The Milky Way (1936).

Review #2369: The Milky Way.

Cast: 

Harold Lloyd (Burleigh "Tiger" Sullivan), Adolphe Menjou (Gabby Sloan), Verree Teasdale (Ann Westley), Helen Mack (Mae Sullivan), William Gargan (Speed McFarland), George Barbier (Wilbur Austin), Dorothy Wilson (Polly Pringle), Lionel Stander (Spider Schultz), and Marjorie Gateson (Winthrop Lemoyne) Directed by Leo McCarey (#085 - Duck Soup, #1350 - Love Affair, #1394 - An Affair to Remember)

Review: 

It does hurt, in a sense, to reach the near end of the Harold Lloyd run. The Milky Way was the fifth sound movie that he starred in, which if you remember correctly, were not exactly comparable to his silent output in terms of audience appeal. By this point, he wasn't even the producer of his own movies and now he was 43 (to say nothing of the fact that every movie made after 1919 was done with a special glove to hide the fact that he had just eight fingers). The year after this movie was released, Lloyd sold the land of his studio to the Latter-day Saints, and the year after that saw him star in his last sound movie for nearly ten years. With this movie, it was based off Lynn Root & Harry Clork's 1934 play of the same name*, and three screenwriters are credited with this adaptation: Grover Jones, Frank Butler**, and Richard Connell. Evidently the movie was the byproduct of casting shuffles, as apparently it was originally developed in mind with Jack Oakie to star, and somehow Ida Lupino was in talks to play the role ultimately played by Dorothy Wilson before Lupino got sick and bowed out. This was the tenth of thirteen movies that McCarey made in the 1930s, one made in between Ruggles of Red Gap [1935] and Make Way for Tomorrow [1937] (incidentally, McCarey actually was the son of a fight promoter; the USC law school graduate even tried boxing before trying his hand at getting involved with film and went from gagman to director). A handful of cast mates and McCarey got sick during production and apparently it fell to Norman Z. McLeod and Ray McCarey to shoot a few sequences (uncredited). The play has been filmed one time since, with The Kid from Brooklyn (1946), as produced by Samuel Goldwyn with Danny Kaye in the lead role of a musical comedy (Lionel Stander happened to appear in both movies). As you might expect from the old days of trying to corner the market, Goldwyn had purchased the original negative of the 1936 movie, pulled them from circulation and nearly every print in order to destroy them. Of course, he didn't get all of them, and the best version of the movie actually is one that came from a print preserved by Lloyd himself. 

It does help to have some zip for a comedy, yes. The last of his sound movies with The Cat's Paw (1934) was relatively successful in having a pairing of Lloyd with an established supporting presence (George Barbier) that wasn't about just bumbling around with middle-ground romance, and even Movie Crazy (1932) had some promise too. The 88-minute runtime for this movie basically leaves the film with two distinct segments: Lloyd doing Lloyd elements (to a point) and the attempts at verbal jabs and occasional visual stuff. The movie does pretty well, for the most part, mostly because it has the composure of confidence for both filmmaker and in cast, mainly because it isn't just bumbling around with misunderstandings (it instead plays on one guy trying to hustle both the media and a fighter) that might be Lloyd's most accomplished movie since oh, probably Speedy (1928). You've got a guy being trained to fight by playing it tune to the waltz and antics with a horse to go with brief interludes in the ring (and a horse, I suppose). I like the distinct difference Lloyd gets to play before and after getting in the ring in terms of heightened confidence. Menjou and Stander makes their moments count with such worthy timing in terms of huckster pride (with the latter having a voice practically made for it) that keeps the movie fresh beyond just looking at Lloyd or the varying moments spent around Teasdale, Mack, or Wilson (who are equally fine). While you might know just what is coming around the corner for a chunk of its tenure, there is still enough interest generated by the energy that is present on screen, such as with its resourcefully quick ending to generate a worthwhile ending. As a whole, Lloyd's one play at the screwball movie with McCarey in tow is a fine one, having enough fun with antics and a game cast to make a worthwhile curiosity worth looking into.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

*It's funny to be semi-reminded of Battling Butler (1926), which dealt with Buster Keaton playing a guy being involved with a deception involving boxing, although that was based on its own play and is clearly distinct from The Milky Way; by coincidence, Chaplin also did a boxing sequence with City Lights (1931). But hey, never hurts to name drop.

**That would future Academy Award-winning writer Frank Butler to go along with future Academy Award winning director/writer McCarey, as Butler's collaboration with Frank Cavett for the screenplay to McCarey's Going My Way [1944] won an Academy Award, although that was a weird year in general, because McCarey's story for the film also wound up getting him an Academy Award for "Best Story" which well, goes to show what awards come and go.

Topper Takes a Trip.

Review #1829: Topper Takes a Trip.

Cast: 

Constance Bennett (Marion Kerby), Roland Young (Cosmo Topper), Billie Burke (Clara Topper), Alan Mowbray (Wilkins, Topper's butler), Verree Teasdale (Mrs. Nancy Parkhurst), Franklin Pangborn (Louis), Alexander D'Arcy (Baron de Rossi), Spencer Charters (Judge), Irving Pichel (Prosecutor), and Asta the dog (Mr. Atlus) Directed by Norman Z. McLeod. (#688 - Horse Feathers and #1346 - Topper)

Review: 

You remember the 1937 movie Topper, do you? Well, maybe not, but I'm sure a little refresher would not hurt. The original film featured Cary Grant, Constance Bennett, Roland Young, Billie Burke, and Alan Mowbray in an adaptation of the 1926 novel of the same name by Thorne Smith. The movie was about newly-dead folks who come back as ghosts and decide to do a good deed in order to be stuck in limbo, which involves helping their stuffy and tired friend - wacky hijinks ensue, at least what you would call hijinks from the 1930s. McLeod, a director of comedies such as Monkey Business (1931), returns as director and all except Grant in the main cast return for this film, while Jack Jevne and Eddie Moran return to write the sequel, with Corey Ford joining as screenwriter. Perhaps not surprisingly, the film features footage taken from the 1937 film as a recap, complete with a thanks given to Grant for allowing the footage to be used. A sequel followed in 1941 called Topper Returns, which retained Young and Burke. 

Instead of a husband learning to loosen up (alongside his social climbing wife), now we have a story about a ghost trying to bring them back together as opposed to divorce - perish the thought of him trying to explain that the only friend he is seeing is a friendly ghost, who now is accompanied by a ghost dog. Oh, and there is a trip to Paris that sees all of them together and I think you know how it ends. Honestly, the only thing that might be a highlight is the effects by Roy Seawright, who received the only Academy Award nomination for the film for Best Special Effects. Bennett and Young are fine actors, but man I was not really that invested in this film. It exemplifies all the average qualities of an average movie that is just not quite my thing, since it is barely funny and barely that compelling, mostly because I see a movie that is going through the motions with ghost hijinks that aren't really that clever to see actually play out. 80 minutes go by with creaky maneuvering that never really incites a big guffaw or even a big groan, not even for the dog (of The Thin Man notice). Young is staid as ever, but it felt more interesting the first time around with him as a foil. Bennett may be playful, but the movie is sorely lacking her having Grant to play on as a proper freewheeling duo with charm for the proper bubbly flavor. Instead, it comes off as milk that seems spoiled in the wrong light. Burke seems there for the ride more than anything, not really making it any funnier or less enjoyable, which basically means a neutral result (Mowbray is hardly noticeable). It's hard to even come up with many highlights or odd scenes to really spot besides just saying "oh, that's a thing". There are basically two roads of thought when it comes to films from the 1930s: good ones you can recommend without too much trouble, and ones that are harder to watch or recommend. So, with the sequel to Topper, it's all up to you.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

As boring as this review might seem, at least one interesting thing happened this week: 

THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY VIPERS WON THE NBA G-LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP! Imagine seeing your region winning a championship for the fourth time in twelve years. What a feeling.