Runtime: 87 minutes
Directed by: Wesley Ruggles
Starring: Mae West, Cary Grant, Gregory Ratoff, Edward Arnold, Ralf Harolde
From: Paramount
I won’t get to nor have the inclination to view everything I want to before the end of January & certain films leave certain streaming services. However, something from the bold, brassy Mae West during her Pre-Code heyday was a journey I had to take; the availability of the film once it leaves the Criterion Channel was another deciding factor.
West is Tira (pronounced Tyra) who is exactly the sort of character I expected her to play: plenty of snappy patter, one-liners, and is delighted to brag about all the expensive gifts men give her (to the point that there are photos of almost a dozen different dudes in her suitcase)… and is also happy to not let the small little detail of having a boyfriend cramp her style. She starts off in a small carnival doing a “sexy” act while singing a song. Due to circumstances, she is forced to do a lion tamer act in a big circus, where she then meets more than one rich man. Yeah, it was clear to me how they faked the effect of Mae in there with a pride of lions in a circular enclosure… that’s not an insult, considering that no one should trust a pride of lions in that scenario.
It was quite an amusing film between the scenarios, Tira’s one-liners, her enthusiasm as a “common girl” who experiences riches & luxury due to lunkhead men swooning over her, etc. Courtroom scenes in general I don’t always love due to bad cliches, improbable nonsense, etc. Yet, that long segment which served as the final act wasn’t a chore due to West & her star power. Cary Grant doesn’t even show up until the second half of the picture and that was irrelevant as it was proper for the story and Mae always entranced me… almost like I was one of the randy men in the opening scenes howling for her at the carnival.
The Hays Code neutering the entire Mae West act: a crying shame. Alas, there’s this film—which had her in some spectacular clothing-one piece can accurately be described as a spider dress-which had some catchy songs from her to boot. One day I should look at one of her Code movies out of sheer curiosity; more than 20 years ago, I saw her in Myra Breckenridge… that was HORRIBLE in an entirely fascinating way, yet I haven’t mustered up the courage to tackle what I know will be a movie which has elements even more appalling than my opinion of them in the early 2000’s.
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