While there were plenty of movie musical leading ladies in Hollywood, British films had three. Jessie Matthews was the equivalent of Ruby Keeler and Eleanor Powell, and Anna Neagle was the equivalent of Jeanette MacDonald and Irene Dunne. For good natured light comedy, even Hollywood couldn't match Gracie Fields, a fine singer and able comic whose subtle way of getting laughs was natural and neighborly, making audiences feel that they knew her. For Americans discovering her, she's a far cry from Fanny Brice, Winnie Lightner and Joan Davis who were very funny but never subtle.
This enjoyable musical stars Fields as a singing manicurist in love with song writer Richard Dolman. They live across the corridor from each other and have a great set-up of dolls that knock on each other's window when they want to chit-chat. When his first song is published, it's a great day, but he finds himself pulled away from Gracie by musical star Wyn Richmond who has the subtlety of Merman blasting "I Got Rhythm". Gracie's not a glamour girl, but she's loyal and funny and definitely in love.
This has many very funny moments even if the songs are rather generic. Fields has her best moments when she finds herself giving Richmond a manicure and nearly drowning her during a shampoo. Fields goes into Fanny Brice territory with the serious ballad, "I Hate You", a definite answer to Brice's "My Man". Julian Rose is delightfully pompous as an agent who wants to sign both Fields and Dolman but ends up stuck with Richmond whom he abhors.
The glossy sets, snappy dialog and pacing makes this a fine film to discover Gracie with, although her two American films with Monty Woolley are great as well. It's easy to see why she was such a success in England, but American audiences only got her films in local art houses that specialized in the avant garde.
This enjoyable musical stars Fields as a singing manicurist in love with song writer Richard Dolman. They live across the corridor from each other and have a great set-up of dolls that knock on each other's window when they want to chit-chat. When his first song is published, it's a great day, but he finds himself pulled away from Gracie by musical star Wyn Richmond who has the subtlety of Merman blasting "I Got Rhythm". Gracie's not a glamour girl, but she's loyal and funny and definitely in love.
This has many very funny moments even if the songs are rather generic. Fields has her best moments when she finds herself giving Richmond a manicure and nearly drowning her during a shampoo. Fields goes into Fanny Brice territory with the serious ballad, "I Hate You", a definite answer to Brice's "My Man". Julian Rose is delightfully pompous as an agent who wants to sign both Fields and Dolman but ends up stuck with Richmond whom he abhors.
The glossy sets, snappy dialog and pacing makes this a fine film to discover Gracie with, although her two American films with Monty Woolley are great as well. It's easy to see why she was such a success in England, but American audiences only got her films in local art houses that specialized in the avant garde.
