Irene

I saw this film on AMC one rainy Sunday afternoon last month. I saw that it was listed as a musical and, not being a huge fan of the genre, I was a bit apprehensive. But, I did get hooked on it after about 10 minutes or so and watched the entire thing. Even worse.. I LOVED it!! It was a charming and funny film that I recommend to all those who love a good black and white movie afternoon.

OK--must confess that I have not seen the entire movie; only saw the last 40 minutes or so, and look forward to getting to see the whole thing soon (which is why I didn't vote yet, though what I saw of it would rate an eight or nine). It is one of those sweet, charming (without cloying--it has some wit to it) movies RKO did so well (Ginger Rogers' 5th AVENUE GIRL is another I recently saw--thank goodness for Turner Classic Movies).

Towards the end of this movie, Ray Milland's character discovers Anna Neagle's Irene dancing by herself, lost in thought and emotion. He and we watch, unperceived by Irene, and the dance was an unexpected delight. While the choreography could have used more variation (certain moves are repeated too much, and some of them have her shoulders up more than is ideal), Anna N. proves herself a graceful, expressive dancer; I hope to see more of her dancing, if it exists in films. The beginning of the dance also uses subtle slow-motion to good effect, which it occurred to me I haven't seen often, if at all, in musicals from this era. I wonder why that wasn't used more, as it would seem to be a relatively easy effect to employ. Anyway, I recommend IRENE, and look forward to taking my own recommendation to see the rest of it soon.

Anna Neagle was one of the United Kingdom's brightest musical stars. She and Jessie Matthews seem to just about corner the market on British musical comedy leading ladies. What films Neagle didn't do, Matthews did.

However unlike Matthews, Neagle came over to try her luck on the other side of the pond. Irene was one of the ones she did her in a deal with RKO that also included her husband, producer/director Herbert Wilcox.

Irene was a successful musical comedy that was updated from post World War I to pre World War II America. On Broadway it had a run of 675 performances during the 1919-1921 seasons. It concerns a young Irish working class girl who gets innocently trapped in a fashion store publicity stunt by Ray Milland who's smitten with her. Store manager Roland Young aids and abets.

The film is makes the twenty year transition well. Most of the score is heard in the background or as show numbers. The two songs that Neagle does, Irene and Alice Blue Gown were the big hits of the original show.

Irene is a pleasant enough film, it's too bad that the American movie public didn't see more of Anna Neagle.

Very glad I caught this old-timer. I am a fan of musicals, especially good ones, and this one was good. It is also old and was on Broadway in 1926, according to the website. According to Maltin, most of the music of the original has been left out, but what remains was very good; The title song, "Alice Blue Gown" and especially a number I never heard of before, "You've Got Me Out On A Limb", a lame title but very tuneful. The 'Alice' number was done several times, including a jitterbug version by an all-black ensemble, which was bizarre. The plot, in a nutshell, was a lovers triangle, between Ray Milland, Anna Neagle and Alan Marshal and they were ably supported by some of Hollywood's best second line actors, May Robson, Roland Young and Arthur Treacher among them. It is a musical with some light comedy and the whole effect was enchanting, to dust off an old-fashioned word. Do yourself a favor next time it's on - it's worth your time if you're a fan of 'charming old musicals'.

Don Marshall (Ray Milland) is rich...really, really rich. And he's met a nice young lady, Irene (Anna Neagle) and wants to see her happy and successful. So, he buys a fancy fashion studio and gets her hired as one of their models...and she has no idea that Don is helping her not that he is 'Madame Lucy', the 'lady' who owns the shop! Soon, Irene goes from a poor working girl to the rage of society, as there is a mix up and folks think she's related to some rich O'Dare family back in Ireland. In the meantime, one of Don's friends, Bob (Alan Marshall) has also fallen for Irene. Who will end up with her at the end?

This is a mildly enjoyable comedy-romance. Nothing stands out other than the acting, though the film is an enjoyable time-passer. Nice...but that's about it.