Lita Chevret Movies

The once-in-a-lifetime teaming of Mae West and W.C. Fields in My Little Chickadee had the potential for comic greatness: what emerged, though generally entertaining, was, in the words of critic Andrew Sarris, "more funny strange than funny ha-ha." Mae West dominates the film's first reel as Flowerbelle Lee, a self-reliant woman who is abducted by a mysterious masked bandit during a stagecoach holdup. Because she refuses to tell anyone what happened during her nocturnal rendezvous with the bandit, Flowerbelle is invited to leave her prudish hometown and move to Greasewood City. En route by train, Flowerbelle makes the acquaintance of con-artist Cuthbert J. Twillie (W.C. Fields), who carries a suitcase full of what seems to be large-denomination monetary notes. After a lively clash with marauding Indians, Flowerbelle tricks Twillie into a phony marriage; she does this so that she can arrive in Greasewood City with a modicum of respectability, and incidentally to get her hands on Twillie's bankroll. Once she discovers that Twillie's "fortune" consists of nothing but phony oil-well coupons, Flowerbelle refuses to allow Twillie into the bridal chamber (he unwittingly crawls into the marriage bed with a goat, muttering "Darling, have you changed your perfume?") Through a fluke, the cowardly Twillie is appointed sheriff of Greasewood City by town boss Joseph Calleila. The plot is put on hold for two reels while La West does a "schoolroom" routine with a class full of markedly overage students, and while Fields performs a bartender bit wherein he explains how he once knocked down the notorious Chicago Mollie. Jealous over the attentions paid to his "wife" by Calleila and honest newspaper-editor Dick Foran, Twillie decides to gain entry into his wife's boudoir by posing as the still-at-large masked bandit. His ruse is soon discovered by Flowerbelle, but the townsfolk capture Twillie as he makes his escape. They are about to lynch the hapless Twillie when Flowerbelle discovers that Calleia is the genuine masked bandit. She urges Calleia to save Twillie's life by making a surprise appearance at the lynching and by returning the money he's stolen. When all plot lines are ironed out, Flowerbelle and Twillie bid goodbye to one another. Borrowing a device utilized by ZaSu Pitts and Hugh Herbert in 1939's The Lady's From Kentucky, W.C. Fields invites Mae West to "come up and see me sometime," whereupon West appropriates Fields' tagline and calls him "My Little Chickadee." The script for this uneven comedy western was credited to Mae West and W.C. Fields, though in fact West was responsible for most of it. Fields willingly conceded this, noting that West had captured his character better than any other writer he'd ever met. Despite this seeming gallantry, it was no secret that West and Fields disliked each other intensely, a fact that had an injurious effect on their scenes together. My Little Chickadee has assumed legendary status thanks to its stars, and it certainly does deliver the laughs when necessary: still, it is hardly the best-ever vehicle for either Fields or West, two uniquely individual performers who should never have been required to duke it out for the same spotlight. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mignight Limited takes place during an eventful nonstop train trip from New York to Montreal. A couple of murders take place, obliging detective Val (John King) to swing into action. There is no shortage of suspects, but Val refuses to believe that pretty Joan (Marjorie Reynolds) is the guilty party-and, of course, his instincts are credit. George Cleveland steals the show as a seemingly eccentric professor, a character obviously inspired by the addlepated religious fanatic in Hecht and MacArthur's Twentieth Century. For reasons best known to the Monogram executives, Midnight Limited is interrupted halfway through with a song performed by hero John King. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on the Clare Booth Luce play of the same name, this MGM comedy is famous for its all-female cast and deft direction by George Cukor. The plot centers on a group of gossipy high-society women who spend their days at the beauty salon and haunting fashion shows. The sweet, happily wedded Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) finds her marriage in trouble when shopgirl Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford) gets her hooks into Mary's man. Naturally, this situation becomes the hot talk amongst Mary's catty friends, especially the scandalmonger Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell), who has little room to talk -- she finds herself on a train to Reno and headed for divorce right after Mary. But with a bit of guts and daring, Mary snatches her man right back from Crystal's clutches. Snappy, witty dialogue, much of it courtesy of veteran screenwriter Anita Loos, helps send this film's humor over the top. So do the characterizations -- Crawford is as venomous as they come, and this was Russell's first chance to show what she could do as a comedienne. And don't discount Shearer -- her portrayal of good-girl Mary is never overpowered by these two far-flashier roles. The only part of The Women that misses is the fashion-show sequence. It was shot in color -- an innovative idea in its day -- but now both the concept and clothes are dreary and archaic. Do keep an eye on the supporting players, though, especially Mary Boland as the Countess DeLage. The role was based on a cafe society dame of that era, the Countess DiFrasso, who had a wild affair with Gary Cooper; that romance is satirized here. ~ Janiss Garza, Rovi

Director Leslie Selander exhibits the sure-handed expertise that would endear him to latter-day western cultists in his 1937 formula western Sandflow. Buck Jones plays the son of a crooked land dealer. Seeking redemption, Jones rides through the west to compensate every rancher who was cheated by his dad. Along the way, he rescues his younger brother Robert Terry from a date with the hangman. Sandflow was one of a group of 1937 westerns personally produced by star Buck Jones and released by Universal Pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This lesser Astaire/Rogers vehicle is one of several screen versions of the venerable Hubert Osborne stage play Shore Leave. For reasons unknown, Fred and Ginger are virtually supporting players here, spending most of their time trying to patch up the romance between Fred's fellow sailor Randolph Scott and Ginger's sister Harriet Hilliard (better known as Harriet Nelson, of Ozzie and Harriet fame). One of the sillier aspects of the plot hinges on raising enough money to renovate a broken-down old ship; to do this, Fred and Ginger stage a lengthy musical number that must have cost five times as much money as they raised! But that number, a languorous dance rendition of Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance", compensates for all the nonsense that has gone before. One fringe benefit of Follow the Fleet is spotting two fresh-faced starlets named Betty Grable and Lucille Ball. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Set in the Washington of World War I, Escapade stars William Powell as a newspaper editor eager to sign up for an overseas assignment. Instead, he's ordered to stay in Washington to decode enemy messages. This assignment has been arranged by the dizzy niece (Rosalind Russell) of the Undersecretary of War, who has fallen in love with Powell. She later joins the harried editor in squashing a spy ring, headed by Cesar Romero and Binnie Barnes. Considering how annoying Rosalind Russell's character becomes in Rendezvous, it's understandable that role was turned down by Myrna Loy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Warner Oland made his fifth appearance as wily Honolulu-based detective Charlie Chan in Fox's Charlie Chan's Courage. Hired to deliver a valuable necklace, Chan shows up at a ranch estate, posing as a servant. His task is complicated when Victor Jordan (Jack Carter), the man who engaged his services, is murdered the moment he shows up at the ranch. Maintaining his servant guise, Charlie monitors the movements of the many suspects, eventually unmasking the hidden killer. Among the supporting players are several Chan-movie "regulars," some of whom turned out to be murderers in other series entries. Charlie Chan's Courage is a remake of the 1928 silent film The Chinese Parrot, in which Chan was played by Japanese actor Sojin; alas, neither film is available for viewing today. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This comedy, set during the Prohibition, chronicles the exploits of two disparate sisters. The older sister is a jaded gold-digger. The younger one is a naive country girl. The older tries to shelter the younger from the sophisticated men of the city. Unfortunately, she gets in trouble when her newest love swipes a thousand bucks to assist her. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this misleadingly-titled 1932 medical (not musical) drama, the resolve of a young surgeon is severely tested. Dr. Felix Klauber (Ricardo Cortez), is a selfless Jewish physician who has grown up in the segregated slums of New York City. Through hard work, he becomes a wealthy Park Avenue doctor. He is called to operate on his father, Meyer Klauber (Gregory Ratoff), to remove a small tumor. But Dr. Klauber makes a fatal mistake, and his father dies on the operating table. Klauber now becomes plagued by guilt and self-doubt and is afraid to practice his profession. His girlfriend Jessica (Irene Dunne) urges him to continue. When it turns out that she, too, requires surgery, his love for her and her entreaties compel him to return to perform the delicate operation. This RKO Studios production was based on a novel by Fannie Hurst. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Edna May Oliver portrays a society dowager called for jury duty on a murder trial wherein a pretty young woman is accused of killing her older husband. She takes her job quite seriously, and soon is playing both "prosecutor" and "DA" with judge and witnesses alike. In this unorthodox but highly entertaining fashion, Ms. Oliver gets to the truth and exposes the genuine murderer before the final fade-out. Incidentally, despite the title, there are gentlemen on the jury, but all eyes are on the formidable Ms. Oliver. Ladies of the Jury was remade in 1937 as We're on the Jury, with Helen Broderick in the Edna May Oliver role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Depression-era comedy takes place in the boarding house run by the indomitable Sarah Austin (Edna May Oliver). Sarah's indigent husband Joe (Hugh Herbert), spends most of his time cooking up pie-in-the-sky get-rich-quick schemes, few of which come to fruition. In time-honored "domestic comedy" tradition, one of Joe's wacky inventions is purchased by a major manufacturer, saving the household from bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Sarah and Joe's daughter Alice (Dorothy Lee) experiences an endless series of romantic travails. Director Gregory LaCava reportedly allowed the actors to improvise much of their dialogue during rehearsals; even so, the fine comedic hand of veteran scenarist Ralph Spence is evident throughout the film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Having built up the comedy team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey into a surefire box-office draw, RKO Radio was possessed with the notion to briefly split up the team, showcasing each actor in his own separate vehicle in hopes of doubling their profitability. Woolsey's first (and last) solo effort was Everything's Rosie, which though ostensibly a screen original by Al Boasberg was actually a rip-off of the 1923 W. C. Fields stage vehicle Poppy (in which Woolsey had played a featured role). The bespectacled, cigar-chomping comedian is cast as Dr. J. Dockweiler Droop, a crooked-yet-lovable sideshow medicine man. Rescuing a two-year old urchin named Rosie from her harridan of a mother, Doc Droop raises the girl as his own. By the time she reaches maturity, the lovely Rosie (played as an adult by Anita Louise) is every bit the sharpster that her "father" is. When Rosie falls in love with wealthy Billy Lowe (John Darrow), Doc tries his best to make a good impression at a party given by Billy's mother, only to end up in the calaboose when he's accused of theft. Realizing that he's a millstone around Rosie's neck, Doc quietly shuffles out of her life, but not before smoothing the romantic path for the hero and heroine. Funny though he was in the Wheeler and Woolsey comedies, Bob Woolsey simply wasn't a strong enough performer to carry a picture by himself -- though in all fairness, it should be noted that Bert Wheeler fared almost as badly in his solo RKO effort, Too Many Cooks. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Silent star Betty Compson takes on a Swedish accent in this romantic melodrama based on a story by Martin Flavin. She is immigrant Helga Larson, arriving in New York to marry John Hanson (Conrad Nagel), a bank teller rooming with her aunt (Bodil Rosing). But while good dependable John slaves away studying to become a lawyer, Helga dallies with his carefree colleague Phil (Robert Ames). When John, who has been speculating in the market, learns that he will lose all his savings if unable to come up with $10,000 that very night, he surrenders to temptation and steals the funds from Phil's cash drawer. Our hero is soon wrecked with guilt -- that is, until Helga announces that she has accepted Phil's proposal. Phil is imprisoned, John marries Helga and becomes successful and five years go by. But the past has a way of catching up with even with the best of folks. Three Who Loved proved one of the final films of Robert Ames, who tragically committed suicide later that same year. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi