Girl O' My Dreams

It's surprising to find that this very pleasant entry in the college musical cycle is not better known. Not only does it feature a reasonably amusing screenplay by George Waggner which provides splendid comic opportunities for Sterling Holloway, Arthur Lake, Lon Chaney, Jr and a host of beautiful girls, but it introduces some excellent musical numbers.

Oddly, it's Lon Chaney, Jr, who runs off with the movie's histrionic honors (though closely pursued by Eddie Nugent). I've never seen Lon look more handsome or give a more delightfully charming performance, completely free of his usual heavily theatrical mannerisms and amateurish delivery. One suspects that the agreeably light touch he gives his role was entirely his own invention, as the other performances (most particularly by Lake and Cleveland) tend to be more broad. (Not that I'm being critical. It's just that Chaney deftly delivers a very nice contrast).

Director McCarey has handled this assignment with commendable aplomb. Even brother Leo could not have done better. The photography is likewise very attractive. In fact production values are far superior to the usual run of Monogram B's.

Could the recent USC scandal have been caused by the children who got into that university thinking it would be like 1930s college musicals? In this one, 29-year-old Sterling Holloway, who's the editor of the student newspaper and 29-year-old Arthur Lake, who's the star varsity pole-vaulter, decide to play a practical joke by rigging the votes for the 'Joe Senior' title so 28-year-old varsity shotputter Lon Chaney Jr. wins it instead of 30-year-old varsity hurdles runner Elliot Nugent. This bollixes up their love lives so that Mary Carlisle and Gigi Parrish swap boyfriends. Perhaps the students whose parents had bribed sports coaches instead of college presidents with 'donations' thought that was the purpose of college.

The academics are not totally ignored. There is one sequence set in a classroom. Nugent and Chaney sing -- with Holloway on the piano -- and the professor shows up for the last ten seconds of this scene.

The formula is varied a bit by making the big ending being about a track-and-field event instead of a football match, so that's nice. Also Betty Mae and Beverly Crane appear as co-eds; their presence, like almost all of their screen appearances, was based on their being identical twins. Director Ray McCarey directs competently as always, and at 65 minutes this Poverty Row feature won't waste your time unpleasantly.

Considering it's a Monogram production, the results are generally better than expected. For some reason college-based musical comedies were popular about this time (1933). The storyline is unexceptional, the usual romantic mix-ups that furnish a few laughs; along with a dollop of sports competition that furnishes a dash of suspense. What's really eye-catching, however, is the cast. Yes, it is a young, handsome, muscular Lon (Creighton) Chaney Jr. as one of the swains, and looking nothing like the dissipated alcoholic of later years. After seeing the promise here, its doubly unfortunate his career went on the downslide it did.

Also, there's only a slightly addled Sterling Holloway playing it fairly straight, for a change; and Arthur Lake showing a nicely shaded comedic side that probably helped him get the Dagwood role in the long-running Blondie series. But who is Edward Nugent. Judging from his many credits in the 1930's, he nevertheless quit the business early. Whatever the case, he makes a perfectly handsome swell-head, who can be either obnoxious or charming. Too bad IMDb doesn't give us more of his bio. Anyway, the movie's not a bad little programmer given its lowly Monogram pedigree.

This is a fun bit of fluff about a group of college students and their various pursuits such as rigging the competition for 'The Joe Senior Contest' which determines the most popular boy in school, attempting to win an inter-collegiate athletics competition, and getting the girls or boys of their dreams. Two of the stars, Creighton Chaney (later changed to Lon Chaney Jr) and Arthur Lake, went on to become, respectively, The Wolf Man, and Dagwood from the 'Blondie' series of movies.

I liked this movie a lot more than I expected to. Despite its age, it's interesting to see that some things about being a college student haven't changed all that much. I chortled out loud in surprise at a scene between two pals Bobby and Spec in which they lament that Larry 'is the most popular man in class with the babes'! I didn't know they used the term 'babes' in this sense in 1936! This remark was so 'Bill-and-Ted'-ish, I was half expecting one of them to exclaim 'Dude!' (in fact, Spec and Bobby even look a bit Bill and Ted-ish, one shaggy-haired and blonde and the other dark-haired and gormless).

Includes a few corny songs around a piano, which you will either love, hate or merely tolerate, BUT which are notable for one in which we actually get to see Lon Chaney Jr sing! The Wolf Man sings? Brill! Chaney is also at the youthful top of his condition physically and is actually quite a hunk! Recommended, as an hour spent in pure escapist fun with a cast of likable characters.

This a great cast - and every character in the film is likable. Cute story surrounding college jocks and their girlfriends. Quite a bit of comedy that kept me giggling throughout the film. It's even better than I imagined it would be.

Creighton Chaney's last role under his real name. He plays a typical jock in this one - worried more about his sport than his girl until she gets upset about it and ends up with his best friend Bobby Barnes' (Arthur Lake). Ironically his best friend Bobby's girlfriend just got upset with him and ends up with Dan. Basically Bobby and Gwen are a couple, Dan and Mary are a couple because the ladies get upset. There is a switch in men (trying to create jealousy to win back the guys they are in-love with). It all gets straightened out in the end but the way everything happens is quite comical.

I must mention Sterling Holloway as Spec Early... what a fun character he is. Spec ends up with Kittens (Jeanie Roberts) and it's unclear if he really wants to be with her or not in the very end. LOL.

Overall a really fun film - lighthearted, romantic comedy that I enjoyed watching.

8.5/10