Sat 8 Feb 2020
A Movie Review by Walter Albert: THIS WAY PLEASE (1937).
Posted by Steve under Films: Comedy/Musicals , Reviews[6] Comments
THIS WAY PLEASE Paramount, 1937. Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Betty Grable, Ned Sparks, Jim and Marian Jordan, Porter Hall, Lee Bowman, Mary Livingstone. Director: Robert Florey. Shown at Cinevent 21, May 1989.
Rogers is a popular stage entertainer in This Way Please, pulling them in for he between-the-films shows, and Betty Grable is hired as an usherette, but (wouldn’t you know it?) ends up heading the billing, while alternately cooing and feuding with Rogers.
Fibber McGee and Molly [Jim and Marian Jordan] are in the big town, vacationing from Wistful Vista, and Ned Sparks is the pop-eyed publicist, trying desperately to provide some bearable comic relief in a film that tried to be unrelievedly comic.
There is one striking stage number but not much else of interest. Florey’s direction is dreadful, and this drags its way to a predictable conclusion.
I almost walked on this one.
February 8th, 2020 at 6:54 pm
While I liked Richard Arlen I found Rogers a bit of a bore in most things. I might watch this long enough to see Fibber and Molly though.
February 8th, 2020 at 8:22 pm
The surprising name in the cast to me was Mary Livingstone, and then again on the poster, where her name is larger than anyone else’s. This is the first time I’ve seen her name billed anywhere where she wasn’t appearing with her husband Jack.
Benny, that is.
February 8th, 2020 at 10:44 pm
I wonder if that billing of Mary Livingstone was designed to make audiences think Benny might be in the film?
February 9th, 2020 at 1:03 am
Randy Cox has just pointed out to me that the most commonly accepted way of spelling Mary Livingstone is with the”e” at the end.
That was my error, not Walter’s, and I’ve made the changes accordingly, both in the review and the comments that have followed.
Thanks, Randy!
February 9th, 2020 at 5:25 pm
I really didn’t like the film and I don’t have any memory at all of viewing it.
Steve, I agree with you that the cast (and the director) should have turned out something worth watching.
February 9th, 2020 at 10:33 pm
Walter is replying here to an email I sent him, but yes, I agree that with the cast it had, this should have been a better movie than the one he reviewed.