After sugar daddy Guy Kibbee gets fed up with the two chorus girls (Glenda Farrell and Mary Brian) not "putting out" after bringing them to Palm Beach, he leaves them a "Dear Jane" letter, informing them that he's checked out and NOT paid their hotel bill. This leaves the girls broke and stranded and they take up the offer of an old pal from New York to pay their bill as well as their train back to New York. But circumstances beyond their control keep them there, and they get involved in the disappearance of old chorus girl rival (Peggy Shannon) who has married a wealthy young man (Ben Lyon) and is obviously involved in some sort of scam. It is up to Farrell and Brian (mostly out of smug revenge) to expose Shannon for who she really is, and expose the killer of one of the people involved in the scam.
This is pre-code society comedy at its seediest, obvious from the start with Guy Kibbee's brief appearance as the lecherous old coot who insists on making love to Brian simply because of his generosity. As icky as that sounds, it is presented with humor, and Kibbee's revenge on the two girls is hysterically funny. These Warner Brothers pre-code comedies are mostly enjoyable because of the wise-cracking dialog, and Farrell gets a dime a dozen. Obviously, Mary Brian was cast in the absence of Farrell's often co-star Joan Blondell, and she lacks the chemistry that Farrell and Blondell shared, coming off rather ordinary. Of course, Farrell and Blondell snapped, crackled and popped whether they were co-horts in some scam or rivals over some man.
Ferdinand Gottschalk and Helen Ware are very funny as Shannon's obviously phony society parents, ham actors who obviously can't stand each other and who obviously hate pretending to be husband and wife. A ton of character favorites appear in unbilled minor roles, but are instantly recognizable, including Louise Beavers as Shannon's maid and Walter Brennan as a gas station attendant. You can't find fault in these depression era, pre-code programmers, although some are much better than others. This ranks in the middle, which considering the number of films made each year during this time isn't a bad place to be.
This is pre-code society comedy at its seediest, obvious from the start with Guy Kibbee's brief appearance as the lecherous old coot who insists on making love to Brian simply because of his generosity. As icky as that sounds, it is presented with humor, and Kibbee's revenge on the two girls is hysterically funny. These Warner Brothers pre-code comedies are mostly enjoyable because of the wise-cracking dialog, and Farrell gets a dime a dozen. Obviously, Mary Brian was cast in the absence of Farrell's often co-star Joan Blondell, and she lacks the chemistry that Farrell and Blondell shared, coming off rather ordinary. Of course, Farrell and Blondell snapped, crackled and popped whether they were co-horts in some scam or rivals over some man.
Ferdinand Gottschalk and Helen Ware are very funny as Shannon's obviously phony society parents, ham actors who obviously can't stand each other and who obviously hate pretending to be husband and wife. A ton of character favorites appear in unbilled minor roles, but are instantly recognizable, including Louise Beavers as Shannon's maid and Walter Brennan as a gas station attendant. You can't find fault in these depression era, pre-code programmers, although some are much better than others. This ranks in the middle, which considering the number of films made each year during this time isn't a bad place to be.