Love Is on the Air

Love is on the Air (1937)

** (out of 4)

The title has nothing to do with this "B" picture from Warner, which features Ronald Reagan in his debut. Reagan plays a hot shot radio broadcaster who decides to use the airways to bring down racketeers but this gets him into trouble with his boss and puts his life on the line by the bad guys. This 61-minute film goes by pretty fast but in the end it's pretty light on story, action and acting. Reagan is decent in his first film, although at times it seems like he's trying to do an impersonation of James Cagney. The supporting cast is mostly forgettable and there's really nothing that stands out here among the various other "B" films of its type.

Warner Bros. 'B' picture starring Ronald Reagan in his first film as a radio reporter who gets in trouble going after corrupt city officials. So he's demoted to hosting a kids' show. The radio station boss hopes it will make him quit, as they can't fire him due to his contract. Will it work? Doubt it.

Reagan is fine, likable and charming. My only complaint was the constant yelling of his lines, but that was undoubtedly because of Warner Bros. Most of the lead actors in their 'B' films at the time did this, and even some in their 'A' films. The title makes no sense really. It implies the film is a romantic comedy and it's not. This is a watchable way to pass an hour. Remake of Paul Muni's "Hi, Nellie."

Racketeers and gamblers are wreaking havoc in the city. Business leaders hold an emergency meeting to discuss. Civic-minded radio reporter Ronald Reagan is right there, hoping to gather "a bit of the inside story for my broadcast tonight." Reagan has a popular show but sponsor Addison Richards would like to shut him up--Richards is one of the crooks.

Keeping the sponsor happy, station manager Robert Barrat reassigns Reagan to the kiddie show where he can't make any trouble. Disappointed, Reagan nevertheless sets out to make the most of his new assignment, while always keeping his eyes open for a chance to break that big corruption story.

Ronald Reagan is fun as the irrepressible radio announcer who knows how to make the most of his opportunities. A good supporting cast includes Eddie Acuff as Reagan's loyal but sleepy assistant, and June Travis as another announcer who does the kids' show until Reagan takes it over. Travis and Reagan of course have an ongoing love-hate romance.

Reagan's best scenes are a couple of remote broadcasts where he sets up the radio equipment at a kids' bike race and boxing match. He interviews the participants and some fans, looking very much at home behind the microphone and mingling with the kids. When one of the kids turns out to have some info about the crooks in town, Reagan is back on that case, with exciting results.

Nothing brilliant but full of good humor and enthusiastic performances. Most enjoyable.

Dick Powell had introduced a song called Love Is On The Air in Varsity Show which is a nice number. Therefore one might have expected a film with this title to be a musical. Though the song is played over the opening title credits, this film is far from a musical.

Instead it is the film debut of former radio announcer Ronald Reagan playing a radio commentator who is getting the gangsters in his city all kinds of nervous with his hard hitting expose. But his sponsor Addison Richard is in league with those selfsame gangsters led by Ben Welden. He pressures station owner Robert Barrat to pull the plug on Reagan's show, but Ron's got a contract. Never mind the owner just assigns him to a kiddie show that June Travis formerly had.

Of course she's all kinds of put out, but Ron's charm wins her over in a number of ways and oddly enough the kid's show provides him with a lead that eventually busts the racketeer control wide open.

Casting Reagan as a radio commentator was no big acting stretch for him, but this did show the wisdom of Warner Brothers in developing new talent by giving them comfortable surroundings. Reagan's likability did the rest in this very easy to take B programmer based in part on Paul Muni's film Hi Nellie from a few years before.

The Gipper's fans ought to be pleased.

For a fellow who'd never acted before, Ronald Reagan carries this little programmer with panache. It bears little relation to the real world, but it's not a bad way to spend an hour. Reagan's skill as a radio announcer is exhibited, but he plays all the other required notes quite handily. The story gets a few unexpected twists, though most of it is hokum of the first degree. Ben Welden is always a welcome sight, here as a slightly more serious villain than he sometimes played. Most of the rest of the cast is pretty well B-level, competent but no great shakes. Reagan alone makes this worth viewing. He's likable, charming, energetic, and he handles dialogue better than just about anyone in the film. Quite an accomplishment for a newcomer.