Guess I won't be going to Warsaw, Vermont, anytime soon. They speak only two abrupt words there and everyone except Lombard looks like The Wicked Witch of The East. No wonder Lombard wants to get the heck out even if she has to pretend to be dying to do it.
The Selznick production's a first-rate effort all the way around, from colorful sets to snappy direction to vibrant acting. The premise is a tricky one- deceiving popular emotions by faking death, but the Selznick crew brings it off in astute madcap fashion. It's the kind of material that could go badly wrong without sure hands to guide it.
Lombard calibrates nicely in the central role, while the boisterous Connoly almost steals the show with a flashy performance. In fact, his newspaper editor is assertive enough to rescue General Custer. On the other hand, reporter March has to low-key it as Lombard's sensible advisor. And did I imagine it or does Lombard, wittingly or not, flash a bandaged middle-finger salute during the dance numbers. Also, NS is apparently (IMDB) the first comedy to be filmed in color, the process then being only a year or so old, but you'd never know it from the print I saw.
Anyway, seldom does Hollywood combine disparate elements as slickly as here, even when some story elements are touchy. All in all, I would think the Wellman helmed flick amounts to one of the radiant Lombard's best.
The Selznick production's a first-rate effort all the way around, from colorful sets to snappy direction to vibrant acting. The premise is a tricky one- deceiving popular emotions by faking death, but the Selznick crew brings it off in astute madcap fashion. It's the kind of material that could go badly wrong without sure hands to guide it.
Lombard calibrates nicely in the central role, while the boisterous Connoly almost steals the show with a flashy performance. In fact, his newspaper editor is assertive enough to rescue General Custer. On the other hand, reporter March has to low-key it as Lombard's sensible advisor. And did I imagine it or does Lombard, wittingly or not, flash a bandaged middle-finger salute during the dance numbers. Also, NS is apparently (IMDB) the first comedy to be filmed in color, the process then being only a year or so old, but you'd never know it from the print I saw.
Anyway, seldom does Hollywood combine disparate elements as slickly as here, even when some story elements are touchy. All in all, I would think the Wellman helmed flick amounts to one of the radiant Lombard's best.