Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Abegail Noëlle While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

utgard14 Spoiled rich girl Olivia de Havilland fills up her car at a gas station where aspiring architect Dick Powell works. She doesn't have any cash to pay for the gas so Powell makes her work off the debt. She sets about trying to get even with Powell by leading him on and tricking him into pitching his dream idea for a chain of auto courts to her father and his friend, who she knows will never give Powell's idea a fair shot. Things change when she inevitably develops feeling for him.Mean-spirited at times but mostly funny screwball comedy. The leads are great. Also, love seeing Bonita Granville, Penny Singleton, and Allen Jenkins. Helps if you haven't seen other, better screwball comedies from the period. If you have, this will definitely have an air of familiarity about it. Still, it's a good one. Powell sings a couple of songs, including "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" and a jarringly out-of-place blackface number. There's one ridiculous part where, as part of a gag by de Havilland's father, Powell is tricked into opening a door that leads onto a ledge several stories up. It's implied this trick has been used before on others. I'm sure we're not supposed to look into this too closely but that part kind of bothered me since Powell very easily could have fallen to his death. Some gag.

vincentlynch-moonoi I don't think I've ever watched more than one film starring Dick Powell, and I don't even remember which one that was, but finding him in this film was a delight. And throw in Olivia deHavilland, and you have a darned entertaining pairing in a pleasant romantic comedy. This is a solid "7".Powell has 2 musical numbers that are quite good. He plays it straight with "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" -- one of the better renditions of the song I've heard. But hams it up a la Al Jolson with "Sonny Boy", and yes, in blackface; I know we're not supposed to like blackface, but this is a hoot.The story is not that unique -- rich society girl (deHavilland) is put in her place was one of the common folk (Powell). But, she soon discovers that he has the potential to get involved in big business, begins to fall in love with him, and influences her father to help him. But there are some distinguishing elements here -- petrol stations, motor courts, building skyscrapers, and a crazy business bet between rivals. SO while the basic story line is not that different, there are some unique aspects of the story that help elevate it beyond many period pieces.As already mentioned, Dick Powell and Olivia de Havilland at the top of the cast are top notch here, although in re screen time, this is very much Powell's picture. Charles Winninger, as the high society father, is interesting here; in his exercise scenes he does his own stunts, and at the age of 54, that was not too shabby. Allen Jenkins was always pleasant to see on screen, usually (as here) in a "buddy" role; Melville Cooper similarly makes the most of his butler role here. Bonita Granville wasn't very impressive as the high society younger sister, nor was Isabel Jeans as the high society mother (although I have the idea she played the role as directed). Grady Sutton was one of those character actors who just seemed made for certain types of roles, as here. Thurston Hall player the other big businessman well.If you're at all attracted to romantic comedies, give this one a watch. I think you'll enjoy it.

nomoons11 I decided to give this one a go and wow, what a treat.This cast was just A+ all around. Everyone had great lines given to em. That obviously means a good script. Even though the big names fronted the film, the supporting cast to me was the big difference. Really great character actors in this one.Dick Powell is his usual comic-dead-on-timing self. Olivia D was good as a spoiled brat and watch out for her father played by Charles Winninger, he steals this entire film. His scenes with his servant/butler are the anchors of this film. Just flat out funny each scene.Give this one a go, you'll love it

bkoganbing Hard To Get casts two of Jack Warner's most unhappy players on his lot in their second film together. Both Dick Powell and Olivia DeHavilland were begging Jack for more dramatic material to do and he was refusing both of them. Powell didn't get his first break in that department until years after he left Warner Brothers. As for Olivia, her salvation was coming next year when she loaned out to David O. Selznick for Gone With The Wind.Olivia is a rich girl coming from a family that looks suspiciously like the Bullochs from My Man Godfrey with mother Isabel Jeans, younger sister Bonita Granville and father Charles Winninger. Olivia's the rebellious one who just doesn't want to go to Newport again with mom and sis. She takes the car and stops at a gas station owned by Dick Powell and Allen Jenkins. The gas station is also a small motel and when Olivia forgets to bring her purse and Powell doesn't believe she's rich, he forces her to turn down the beds for her gasoline.That starts the usual sparring between the rich girl and the poor, but ambitious young man who has a plan for a chain of motel/filling station establishments across the country. If he can only get a rich backer.I think anyone who's seen enough Thirties screwball comedies knows exactly how this is going to end up. The film isn't quite on the level as My Man Godfrey or Libeled Lady, but it certainly is amusing enough. Especially when you consider both the leads were begging their boss not to keep giving them light stuff to do.Most amusing performance however is that of Penny Singleton as the maid in the Winninger household. Powell's got the idea DeHavilland is the maid there, mainly because she gave it to him and to keep the act up, Singleton impersonates DeHavilland at dinner. She's got the best moments in the film because of that. Second best are Powell trying in various disguises to see Thurston Hall, an associate of Winninger.The film is best known for Dick Powell introducing You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby on the screen, singing it to Olivia while rowing on Central Park Lake. For reasons unknown Powell never recorded this one. Bing Crosby has a primo version done for Decca in 1938.Hard To Get today is remembered for the song that came from it and for the fact that two frustrated stars did some pleasant work here.