Pat O'Brien quickly wears out his welcome in this pre-Code film, and on his own made it impossible for me to enjoy it. He's arrogant, creepy, and overbearing, and even when he tries to be charming or funny with little voice inflections, he just comes across as annoying. Even in the flirtatious scenes he comes across as mean, and while Joan Blondell fends off his advances and juvenile games with sharp replies initially ("listen nitwit, will you stop annoying me?"), we sadly know she's going to succumb eventually. It's not a great script to begin with and the plot is oddly pieced together, but someone other than O'Brien would have delivered his lines more deftly.
I confess I giggled in spite of myself over just how cheesy some of the over-the-top innuendo was early on. There's this exchange when he and his partner (telephone repairmen) are in the bedroom of a couple of reclining call girls:
O'Brien: Hope we didn't disturb you...ladies. Rita La Roy: The answer to a maiden's prayer. Allen Jenkins: You know 'em? O'Brien: No, but we will. (to the women) What do you want, besides a longer cord? Lorraine Marshall: (unintelligible, maybe something about gin) La Roy: Make mine a Filipino houseboy. O'Brien: Oh, a couple of comics. How long do you want the cord? La Roy: So it reaches the bed.
There is some interest in the look the film gives at some of the mechanics and electronics behind old telephones, and it's also got a few nice moments with Blondell and Glenda Farrell. Farrell is a medium, and has never been sexier than when she looks up at O'Brien seductively and says "want me to give you a reading?" It was also nice to see Hattie McDaniel get a few lines. Unfortunately, there's just not enough of these fine women, and the film lacks charm. This is one to skip.
I confess I giggled in spite of myself over just how cheesy some of the over-the-top innuendo was early on. There's this exchange when he and his partner (telephone repairmen) are in the bedroom of a couple of reclining call girls:
O'Brien: Hope we didn't disturb you...ladies. Rita La Roy: The answer to a maiden's prayer. Allen Jenkins: You know 'em? O'Brien: No, but we will. (to the women) What do you want, besides a longer cord? Lorraine Marshall: (unintelligible, maybe something about gin) La Roy: Make mine a Filipino houseboy. O'Brien: Oh, a couple of comics. How long do you want the cord? La Roy: So it reaches the bed.
There is some interest in the look the film gives at some of the mechanics and electronics behind old telephones, and it's also got a few nice moments with Blondell and Glenda Farrell. Farrell is a medium, and has never been sexier than when she looks up at O'Brien seductively and says "want me to give you a reading?" It was also nice to see Hattie McDaniel get a few lines. Unfortunately, there's just not enough of these fine women, and the film lacks charm. This is one to skip.