Stingaree

It was a static bore, and there wasn't a single actor in it remotely believable as an "Australian." I stayed up until 2Am to watch it, but it wasn't worth it. Only surprising thing was that Irene Dunne occasionally had a look which reminded me of how beautiful she really was at that time, I finally understood how the likes of Cary Grant could lust after her on screen. Otherwise, there's very little to this one. Richard Dix may have been a big star post-"Cimarron," but his over-emoting and head-wagging hearkened back here very obviously to the silents. And he and Andy Devine (of course, in this instance) both looked suspiciously well-fed for bandits beating their perilous way through the Outback

So yes, it's basically a clinker.

Australia, 1874. The famous bandit Stingaree is in the neighborhood; the prominent London music producer, Sir Julian Kent, is also visiting. Everyone is excited:

Mrs. Clarkson (Mary Boland), the nutty (and annoying) lady of the vast Clarkson estate, is determined that she will impress Sir Julian with her singing. Mr. Clarkson (Henry Stephenson) is not so sure, but he is curious to see the famous Stingaree.

Servant girl Hilda dreams of singing for Sir Julian herself—but Mrs. Clarkson is banishing her to the neighbors' during his visit. Hilda is crestfallen….might Sir Julian have been her once chance of escape from this lonely life?

Irene Dunne is wonderful as Hilda, and her performance makes this picture worthwhile. When she sits down at the piano, thinking herself alone, and sings—what a beautiful song, and scene.

Richard Dix is rugged yet refined as Stingaree, the dashing and notorious outlaw. He excels at disguises, takes bold risks…and has a keen appreciation for music. One very exciting moment: he's leaving in a hurry, cops in pursuit — he races toward the front door — sees Dunne standing there — picks her up in his arms and carries her off with him!

Andy Devine plays it fairly straight as Stingaree's loyal sidekick, Howie. (Neither Dix nor Devine attempts to sound remotely Australian or English, by the way—with the exception of Devine's hilarious phony accent when helping set up a robbery.) Conway Tearle is the devoted and reliable Sir Julian—it's a good performance but the role doesn't offer much except bland sincerity and mild passion.

The plot is outrageously silly—a suave criminal with a musical ear finds a girl in the sticks who sings like an angel and he risks life and limb to promote her career.

Nevertheless, the picture certainly has its moments. It's not every 1930s operetta-style musical that is highlighted by its songs, at least not to my taste…but Irene Dunne's singing really is most excellent, and she creates a character we do want to cheer for. A couple of neat plot turns offer pleasant surprises right up to the rather abrupt but satisfying ending.

Odd—but entertaining.

STINGAREE was the first of the great Irene Dunne musicals: SWEET ADELINE; ROBERTA; SHOW BOAT; HIGH, WIDE, & HANDSOME; and JOY OF LIVING, count ‘em, six films (aside from 1930's LEATHERNECKING, but no one counts that!) is all you got. How can that be? She's my favorite! She sang in other pictures, but these six were the full-blown star vehicles for Kern's favorite movie soprano. Without a doubt, STINGAREE is the strangest, and, oh yeah, Jerome Kern is no where to be heard. We get some "Martha" and "Faust," and mostly several reprisals of a song called "Tonight is Mine," written by the talented Australian bandit, the Stingaree, himself. He let's her have this song, dedicated to her, and thus sets her on her path to international Opera acclaim. Sure, she is assisted by impresario Conway Tearle, and along the way we meet dignitaries and governors and even Disraeli, but no one can ever touch her true heart like the Stingaree could. And why not, after all, it is RKO's resident veteran stud, the Rod Taylor of the Twenties, Mr. Richard Dix who is portraying the dashing, debonaire, and musically inclined robs-from-the-rich, etc, legend. We get the music, the scenery, the costuming, the lush period detail, the horses, the chases, the fisticuffs, the... hey, what is this, a Richard Dix western, or is it one of the great Irene Dunne musicals? Well, there you have it. Based on E. W. Hornung's (RAFFLES) novel, STINGAREE is one of the most neglected, forgotten hybrids of the decade. It was screened in Syracuse last year, and while everyone questioned the reasoning behind its creation, all agreed it was an unusual, entertaining achievement. For STINGAREE is, in fact, a rather exciting (if fabulously improbable) action picture AND a desert topping. It was one of the big RKO releases of that season, and as such, boasts the best the studio could muster, and this included some important character work by some of our finest, including Andy Devine as Mr. Dix's (and the pictures') comedy relief side-kick (another vote for "it's a western"). Henry Stephenson (DOUBLE HARNESS; HEARTS DIVIDED; CONQUEST), not to be confused with another marvelous actor, James Stephenson (THE LETTER), is on hand to play the husband of a flighty, self-important woman who attempts to stand in poor Irene Dunne's way, and who else could portray such a woman but the great Mary Boland? Not simply a pitiful comedic plot device, Boland's fearless performance blends the charming and the likeable (and often purposefully annoying) Mary Boland, with un-reigned egoism, calculated duplicity, and an unexpected Agnes Moorehead-level guile. Let's hope they can find the funding to restore this classic!

Or perhaps "The Phantom of the Opera, Down Under" with a dash of Cinderella thrown in for good measure.

This is one of six RKO films that were buried in rights problems that Turner Classic Movies managed to resurrect and show back in 2007, with the rights having been resolved by their legal department. Only this one is less than excellent.

Of course, Irene Dunne has a great singing voice. She was the songbird of the RKO lot in the 1930s, but this was just a terrible vehicle for her talents.

There are some good individual performances. The looks on Henry Stephenson's face were priceless. Also, how was little RKO able to get Reginald Owen for what was basically an uncredited cameo? This film falls into several categories - adventure, romance, comedy, musical. If RKO had left out the music and concentrated on one or a couple of the other genres it might have worked.

Somewhat lackluster period musical/adventure tale set in Australia, 1874 telling the story of a young lady named Hilda (played by Irene Dunne) who works as a servant for the wealthy Clarksons, sheep farmers, and dreams of being a great singer. An upcoming visit by Sir Julian, a famous composer arriving from London, drives jealous Mrs. Clarkson (an interfering biddy who fancies she can sing - but can't) to send away Hilda, so he doesn't hear Hilda has a good voice. Meanwhile, an infamous outlaw named Stingaree (Richard Dix) has just arrived in town and kidnaps Sir Julian, then poses as him at the Clarksons, where he meets Hilda a few hours before she is to leave. Hilda, thinking he's Sir Julian, sings for him - and Stingaree decides to help her with her career. She soon finds out he's an impostor, he ends up kidnapping her - um, and she likes it (and this is all in one night!). They are instantly in love - the fact that he is a bandit that the police are after means nothing to her. They are soon separated though - after Stingaree is arrested and Sir Julian takes Hilda to Europe to make her into a famous opera singer.

This is a somewhat mediocre film - though I did like Irene Dunne in this, Richard Dix gives a pretty hammy performance here (rolling eyes and all). It's not all bad, but I thought the story was just a bit hard to swallow - Hilda and the memory she just can't seem to forget: being carried off on horseback by a bandit/outlaw - I just don't know about this woman's choices. Some of the character actors in this do add a few bright moments here and there - especially Andy Devine, as Stingaree's sidekick "valet", who got me laughing in the few brief scenes he is in. The music in this is not too memorable either - all in all, so-so.