Stepping Out

Here's a sprightly romantic comedy from MGM featuring elastic funny lady Charlotte Greenwood and pretty Leila Hyams. She gets top-billing playing one of two disgruntled Hollywood wives seeking revenge on their movie-producer husbands. Seems that the straying spouses, played by portly Harry Stubbs and dashing Reginald Denny respectively, have canceled their plans for an evening out with their wives. Under pressure from Stubbs, the reluctant Denny agrees to cavort with two beautiful starlets who hope to appear in their next picture.

So as payback, the disappointed but defiant wives decide to head to Mexico for some fun and games of chance. But they soon return home for a forgotten item, only to discover their husbands hosting a ribald pool party for the aspiring actresses. One of these starlets (Lillian Bond) goes by the rhyming stage name of "Cleo Del Rio," and the other has a penchant for piggy-back-riding. After being discovered, Denny's squirming and dissembling before his wife and this actress is amusing and nicely played by the actor with a usually unflappable persona.

Greenwood and Hyams continue on to Mexico anyway, with the added baggage of their husband's entire bank accounts, causing the desperate men to quickly follow. Complications ensue as the women flirt with a couple of flat-broke college guys (Cliff Edwards and handsome Kane Richmond) who are on the make, and suspect the women are wealthy. Comic mayhem ensues when the husbands surprise their wives as they entertain the other men for dinner in their Mexican bungalow.

There's lots of confusion and calamity as the two couples come to grips with the situation, and some expert physical comedy is on display by Greenwood and Edwards, who plays perhaps one of the most mature and balding college guys ever. There's even a nice little duet, with Edwards accompanying Greenwood on -what else -- the ukulele. And of course, it's de rigueur that Charlotte Greenwood display her signature brand of crazy-legged comedy schtick that still seems amazing and remarkable today.

"Stepping Out" contains a few funny and risqué lines of dialog, a likable cast, and some amusing situations, but fails to rise to the level of the great comedy produced by, say, The Marx Brothers or Burns and Allen. Experienced vaudevillian Charlotte Greenwood makes an unique screen presence, and she pulls out all the stops to make this somewhat slight material work. She's gangly and homely, yet with a sophisticated and fashionable exterior that creates a strikingly comic dichotomy.

Charmingly innocent by today's standards, "Stepping Out" at least offers the opportunity to experience veteran entertainers like Charlotte Greenwood and Cliff Edwards performing routines that made them famous.

** out of *****

Leila Hyams and Charlotte Greenwood decide to take a few days at Agua Caliente to get a break from husbands Reginald Denny and Harry Stubbs, and to make them miss their wives. The men immediately invite a couple of girls over to discuss the independent movie they're financing and to swim -- no bathing suits. The wives walk back in, then walk out again to meet up with Cliff Edwards and Richard Tucker, only to have the husbands show up.

It's a pre-code situation comedy that is pretty much French Farce without slamming doors. There's some solid camerawork by Leonard Smith, William Gray edits at a brisk pace, and there are some well-delivered lines, particularly by Miss Greenwood. The result is a very glossy comedy that is amusing or better throughout.

Of all the fine performers in this extended and leaden attempt at mixing slapstick with drawing room style wit, Charlotte Greenwood shines most consistently, though even she must fight the material at almost every turn. In the 75 minutes of running time there are perhaps 3 or 4 really funny, clever exchanges. Two examples: "Have you no conscience?" – "Sure, but I ignore it!" Or: (to paraphrase), Greenwood: "You're not very big." Cliff Edwards: "Let's go into the other room together and I might surprise you." Adapted from a hit Broadway comedy, the slender plot involves neglected Hollywood wives (Greenwood and Leila Hyams) who, after catching their wealthy husbands (Harry Stubbs and Reginald Denny) in the company of two voracious gold diggers (Lillian Bond and Merna Kennedy), run off together to a Mexican resort only to find themselves chased by a pair of male gold diggers (Cliff Edwards and Kane Richmond). The husbands pursue the wives, the female gold diggers pursue the husbands and they all get mixed up together in Caliente where they indulge in endless belabored farcical encounters. If one is a Greenwood fan, and she surely is something interesting to behold when compared to most of the Hollywood females of her time, this film is worth a look. Otherwise there is very little to recommend.

Accidentally started watching this film and I couldn't walk away. Humor still holds up, and so refreshing to see an adult themed film without pandering to the 14 and under crowd-unheard of these days unfortunately. The movie was made almost 90 years ago and I'm watching it for first time in 2019!

Two wives make plans to go off on a long vacation, to try to make their husbands appreciate them more, but of course, that old trick never works. Leila Hyams and Charlotte Greenwood are Eve and Sally, just after the stock market crash of 29, but they are still spending money. and talking about lots of hollywood references.. Mack Sennett and his folly girls. So while the cats are away, the mice will play! the trouble is, the cats return home and catch the mice. everything has backfired. for everyone. we're off to Tijuana Mexico, for gambling and horse-racing. Look for the awesome Cliff Edwards, in here for comic relief..... so talented. sang and played ukelele in many films. perfect comic timing. and of course, he was the voice for jiminy cricket. this one moves slowly at times, but has a solid story. and we're still pre-code, so we can be a little dirty. lots of suggestive jokes and flirting, all around. it's all fun and light-hearted, but everyone keeps threatening to leave their spouse. So much talking ! clearly it started out as a play by Elmer Harris. Directed by Charles Reisner; he didn't win any oscars, but he DID work with buster keaton a couple times. he started out making silent shorts, then onto full lengths. it's a fun one.