Whether this featherweight entertainment is for you or not, depends entirely on whether you fancy the dancing talent of RUBY KEELER (not exactly the world's greatest dancer), DICK POWELL (not exactly the world's best crooner) and JOAN BLONDELL (not exactly the world's greatest musical talent). What they do have is charm, in spades, and aside from their bright personalities and some clowning by JACK OAKIE, there's really not much else here that you haven't seen a dozen times before.
HUGH HERBERT is there for some eccentric laughs as a giddy millionaire that nephew DICK POWELL must save from the clutches of a gold digger (JOAN BLONDELL of course), while falling for office worker RUBY KEELER. Herbert's comic delivery is as broad and screwball as can be and becomes tiresome when so many of the early scenes are consumed by his brand of humor. In other words, a little bit of Hugh Herbert goes a long way.
The screwball plot goes from silly to sillier in no time with most of the complications revolving around Herbert's eccentric ways with running a business. Blondell bats her eyes on cue, Ruby Keller takes a stab at being an unlikely bookkeeper, and Powell treats both of them with boyish charm, occasionally belting out a song without a song cue in sight.
To be charitable, even for fans of Powell and Keeler, this one is pretty hard to take. Even a fashion show production number a half-hour into the film lacks the zip and distinction usually found in these sort of musicals, clumsily choreographed with a dance by Keeler and PAUL DRAPER.
DICK POWELL manages to emerge with reputation intact--but no wonder he tired of these flimsily constructed musicals, this one suffering from low-budget production values and a bad script. Thankfully, he went on to better things in future roles with a switch from musicals to crime drama.
As for RUBY KEELER, what can I say? She's charming and pleasant to look at--but that's about it and JOAN BLONDELL is seen to better advantage in dozens of other films.
HUGH HERBERT is there for some eccentric laughs as a giddy millionaire that nephew DICK POWELL must save from the clutches of a gold digger (JOAN BLONDELL of course), while falling for office worker RUBY KEELER. Herbert's comic delivery is as broad and screwball as can be and becomes tiresome when so many of the early scenes are consumed by his brand of humor. In other words, a little bit of Hugh Herbert goes a long way.
The screwball plot goes from silly to sillier in no time with most of the complications revolving around Herbert's eccentric ways with running a business. Blondell bats her eyes on cue, Ruby Keller takes a stab at being an unlikely bookkeeper, and Powell treats both of them with boyish charm, occasionally belting out a song without a song cue in sight.
To be charitable, even for fans of Powell and Keeler, this one is pretty hard to take. Even a fashion show production number a half-hour into the film lacks the zip and distinction usually found in these sort of musicals, clumsily choreographed with a dance by Keeler and PAUL DRAPER.
DICK POWELL manages to emerge with reputation intact--but no wonder he tired of these flimsily constructed musicals, this one suffering from low-budget production values and a bad script. Thankfully, he went on to better things in future roles with a switch from musicals to crime drama.
As for RUBY KEELER, what can I say? She's charming and pleasant to look at--but that's about it and JOAN BLONDELL is seen to better advantage in dozens of other films.