The Girl Friend (1935) User Reviews

There's No Business Like Show Business

[boblipton · 5/10 · 24 September 2022]

Producer Thurston Hall has too many irons in the fire to buy the musical comedy about Napoleon written by Roger Pryor, Victor Kilian, and Ray Walker. He hands the script back, but it turns out to be a serious drama about Napoleon written by hayseed Jack Haley. The boys being broke, they decide to take up Haley's invitation to discuss it with him down on the farm, which involves Pryor in a romance with Haley's cousin, Ann Southern. When Pryor reads Haley's script, he says it's trash. However, Haley and his grandmother have gone into hock to build a theater on the farm.

Haley's wishy-washy malapropisms don't interest me, nor does the question of how they're going to get out of this, get something bought for enough money to pay off the mortgage, and square Pryor with Miss Southern. We know that somehow everything will be settled by the end of this show, even if it must be handwaved away. The songs are all right, and the Gus Kahn lyrics well sung by Pryor and Miss Southern; "Two Together" is a pretty good song, even if it's no "One Alone". See if you can spot Dennis O'Keefe and Marie Wilson in the chorus.

A little man deserves a big show.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 1 May 2019]

This burlesque spoof of how shows get produced and move from local barns to the big time is a fun vehicle for fans of "Tin Man" Jack Haley and the future "Maisie", Ann Sothern. The subject of the show is another "little man", Italian General Napoleon Bonaparte who later became emperor of France. The show within the show numbers are very funny, and in fact can be compared to Mel Brooks' "The Producers" years later.

Haley looks hysterical in his Napoleon get up, playing the violin and reciting some of Napoleon's speeches to some pretty good music. Standing in the way of his Romance with leading lady Ann Sothern is Roger Pryor who produces the show originally and hopes to move it to bigger venues. Standing in the way of the show moving forward is money man Thurston Hall, playing a producer very similar in temperament to legendary Broadway showman David Merrick.

Haley is truly outstanding in this part, looking every bit like certain portraits of the legendary leader who basically conquered all of Europe in the late 1700's. As a burlesque of power-hungry conquerors, it ridicules that type of mentality and makes Napoleon same as foolish as other similar megalomaniac throughout history (and the present). There's not much in the way of a truly strong plot, but as a spoof of this type of historical event, it works very well on that level and certainly deserves to be recognized for that.

Try not to laugh as Haley sings of Napoleon conquering Europe in comparing it to Paul Revere's ride. America, the baby, wasn't quite the beautiful just yet in history, but at least what came after that in entertainment and parody has been exclusively an American art form. Ann Sothern wasn't the greatest of singers, but she certainly was charming, and had a great year in 1935 with two other musicals as well, RKO's "Hooray for Love", and 20th Century's " Folies Bergere" opposite Maurice Chevalier.

Charming, silly but fun -comedy musical

[robluvthebeach · 19 December 2013]

Here is the synopsis for TCM---this can be seen on Youtube and other internet related movie sights--Very charming and Funny with Ann Sothern, Jack Haley and Roger Pryor.

Theatrical producer George S. Harmon refuses to produce a musical satire by struggling young actor George Thorne based on the life of Napoleon. He gives back to Thorne what he thinks is his play, but what he actually gives the young actor is a five-act tragedy about Napoleon by someone named "Henry," who has invited the producer to visit him at his farm. Thorne and his friends, Sunshine and Doc Parks, are broke and have no prospects for the summer, so they pretend to be the producer and his entourage and accept the playwright's offer. They live at the farm for two weeks, when Linda, Henry's sister, with whom Thorne has fallen in love, questions why they have not begun production on the play. Thorne claims that there are no theaters available to try out the play, so Henry's grandmother mortgages her farm for three-thousand dollars and converts the barn into a theater. Thorne finally reads the play, and it is terrible. He then tells Linda there are no actors available, but she offers up a variety of local talent. With his back to the wall, Thorne begins to produce his musical satire, telling Henry that it is simply a rewrite of his play. He hopes to have the real Harmon see the play and buy it. On opening night, the production is a hit until a rainstorm strikes, the roof begins to leak and all the displaced animals come in to reclaim their barn. Thorne's plans go further awry when he learns that Harmon never arrived at the theater. When Thorne is finally asked if he is going to buy the play, he admits that he is an imposter. The actor and his friends are forced to leave town, but, at the train station, Thorne runs into the real Harmon, who has come into town for another try-out. When Harmon refuses to see their play, Thorne then pretends to be the producer once more and cancels the other play. Henry kidnaps the cast of the other play and locks them in his barn. Thorne then puts his satire on in its place. Harmon is furious when he arrives at the theater and discovers what has happened. At the first act curtain, he threatens to put the entire company in jail, but Thorne convinces him to let them continue with their production. Henry is cast as Napoleon, and every time the real producer looks at him, he becomes nervous and the audience thinks he is even funnier. The play is a huge success, and Thorne allows all to believe that Henry is its author. Harmon then buys the production as is, and Thorne is once again in Linda's good graces.