert Florey was clearly not looking busy enough either as he was made to direct this - he made some reasonable movies but he was no superstar - especially when just making something so bland and unimaginative as this. The actors corralled in here were the fabulous, although somewhat predictable Warren William and some other people. Guy Kibbee is reasonably personable but the big problem is that the leading female is Claire Dodd who is just not cut out for lead and seems unable to generate any chemistry with Warren William or indeed with any of her suitors (including that young Australian bloke). The whole thing is just flat and lifeless.......but if you like this sort of rubbish like I do, it's tolerable.
If for no reason you can logically explain, you like watching pre-code or even mid 1930s movies - particularly those from Warner Brothers so they're not too polished, not too long, definitely not too sentimental or mushy, not too up themselves like some of those snooty Paramount films, then you will probably enjoy this although you'll be aware watching it that it's pretty terrible. As a comedy it is not funny and as a romance, it doesn't even try to do that. It's just a moderately fun hour of 1930s Americana.
This picture highlights the problem with the old studio system. Today when a film-maker decides to make a movie he or she employs a writer and gathers a cast together, in the 1930s, movies weren't conceived like that, they were just product a film factory made. Warners and the other majors had a salaried standing army of writers, film-makers and actors all contracted to work 9 to 5 on whatever tasks their bosses gave them. Like the other majors, Warners owned a lot of cinemas and they all had an insatiable appetite for reels of celluloid to keep them alive. The quality of that food-stock didn't matter too much provided it encouraged their customers to sit in the comfortable heated picture houses rather than in their depression riddled garrets.
This is exactly the output of a studio just colouring in the rolls of celluloid with something the punters will look at. It feels like whichever actors weren't doing anything on one particular Tuesday got sent over to stage 7 with the instruction just to be in that picture until Friday then you're on stage 5 making the viking picture. Director Robert Florey was clearly not looking busy enough either as he was made to direct this - he made some reasonable movies but he was no superstar - especially when just making something so bland and unimaginative as this. The actors corralled in here were the fabulous, although somewhat predictable Warren William and some other people. Guy Kibbee is reasonably personable but the big problem is that the leading female is Claire Dodd who is just not cut out for lead and seems unable to generate any chemistry with Warren William or indeed with any of her suitors (including that young Australian bloke). The whole thing is just flat and lifeless.......but if you like this sort of rubbish like I do, it's tolerable.
If for no reason you can logically explain, you like watching pre-code or even mid 1930s movies - particularly those from Warner Brothers so they're not too polished, not too long, definitely not too sentimental or mushy, not too up themselves like some of those snooty Paramount films, then you will probably enjoy this although you'll be aware watching it that it's pretty terrible. As a comedy it is not funny and as a romance, it doesn't even try to do that. It's just a moderately fun hour of 1930s Americana.