TrueJoshNight Truly Dreadful Film

Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Married Baby Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Kirpianuscus The plot is just a pretext for lovely musical moments, for nice humor, for the sparkles of Rita Hayworth and for the admirable job of Fred Astaire. it is a beautiful film first for the status of introduction in the spirit of a period. it is lovely for the few pieces defining it as a love story , a honest comedy, Robert Benchley performance and, sure, for dance moments, for a young public good gifts for discover the charming art of Rita Hayworth. it is the first cooperation between Astaire and Hayworth and this detail is significant for define the entire work of them in special manner. a film as an old picture in large photo album. useful for good memories. and for discover the spirit of a classic Hollywood.it has, as lead virtue, to serve, in brilliant way, the classic recipe of musical from "40's not only in its outside aspects but in its essence. and that is a real precious virtue.

lugonian YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH (Columbia, 1941), directed by Sidney Lanfield, could very well be a screwball comedy about an oddball inventor and his many failed get-rich-quick schemes. The title, derived from the lyrics lifted from an old army song, indicates Columbia's attempt in capitalizing on Army comedies that had become the new rage starting with the ever popular BUCK PRIVATES (Universal, 1941) that not only made overnight sensations of the burlesque comics, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, but popularized some popular song hits introduced by The Andrews Sisters. While YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH starts off amusingly well as a backstage musical, the second half shifts maneuvers towards BUCK PRIVATES material set in an Army camp. Though there's no Bud and Lou with the Andrews Sisters to boost up any musical-comedy morale, there are songs by Cole Porter, an original screenplay by Michael Fessler and Ernest Pagano, and the leading presence of legendary dancer Fred Astaire opposite the up-and-coming Rita Hayworth, a few years before her motion picture achievement as GILDA (1946) and becoming THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1948). Most of all, there's humorist Robert Benchley in some good scene-stealing support.The film opening offers a different approach as apposed to the traditional title credits with Robert Benchley's character, in the back seat of his limousine, telling Jenkins, (Emmett Vogan), his chauffeur, to slow down. As he gazes through the window, the camera captures its opening credits with star and staff names posted on billboards, wooden fences, road signs and on the side of a barn before story proceedings get underway. Martin Cortland (Robert Benchley), the owner of the Courtland Theater, stops off in a jewelry store on Fifth Avenue and 54th Street to buy an anniversary present for his wife and gift for one of the chorines appearing in an upcoming musical show choreographed by Robert Curtis (Fred Astaire). Courtland leaves the store following a purchase of a seven dollar Chinese back scratcher for his wife and an expensive diamond bracelet for Sheila Winthrop (Rita Hayworth). After Sheila refuses Cortland's present, the bracelet is soon discovered by Cortland's ever-suspecting wife, Julia (Frieda Inescort), with Sheila's name engraved on it. To avoid possible divorce proceedings, Cortland tries to convince his wife he bought the bracelet for Robert as a present for Sheila. At the Crystal Roof where the Courtlands are to celebrate their fifteenth wedding anniversary, the couple have Sheila and Robert accompany them at the dinner table where Courtland passes off the bracelet gift to give to Sheila in the presence of his wife. Sheila, caught by surprise, leaves the banquet as Robert attempts to explain. Problems arise when reporter captures the moment and places Robert and Sheila's "engagement" on the front page of the morning newspaper. Upon receiving his draft notice, Robert leaves his troubles behind him for Army life at Camp Weston. Aside from becoming a private under the leadership of a tough sergeant (Donald MacBride), and the company companionship of Kewpie Blair (Guinn Williams) and Twivel Tongue (Cliff Nazarro), his past encounters soon catches up with him, creating further complications ahead.Other members of the cast consist of John Hubbard (Captain Tom Barton); Osa Massen (Sonya); Marjorie Gateson (Sheila's Aunt Louise); Ann Shoemaker (Mrs. Barton); and Frank Ferguson (Justice of the Peace).With a fine yet unmemorable score by Cole Porter, the motion picture soundtrack is as follows: "Dance Duet" (performed by Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth); "Boogie Barricade" (danced by Fred Astaire and ensemble); "Dream Dance" (instrumental); "Shooting the Works for Uncle Sam" (sung and danced by Astaire/ensemble); "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" (performed by The Delta Rhythm Boys/ danced by Astaire) "A Stairable Rag" (danced by Astaire); "So Near, Yet So Far" (sung by Astaire, danced by Astaire and Hayworth); and "The Wedding Cake Walk" (sung by Martha Tilton, danced by Astaire and Hayworth, ensemble). Of the tunes, only "So Near, Yet So Far" has possibilities of a song hit. As surprisingly brief as musical interludes go, the best moments belong to the fine chemistry dance duets from Astaire and Hayworth, which, upon their conclusions, makes one wish for either more or longer segments between them on the dance floor. Astaire's two separate tap dancing solos accompanied by the Delta Rhythm Boys, in the guard house has its moments, but not quite as fantastic as those Astaire solos from either TOP HAT (1935) or SWING TIME (1936).As Abbott and Costello providing many laughs through their routines in BUCK PRIVATES, Columbia attempted in duplicating that match with Guinn Williams and Cliff Nazarro. Nazarro introduction to the film set at Grand Central Station starts off in hilarious fashion with his double-talk routine. As the story progresses, his constant repeated vaudeville-style gags grow tiresome long before the closing Columbia logo hits the screen. Though Nazarro should be credited for some hilarious moments from another movie for Columbia, BLONDIE GOES TO COLLEGE (1942), his drill routine here is definitely no match for how Abbott and Costello did it in BUCK PRIVATES. In spite of some flaws and typical story, YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH still provides some fine entertainment during its 88 minutes.No doubt a box-office winner back in 1941, YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH, along with Astaire and Hayworth's second and final collaboration of YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (Columbia, 1942), each distributed to home video (dating back to the 1980s) and DVD, can be seen occasionally on either Turner Classic Movies or Get-TV cable channels. So near yet so far. (***1/2)

Alex da Silva Robert Curtis (Fred Astaire) is a choreographer who is asked by his boss Martin Cortland (Robert Benchley) to cover for him while he lies to his wife Julia (Frieda Inescort). Cortland has been caught out buying a necklace for showgirl Sheila (Rita Hayworth) and he wants Curtis to pretend that the necklace is actually a gift from Curtis and not from Cortland. Then Curtis gets drafted into the army where Sheila turns up again. And so does Cortland. They put on a show.This film starts well with the deception over the necklace and a tap dance with Astaire and Hayworth - it's the highlight musical piece, far away better than any of the other unremarkable music numbers in the film. However, when Astaire joins the army, the film just chugs along until the end. It's not particularly entertaining. Funny moments include Cliff Nazarro talking gobbledy-gook at the station (although this gets repetitive during the rest of the film) and Astaire pretending to be a captain and........um......that's it. There is also some tedious slapstick thrown in for bad measure in the army dormitory.The big music numbers (when Astaire leaves to enrol and the finale) are, unfortunately, all choreographed in a military way - you know, lots of marching - and so they are not very good. Unless you like marching. Astaire is good as always but his dances are not memorable - the best, other than the highlight already mentioned, would have to be a solo routine in the Guardhouse accompanied by some dude singing.It's a shame that the majority of the film focuses on Astaire and his army life as it tries to get humour out of stale stereotypes. There are some mildly amusing moments and a standout, all too brief, tap dance highlight with Astaire and Hayworth at the beginning, but that's your lot on the entertainment front. I'd quite like to have a Chinese back-scratcher, though.

Ed Uyeshima Barely five minutes into the film and only thirty seconds long, a small jewel is not to be missed in this vintage 1941 musical, as it ranks among the best dance numbers to be seen from the golden age of Hollywood. It's where Fred Astaire casually asks Rita Hayworth to follow him on a complex tap routine set to Cole Porter's "Boogie Barcarole". That Astaire performs flawlessly is to be expected, but the stunning 23-year old Hayworth is startling in her precision and élan. Not only is she absurdly beautiful in her crisp rehearsal togs, but she matches Astaire step for step with unbridled confidence and with her long, gorgeous gams perfectly synchronized with his. The rest of the number, performed with an army of similarly dressed dancers, is not nearly as interesting especially since the fusion between boogie-woogie and classical feels forced.The movie itself, directed by Sidney Lanfield and written by Michael Fessier and Ernest Pagano, is a silly mistaken identity affair that feels lifted from one of Astaire's earlier pairings with Ginger Rogers and then retrofitted into a military theme. Hardly a stretch, he plays Bob Curtis, a Broadway dancer and choreographer who works for philandering producer Martin Cortland, played by Algonquin wit Robert Benchley. Cortland has his eyes on chorus dancer Sheila Winthrop and attempts to give her a diamond bracelet until his wife Julia mistakes the gift for her. He pretends the bracelet is from Curtis, which of course, leads to larger complications, especially when Curtis gets drafted and his superior officer turns out to be Sheila's intended fiancé. Off the dance floor and in her first leading role, Hayworth, already in her 38th film, is charming as Sheila, although Frieda Inescort easily steals all her scenes as the deadpan Julia, a perfect match to the acerbic Benchley.Lowbrow comic shenanigans are interspersed with the Robert Alton-choreographed musical numbers. The highlights are an impressive Astaire tap solo set to "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" and two more duets with Hayworth - the alluring rumba, "So Near and Yet So Far", and the infectious "Wedding Cake Walk" where the pair get married amid a dress-alike chorus, do a mean Harlem shuffle and tap-dance atop a white cake shaped like a tank. In fact, opening two months before Pearl Harbor, the film portends the upcoming war with patriotic ensemble numbers like "Shootin' the Works for Uncle Sam". The 2003 DVD includes trailers for this film as well as two classic Hayworth vehicles, the career-defining Gilda, and future husband Orson Welles' pulp classic, The Lady from Shanghai. The movie is very lightweight, but Astaire's artistry is always worthwhile in any setting, and it's easy to see why Hayworth became the fantasy figure of many an American soldier.