OK, it's not so surprising to see Ethel shuffling along while waiting for the Robert E. Lee, but how about Jeanette MacDonald? You don't expect the songstress who sang of her sweet mystery of life and always wanted to remember Maytime to be doing a shuffle, but like Irene Dunne in the 1936 classic film version of "Show Boat", she completely surprises her audience by acting against type. She's a movie star whom small town reporter Robert Young suspects of being a spy for the Germans.
"Darling Jeanette" (to parody the Julie Andrews World War I spy film of 1970) is actually meant to emulate Jeanette herself, quite the iron butterfly as she hires Young as her butler after learning that he's from California, but not the southern part. "I've been to San Francisco once", she quips, adding "With Gable and Tracy, and the place fell apart." This sets up the pace for a delightful yarn that serves its purpose for World War II propaganda, and while it is obvious that Jeanette is as much a spy for the Germans as Young is really an M.D. in real life, this is a lot of fun to watch play out.
There's also Reginald Owen (not a surprise; He seemed to be in practically every MGM film in 1942) as the Englishman who pushes Young into being an undercover spy for the allies and Mona Barrie as his hard as nails contact. But the scenery is stolen by the quite amusing Jeanette and the team of Waters & Wilson (Ethel and Dooley) who provide a classy change of pace for the usual stereotypical black servants in film. It is obvious that veteran character actor Lionel Atwill (one of the great villains in the Sherlock Holmes films) is an evil Nazi collaborator, but the revelation of who the female collaborator is might come as a surprise.
Waters, in between Broadway plays and waiting for the film version of "Cabin in the Sky" to be ready, has great screen presence, and in taking on a part usually essayed by Hattie McDaniel, Louise Beavers or Hattie Noel (see "Lady For a Night" to see what I mean), she adds a new dimension to a vintage screen archetype that is loyal and lovable, but not an always accurate treatment of black women on screen. The film itself is probably about ten minutes too long, but that doesn't stop this from maintaining a tense atmosphere in between comic moments and the delightful songs and dances. The finale half hour takes place on an ancient Egyptian ruin, probably not a realistic choice, but it makes for a glamorous setting.
This is also a bit ahead of its time, having seemingly looked into a crystal ball with the use of a droid that the enemy agents have created as a weapon of destruction. As much as I like Jeanette MacDonald as an actress, I sometimes find a difficulty in understanding the lyrics she is singing in her often shrill soprano. There's no denying her talent. She had it all, with comedy, serious dramatic emotion, and the ability to capture the audience's heart. But her singing is better when she has a chorus behind here, and when she lowers her range to sing along with Ethel Waters, you don't miss a lyric.
This segment should have been included in one of the "That's Entertainment!" films as it is quite unique, and shows off her versatility past Indian Love Calls. For real extravagance, check out MacDonald's bathtub when Young tries to put out a fire. It is decadent beyond words, and I can just picture it filled with bubbles and Myrna Loy laying in it in 1933's "The Barbarian".
"Darling Jeanette" (to parody the Julie Andrews World War I spy film of 1970) is actually meant to emulate Jeanette herself, quite the iron butterfly as she hires Young as her butler after learning that he's from California, but not the southern part. "I've been to San Francisco once", she quips, adding "With Gable and Tracy, and the place fell apart." This sets up the pace for a delightful yarn that serves its purpose for World War II propaganda, and while it is obvious that Jeanette is as much a spy for the Germans as Young is really an M.D. in real life, this is a lot of fun to watch play out.
There's also Reginald Owen (not a surprise; He seemed to be in practically every MGM film in 1942) as the Englishman who pushes Young into being an undercover spy for the allies and Mona Barrie as his hard as nails contact. But the scenery is stolen by the quite amusing Jeanette and the team of Waters & Wilson (Ethel and Dooley) who provide a classy change of pace for the usual stereotypical black servants in film. It is obvious that veteran character actor Lionel Atwill (one of the great villains in the Sherlock Holmes films) is an evil Nazi collaborator, but the revelation of who the female collaborator is might come as a surprise.
Waters, in between Broadway plays and waiting for the film version of "Cabin in the Sky" to be ready, has great screen presence, and in taking on a part usually essayed by Hattie McDaniel, Louise Beavers or Hattie Noel (see "Lady For a Night" to see what I mean), she adds a new dimension to a vintage screen archetype that is loyal and lovable, but not an always accurate treatment of black women on screen. The film itself is probably about ten minutes too long, but that doesn't stop this from maintaining a tense atmosphere in between comic moments and the delightful songs and dances. The finale half hour takes place on an ancient Egyptian ruin, probably not a realistic choice, but it makes for a glamorous setting.
This is also a bit ahead of its time, having seemingly looked into a crystal ball with the use of a droid that the enemy agents have created as a weapon of destruction. As much as I like Jeanette MacDonald as an actress, I sometimes find a difficulty in understanding the lyrics she is singing in her often shrill soprano. There's no denying her talent. She had it all, with comedy, serious dramatic emotion, and the ability to capture the audience's heart. But her singing is better when she has a chorus behind here, and when she lowers her range to sing along with Ethel Waters, you don't miss a lyric.
This segment should have been included in one of the "That's Entertainment!" films as it is quite unique, and shows off her versatility past Indian Love Calls. For real extravagance, check out MacDonald's bathtub when Young tries to put out a fire. It is decadent beyond words, and I can just picture it filled with bubbles and Myrna Loy laying in it in 1933's "The Barbarian".