dir. Roy Del Ruth
writ. Howard Green (screenplay), Manuel Self and Forrest Wilson (play)
feat. Lee Tracy, Mary Brian, Dick Powell, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Emma Dunn
Motor-mouthed weaselly reporter, Alvin Roberts (Tracy), takes tabloid reporting to the top, finding a deep sea of readers eager to devour his gossip, chief of which is the report of previously secret, unplanned pregnancies ("blessed events" according to his euphemism). Roberts' character is pitched low, a dope who has made it to the big time, no matter how despicable his methods, and plans to stay there. And Tracy is the perfect actor to knock it out of the park, slipping easily between a careening menace and a wounded idiot.
Roberts naturally abuses his position, hungry for greater wealth, fame and power, while a love interest (Brian) struggles to mend his ways. Thankfully, there is no stopping Roberts who tramples over a thug (Jenkins) sent to shut him up with a gruesomely vivid description of death by electric chair and pursues Bunny Harmon (Powell) as his arbitrarily chosen nemesis (a hilarious and satisfying vicarious pleasure for anyone who finds Powell's crooner characters painfully annoying).
A brilliant cast of supporting character actors fleshes out the story, particularly Ruth Donnelly as the snide secretary, Jenkins as the thug who can't get no respect, and Emma Dunn as Roberts' mother. But above all, it is Roberts as the embodiment of the American dream as realized by an overly-caffeinated, tantrum-throwing child that makes the picture a blessing.
No comments:
Post a Comment