Annabel Takes a Tour

In "The Affairs of Annabel", Lanny Morgan (Jack Oakie) drives actress Annabel Allison (Lucille Ball) over the edge with his insane publicity stunts in order to make her even more famous. His antics were just awful and it makes you wonder why Annabel would ever work with this idiot again. However, in "Annabel Takes a Tour", Annabel is anxious to get Lanny back in her life. Most of the reason is that Annabel is frustrated when a small-time actress at the studio suddenly gets all the attention because she becomes engaged to a viscount. So, Lanny decides to get Annabel a viscount as well...or at least convince everyone she's carrying on with minor royalty. Unfortunately, he doesn't tell the Viscount he has in mind...nor does he tell Annabel...setting the stage for all sorts of complications.

Overall, this is a pleasant little diversion and not much else. A nice film...but one that isn't quite as good as the first...which, after all, is not a huge surprise.

Movie star Annabel Allison (Lucille Ball) is frustrated with her publicity being overshadowed. She runs into Lanny Morgan (Jack Oakie) again who is working for a horse. When the horse overshadows Annabel, she gets Lanny rehired again. He organizes a train trip to Chicago to promote her latest film. She fails to get the front page even after falling through a trap door.

This is a sequel. Somehow, I like her a little less in this one. She is a little higher maintenance. There is one scene of physical comedy during the dance. It's the style she excels at most. The ending is abrupt. I get the idea but a comedy should probably end more traditionally. This is a little less fun. The first one has a high concept comedy situation. This one is simply a little less.

Annabel Allison, the star of Wonder Pictures, is angry about her poor publicity, especially when a rival gets engaged to the Marquis; so she forces studio manager Webb to re-hire the embarrassed Morgan promotion agent for her personal guest appearance. The journey continues with a flurry of Morgan's crazy advertising stunts. Then Annabel has her chance to "insert" the right viscount.

"Wonder Pictures" movie star Lucille Ball (as Annabel Allison) feels her career is in trouble after rival Francis Mercer (as Natalie Preston) eclipses her in popularity and becomes engaged to a nobleman. In spite of his mishandling her publicity in the recently released "The Affairs of Annabel" (1938), Ms. Ball insists publicist Jack Oakie (as Lanny Morgan) be rehired. Ball and Mr. Oakie go on a "Good Will Tour" to promote her new movie. This entry continues Ball's romantic interest in Oakie, which came out of nowhere in the earlier film, and adds courtly Ralph Forbes (as Ronald River-Clyde) to the mix...

Odd as it seems, Ball's dramatic movie characterizations were better than her comic roles during 1930s and 1940s. Her delivery is often very abrasive, and she sometimes seems like she might hurt one of the other actors, or herself; the "Lucy" character she developed on radio (1948) and television (1951) was more finely tuned. This was the second, and last, film in the "Annabel" series. The first one was better, with the time "Annabel" spent as maid to a family being most appealing. Here, hotel manicurist Alice White (as Marcella) is very funny, and grown-up Wesley Barry looks good in a walk on role.

**** Annabel Takes a Tour (11/11/38) Lew Landers ~ Lucille Ball, Jack Oakie, Ralph Forbes, Alice White

A lackluster screenplay doesn't help this comedy about a movie star, Lucille Ball, whose publicity man, Jack Oakie, uses stupid schemes to get her name in the newspapers. Unfortunately, very little of the film is funny, but it was nice to see a very young Lucille Ball, even in black and white. Ball, Oakie, Bradley Page and Ruth Donnelly reprised their roles in this second and last film based on the characters created in the 1938 film "The Affairs of Annabel" by Charles Hoffman. There would have been more in the series, but Oakie wanted too large a fee for his services.