We're in the Money (1935) Poster

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5/10
Warner Brothers didn't put much effort into this one...
AlsExGal13 August 2023
... and if they had it would have likely been much better.

Dixie Tilton (Glenda Farrell) and Ginger Stewart (Joan Blondell) are process servers employed by attorney Homer Bronson (Hugh Herbert). They want to quit, but Bronson has a troublesome client, Claire LeClaire who is suing a rich man for breach of promise. There are four subpoenas involved, and the male servers who have attempted to do the serving have been beaten up. Bronson promises the girls a thousand dollars if they can serve all four, the idea being that a female process server will not be suspected. Ginger is in love with a chauffeur she has been meeting in the park and she only knows his name is Carter. He is, in fact, the object of the breach of promise suit. C. RIchard Courtney. He wears the chauffeur's outfit to throw process servers off the trail. Neither Carter nor Ginger knows who the other is, but since Ginger is going to end up serving him, you just know complications will ensue when the truth comes out about both of them.

As it stands it would have made a good three reel (30 minutes long) short. Or the plot could have been beefed up considerably and it could have been worthy of its 64 minute runtime. Instead it is stuffed with a wrestling match, a nightclub number, and a bunch of badly done overlong chase scenes both in boats and cars with third rate back projection while the actual dialogue and cast interaction is somewhat anemic. I will say this about it - Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell have great chemistry together and make a terrific comedic duo. It's no wonder they were teamed several times as they were a joy to watch.
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6/10
With a bit of reworking, this could have been a good film...
planktonrules9 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell play process servers who are very, very creative when it comes to giving subpoenas to people in breech of promise suits. One tramp, Ms. LeClaire, has about a dozen to have served just for her! And, for $1000, the two agree to serve these summonses for their shyster boss (Hugh Herbert). Seeing them scheme to meet men and give them these legal documents was pretty funny--such as how they served the pro wrestler and the crooner (Phil Regan). However, a problem develops when it turns out all these people are being served for one case--the very rich Mr. Courtney (Ross Alexander)...and he turns out to be Blondell's boyfriend! The idea is very clever and enjoyable...to a point. Unfortunately, the movie has as much to dislike about it. The worst was Hugh Herbert. While he was a popular supporting character actor in the 1930s, he was a strictly one-not actor and his shtick was VERY heavy-handed and annoying. And, combining this AND horrible rear-projected chase scenes, the film is darn hard to watch at times. Watchable but not nearly as good as it could have been.
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6/10
Silly, mindless fun
1930s_Time_Machine28 March 2023
This is one of the better of all those very similar Blondell and Farrell comedies of the mid thirties. It's not brilliant but some thought and effort have gone into this one and the cast seem to be enjoying themselves - that lets us enjoy watching them. These days those pictures would probably have been made as a tv sit-com - they've got a comforting familiarity about them which makes you want to see them all but they do tend to merge into one.....except MISS PACIFIC FLEET which is truly awful.

This one has quite an interesting twisty plot, a lovely upbeat feel to it and some genuinely funny moments. Joan and Glenda both exude warmth and charm and are instantly likeable. Glenda and of course Joan are both gorgeous so are also instantly watchable. Being made after the infamous production code was enforced however means that Joan Blondell is a little more conservatively dressed than in her earlier films but she's still got the sexiest smile anyone's ever had.

It only lasts just over an hour so it's all quite lively but there is a lot of Hugh Herbert who does seem to repeat the same scene several times. He is funny in small doses but perhaps he's in this just a little too much. That same befuddled character he always plays does tend to wear a bit thin after a while. He's still just about amusing in this very silly, very fun little picture.
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two smart girls have fun
darryn.mcatee11 September 2000
a minor warner studio output using up its contract players. blondell and farrell spark off each other like an early version of thelma and louise as they serve witness summons on a range of male lugs: a crooner, a wrestler and a wiseguy. an interesting film for the potential it offered for female leads, a potential that hollywood has always underexploited.
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7/10
Blondell and Farrell Make A Good Team
boblipton10 August 2023
Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell are process servers for nitwit lawyer Hugh Herbert. Their current and last assignment is to serve subpoenas on Ross Alexander and his associates in a breach-of-promise case brought by Anita Kerry, who's French when she isn't talking like someone from the Lower East Side of New York. What Miss Blondell doesn't know is that the chauffeur she's in love with is Alexander, made up in the disguise by his lawyer, Henry O'Neill, to avoid be subpoenaed.

The comedy is securely carried by Herbert and Miss Farrell, both operating at a great pace, with Miss Blondell playing the more serious of the two young ladies. There's a lovely sequence showing the ladies at work as they subpoena various people for the case, only to be blocked by the calm cynicism of Henry O'Neill as Alexander's lawyer. The happy ending is a bit rushed, and the process photography that makes Herbert such a terrifyingly funny driver is a bit obvious, but the easy camaraderie of Miss Blondell and Miss Farrell, who appeared in five films together, help to make this a superior comedy.
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6/10
Two subpoena servers break down the male barriers
SimonJack13 April 2020
"We're in the Money" is a comedy romance that pairs Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell in one of five films they made together. In this one, they are process servers hired by Hugh Herbert, a shady lawyer, Homer Bronson, who has had a hard time trying to serve warrants on various characters.

As two attractive bombshells, Joan's Ginger Stewart and Glenda's Dixie Tilton, are able to fenagle their way into the inner sanctums of men and catch their prey. But, for their last target, it becomes complicated when Ginger falls for Richard Courtney, played by Ross Alexander. He has been disguised as a chauffeur named Carter, just to avoid being served.

One might wonder how Herbert's Bronson ever got through any law school to become an attorney. But then, some of us have seen some real blockheads and daffy lawyers.

The film has some scenes with funny antics and situations. And, it has stretches of humorous dialog. If ever there were two subpoena servers like these, they would be the best in the business. This may be the best film of the two female leads. These aren't anywhere near the top comedies of Hollywood for the period, but they are okay for light entertainment.

Here are some favorite lines from this film. For more comedy dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie.

Ginger Stewart, "But you told me that you won't be a chauffeur for long." Carter, "That's right. In a few days, and I'll be out of this uniform." Stewart, "Oh, I'm sorry. I like you in this uniform. But you won't tell me what you're gonna be?" Carter, "Well you won't even tell me what you are now." Stewart, "It doesn't matter. Cause what I am now I'm not gonna be for long, either."

Carter, "I wish whoever's honking that horn would stop. I had to combine business with pleasure."

Dixie Tilton, "In a town full of big cars, you have to fall for a chauffeur."

Ginger Stewart, "I'm going to be busy and won't be able to see you." Carter, "I was wondering how I was going to break the same sad news to you." Ginger, "You going on a trip?" Carter, "Just a short one. But it'll clear up a lot of things, for us."

Ginger Stewart, "I have to go." Carter, "It'll be a long wait. But I guess there's nothing either of us can do about it." Stewart, "Well, as long as it has to be, it's nice we both picked the same time. After that, things'll be different." Carter, "For both of us."

Carter, "Have you ever been in love?" Jevons, "Not in recent years, sir." Carter, "Marvelous feeling, wasn't it?" Jevons, "I've heard it spoken of very highly, sir."

Carter, "Jevons, have I ever told you about her eyes? They're like..." Jevons, "Two spoonfuls of the Mediterranean. Yes, sir."

Butch Gonzola, "C'mon, Clancy." Policeman Clancy O'Rourke, "Yeah, we need each other's protection."
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6/10
do revenge
SnoopyStyle9 August 2023
Ginger Stewart (Joan Blondell) is having a fling with a chauffeur, but they agree to not get serious. Her best friend Dixie Tilton (Glenda Farrell) berates for making such a poor (cheap) choice. They work as process servers. They are about to quit when they are offered $1000 to serve subpoenas for a breach of promise case against C. Richard Courtney (Ross Alexander). There have already been several injured servers. Unbeknownst to the girls, Courtney happens to be Ginger's chauffeur in disguise.

Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell are a fine team. I can see why they keep pairing them together. On the downside, I really don't like Carter/Courtney right from the start. I don't like a happily ever after for the couple. I rather have him be the playboy that he is and she discovers it along the way. She can then do revenge on him. That's the movie I want.
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7/10
Now is the time for America to either sink . . .
oscaralbert16 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
. . . or to swim, the always eponymous Warner Bros. warn We Citizens of (The Then) Far Future with WE'RE IN THE MONEY. "Ginger" and "Dixie" are process servers for a kamikaze-driving lawyer named "Homer" during WE'RE IN THE MONEY. A broad born "Maisie" renames herself as "Claire LeClaire," adopting a fake accent like a KGB Commie Recruit in RED SPARROW. Warner's clairvoyant prognosticators clearly are referencing the Mueller Investigation here, as Ginger and Dixie zero in on as many gangster associates of "Courtney" as "Bob" has convicted "Mad Vlad's" campaign managers. When WE'RE IN THE MONEY reaches its boiling point, Ginger finds herself at sea three times. She can choose to swim, or become chum for the sharks like a Saudi reporter at a White House press briefing. Ginger decides to swim with the fishes. Warner Bros. dares us Future Folks to watch WE'RE IN THE MONEY, and THEN decide what to do about a crime syndicate that has laundered a trillion bucks for the Russian mob and given out the Oval Office as a gratuity.
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10/10
Blondell & Farrell Are At It Again
Ron Oliver20 May 2001
Two lady process servers will stop at nothing to do their job - but then one falls in love with the man they are stalking...

WE'RE IN THE MONEY was the sort of ephemeral comic frippery which the studios produced almost effortlessly during the 1930's. Well made & highly enjoyable, Depression audiences couldn't seem to get enough of these popular, funny photo dramas.

Joan Blondell & Glenda Farrell are perfectly cast as the fearless, fast-talking females who will try anything to serve their subpoenas. Although Joan gets both top billing and the romantic scenes, both gals are as talented & watchable as they are gorgeous.

Ross Alexander plays Blondell's love interest and he does a very nice job. Remembered now chiefly for his appearance in the classic A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (1935), this talented young man from Brooklyn was gifted with the good looks & acting skills which should have made him a major Hollywood star. Instead, Alexander ended up in mostly forgettable parts in obscure films. Tragically, Ross Alexander died a suicide in 1937, at the age of only 29.

Hugh Herbert, whimsical & wacky as ever, appears as the girls' boss. Whether driving a stolen car or piloting a speeding motorboat, he is equally hilarious. Behind him comes a rank of character actors - Henry O'Neill, E.E. Clive, Lionel Stander, Hobart Cavanaugh - all equally adept at wringing every smile out of any situation. Sharp-eyed movie mavens should spot an unbilled Walter Brennan as a witness at the wedding.

While never stars of the first rank, Joan Blondell (1906-1979) & Glenda Farrell (1904-1971) enlivened scores of films at Warner Bros. throughout the 1930's, especially the eight in which they appeared together. Whether playing gold diggers or working girls, reporters or secretaries, these blonde & brassy ladies were very nearly always a match for whatever leading man was lucky enough to share equal billing alongside them. With a wisecrack or a glance, their characters showed they were ready to take on the world - and any man in it. Never as wickedly brazen as Paramount's Mae West, you always had the feeling that, tough as they were, Blondell & Farrell used their toughness to defend vulnerable hearts ready to break over the right guy. While many performances from seven decades ago can look campy or contrived today, these two lovely ladies are still spirited & sassy.
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6/10
we're in the money
mossgrymk2 September 2023
Best parts of this typically so so Ray Enright comedy are the ones where Joan Blondell and Glendale Farrell are riffing off each other and, in the process, providing us with one of the more inspired comedy duos of 1930s Hollywood. Joan's ditzinness contrasts perfectly with Farrell's deadpan wisecracks, kind of like Harpo and Groucho without tiresome Chico. Their talents are at their best in the nightclub scene where they effortlessly combine to nail the oleaginous crooner with a jury summons. Other than that, though, the movie kind of drags with scenes that try too hard (throwing Joan overboard from the yacht, the gangster stuff) alternating with scenes that are more weird/distasteful than quirky/funny (the wrestling sequence). And a little of Hugh Herbert, kind of a poor man's Ed Wynn, goes an awfully long way. Give it a C plus.
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4/10
Falls Short Of The Mark
Handlinghandel28 January 2006
I love Joan Blondell and Glenda Farreell. They're fun when together and both had charming careers on their own. (Blondell's, of course, lasted longer and had higher wattage.) Ross Alexander, who plays a a character engaged in a love/hate relationship with Blondell, was also very appealing. He was handsome and talented. Yet he always seems sad in the movies made during his very short career.

Blondell's character is named Ginger, in homage, I'd guess, to the lady who sings the title song (not used or alluded to here) in pig Latin in a higher budget movie. She and Farrell are process servers. Some of their antics are amusing enough. I think climbing into the ring to serve a subpoena to a prizefighter has a kind of cruel edge and is also far-fetched.

And that's the problem with this. Though snappy for its first third or so, it becomes too far-fetched. Hugh Herbert steals cars he drives without a license. People are in boats, falling off boats ... It takes on a desperate quality that eventually makes it a chore to watch.
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9/10
Just wonderful!
trpdean24 December 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I'd never heard of this before I saw it on television the other day. It's captivating, fast-paced, very funny, very imaginative, with terrific dialogue and wonderfully funny situations.

Joan Blondell in particular is adorable - playing a vulnerable, smart, fast-moving and thinking, deeply romantic and quick-witted girl. Glenda Farrell is excellent too - as the less romantic of the pair.

Hugh Herbert is terribly funny - one really has to listen to his underplaying of a completely distinctive personality - the closest the movies come is probably Edward Everett Horton's character in films, but their manners and style are quite different.

I love movies like this - they're VERY fast-moving, and the imagination, the sheer delight evident in the making (and thus in the viewing) - is the opposite of the so often hackneyed (or gross) comedies coming out of Hollywood these days.

Perhaps one of the things that most appeals is that the two leads (Blondell and Farrell) are themselves so likable, that you strongly sympathize with them in every wonderfully bizarre situation. (So often I find myself just not LIKING the protagonist in modern romantic comedies - which is fatal to their enjoyment).

Joan Blondell's films of the 1930s (whether comedies or the six she did with Jimmy Cagney with whom she was starring on Broadway when both were discovered by Hollywood) are a great and rather undiscovered treasure for modern audiences. You just can't go wrong with Blondell in this or such films as The Traveling Saleslady, in the Gold Diggers films or anything else I've happened to see from the 1930s.

Do watch it - even though it requires close attention because the dialogue flies as fast as His Girl Friday. You'll be glad you did.
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8/10
Joan Blondell is always fun.
ksf-24 August 2017
EARLY Joan Blondell.. LOVE HER in Desk Set, but that was about twenty years after this. She and Glenda Farrell were silly working girls in all those black and whites in the 1930s and 1940s... Ginger and Dixie are process servers, and are trying to get out of such a dangerous business. Their boss has one last assignment for them, and after being offered a huge amount, this will be their last caper, serving the big mob boss who doesn't want to be served. Ginger has a beau Carter, played by Ross Alexander. Sadly, Alexander offed himself a couple years after this film was released. The Hays film code had just started being strictly enforced, and this clearly was not good news for Alexander, as his lifestyle could not be kept quiet, and this clashed with the studio big-shots. Silly, vaudeville man Hugh Herbert is the goofy attorney, and is clearly here for the laughs. Some fun cameos, or almost cameos... a young Lionel Stander (Max.. from Hart to Hart) has several spoken lines. Walter Brennan is a guest at the wedding, and according to IMDb, Mayo Methot's scene was deleted. Also several songs by actor/singer Phil Regan... he had quite the adventures after his acting days, if you look him up on wikipedia. This one is fun, and scurries right along. Story is pretty straight forward, and has some clever lines. I recommend this one. Pretty surprised at the low rating... only a 6.. but of course, only 140 votes so far. Hopefully TCM will show this one more often.
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10/10
HOW ABOUT A DATE AFTER I SERVE YOU WITH A SUMMONS?
tcchelsey5 August 2023
Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell made quite a few films together, and you could tell had fun. That is the secret to any good film, and Warner Brothers held the distinction of cranking out a ton of dramas and comedies that clicked. Warners also had a stable of some of the best actors, and always put them to good use. The word on the street was everybody had fun making these films.

The ladies, this time, are process servers(?) who go through some wacky situations to get the job done. But what happens when their next target is someone who catches their eye, at least one of them? Sparks fly and it gets even more complicated.

This is fun stuff, and with a dependable cast, foremost hilarious Hugh Herbert, who is perfect for this kind of material. Herbert's trademark was his "woo woo" laugh, which could either mean he's enjoying something or in big trouble. Humphrey Bogart's wife at the time, Mayo Methot, also has a small part in this one. Methot gained more fame being married to Bogey and always fighting with him, making lots of headlines at the time. One big happy family.

Its also neat to spot all the veteran actors here, and most were Warner Brothers alum. Many were in the GOLD DIGGERS musical comedy series. Both Farrell and Blondell appeared in GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937. A big thank you to TCM for rerunning this on a lazy summer afternoon with lots of memories attached.

Usually sold in WB box sets, this film is on dvd for collectors.
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9/10
Some Great Contract Players
jlhjlh-4641721 March 2019
Always love the '30s screwball comedies. And Joan Blondell is one of my favorites. Beautiful and fun.
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Minor Joan Blondell film is highly forgettable...
Doylenf24 August 2011
All I can say is any Warner film that has ROSS Alexander and PHIL REGAN in supporting roles is already in trouble. Ross has no sparks as a leading man running away from a process server (Joan Blondell) and Regan's high-pitched tenor is hard on the ears. For comic slant we have HUGH HERBERT in another one of his stereotyped roles to gather whatever laughs there are from a motorboat out of control.

Then we have JOAN BLONDELL and GLENDA FARRELL fast talking their way through an "Okay, toots" kind of script and we have more trouble ahead as the two leading ladies blunder their way through one mistake after another in search of good comedic results. The script is no help, with Blondell getting dumped overboard from a yacht several times in a row.

Mercifully, the programmer is only 66 minutes in length, but seems longer than that. Not recommended to anyone but die hard Joan Blondell fans who apparently think she's great in everything, no matter how ridiculous the plotting is or how slim the material.
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