Don't be lulled into thinking this is going to be good by its first ten minutes. It begins quite promisingly, maybe it's going to be something like an American version of THE GOOD COMPANIONS with a bit of THE DARK HORSE thrown in but no, it evolves into a tedious and utter abhorrent abomination of a picture.
It should have been something special; we've got the skill, expertise and enthusiasm of Darryl Zanuck's new studio, a top screenwriter (he wrote THE GRAPES OF WRATH for goodness sake!), a top director moonlighting for his old pal from Warner Brothers and also Warner's Dick Powell.... but what we get is something so atrocious it's barely watchable.
Something unspeakably horrible happened to Hollywood musicals around about 1935 - gone were the times when there'd be big show numbers at the end of the film, instead people now would annoyingly burst into song mid-conversation. This is so contrived and annoying - an ominous portent of the horror yet to come, namely THE SOUND OF MUSIC!
Everyone looks so dull and dour in this. They look like the 1940s have come five years too early for them. I miss the slinky evening dresses, the glamour even Dick Powell being cheesier than the Cheddar Gorge. I almost miss Ruby Keeler, Ann Dvorak is no substitute. She seems to be in a different film to this, a dark moody drama or maybe she's just bored - but not as bored as me. Yes, I hated this.
It should have been something special; we've got the skill, expertise and enthusiasm of Darryl Zanuck's new studio, a top screenwriter (he wrote THE GRAPES OF WRATH for goodness sake!), a top director moonlighting for his old pal from Warner Brothers and also Warner's Dick Powell.... but what we get is something so atrocious it's barely watchable.
Something unspeakably horrible happened to Hollywood musicals around about 1935 - gone were the times when there'd be big show numbers at the end of the film, instead people now would annoyingly burst into song mid-conversation. This is so contrived and annoying - an ominous portent of the horror yet to come, namely THE SOUND OF MUSIC!
Everyone looks so dull and dour in this. They look like the 1940s have come five years too early for them. I miss the slinky evening dresses, the glamour even Dick Powell being cheesier than the Cheddar Gorge. I almost miss Ruby Keeler, Ann Dvorak is no substitute. She seems to be in a different film to this, a dark moody drama or maybe she's just bored - but not as bored as me. Yes, I hated this.