Todos los días son fiesta

This lesser-known Paramount frolic, directed by Edward Sutherland, is one of Mae West's funniest and breeziest vehicles in her late period. It turned out to be her last Paramount picture, from her own solidly crafted screenplay. I had the opportunity of watching it recently along with another West movie called "Klondike Annie"(1936), directed by Raoul Walsh. Though Walsh is a vastly superior director than Sutherland, I much prefer this one to "Klondike Annie."

Set in the 1890s New York, Mae delightfully plays Peaches O'Day, a notorious confidence woman who sells the Brooklyn Bridge and flees the city while the police are looking for her capture. She later returns disguising as a hilariously droll French singer, Madamoiselle Fifi. Then she promotes the city's election candidate Capt.McCarey (Edmund Lowe), who also plays the good cop tracking down the corrupt police chief (Lloyd Nolan). Mae is aided by uniformly fine supporting players: Charles Winninger, Herman Bing, Charles Butterworth, Chester Conklin, and Louis Armstrong as the musical street cleaner.

Mae's suggestive one-liners are sparkling and fresh, especially the moment when she impersonates the French dame. Sutherland's unpretentious direction flows breezily through several hugely entertaining moments.

Pleasant and thoroughly enjoyable, "Every Day's Holiday" is must viewing for Mae West fans or anyone looking for harmless, pleasurable escape.

In turn-of-the-century New York, con woman Mae West runs Edmund Lowe for mayor against corrupt Lloyd Nolan.

Mae West's last movie for Paramount has her ploughing her familiar milieu, with a large cast that includes farceurs such a Charles Butterworth, Charles WInninger, and Walter Catlett. Louis Armstrong get to perform half a number, and there is a general sense of frivolity. Its premiere at Manhattan's Paramount Theater broke house records. But this wasn't the old Mae West. A little something known as the Production Code had come in, and the front office at Paramount wasn't interested in fighting Joseph Breen for the sake of a lady they knew they'd have a fight with every time, and had pushed past 40. So the zingers are not as sharp, even if second-rate West, like second-rate Marx Brothers, is still better than anything else.

Once again in her favorite era, the Gay Nineties (that is, the end of it: New Year's Eve, 1899), Mae West looks perfectly comfortable and swell - and in her element: as a small-time crook, 'selling' the Brooklyn Bridge to strangers... Police Chief 'Honest John Quade', who's also running for mayor, is obsessed by the idea of getting her arrested at last - because she had the 'impudence' to turn the crooked politician down. But the 'flatfoot' (as Mae alias 'Peaches O'Day' calls her 'special friends' from the New York police force) McCarey, who's assigned to the case, just 'isn't able' to get her - because he's in love with her and always lets her get away...

But finally, he HAS to do his duty: he tells her unmistakeably that she's got to leave town. 'Peaches', though, has other plans which she works out at a crazy New Year's Eve party in the famous, renowned old 'Rector's Restaurant' with a new acquaintance of hers - a butler and his rich master, who 'hates women'... until he sees Peaches, of course! So, together with her 'manager', they decide that she'll actually leave for Boston - and return, with a black wig and a French accent, as a famous French singer for whom they'll put up a big show...

Although, of course, by 1937 the Production Code showed no mercy anymore ESPECIALLY with Mae West's well-known 'dubious' scripts, and "Every Day's a Holiday" looks a lot tamer than her pre-Code movies, it's still a VERY enjoyable piece of entertainment, with an exceptionally good cast, a quite nice and clever story, nostalgic song numbers (Mae sings not only with a lovely French accent, but also in perfect French!), and generally a lively, inventive comedy you can just watch over and over again - Hollywood nostalgia at its very best!

Well it's safe to say that "McCarey" (Edmund Lowe) isn't much of a cop as he has to apprehend con artist "Peaches" (Mae West) but befriends her instead and let's her go. His deductive skills aren't great either as she returns bedecked in French frills and speaking like ziss, now purporting to be the celebrated Parisian star "Mmme. Fifi" and he's none the wiser. Naturally, she becomes a roaring success and quickly attracts the attention of local bigwig "Quade" (Lloyd Nolan). He's a budding candidate for mayor, is as dodgy as the day is long and takes a shine to her. When she declines his kind advances, he determines to drive her out of town. Luckily, "McCarey" is having none of this malarkey so steps in to challenge him for elected office, and soon has the shrewd and savvy "Fifi" pulling strings to help him, and her, to be shot of their scheming nemesis. This plot is really nothing new and this is all really a vehicle for (screenplay writer) West to glamourise the role with some grand frocks and a few stage routines that she carries off effortlessly. Nolan seems to enjoying himself but Lowe adds little even as the writing gives us a few pithy one-liners and a little fun as this all builds to a fairly predictable conclusion. The film does look good, the story doesn't hang about and if you're a fan of a woman who knew exactly which buttons to press with an audience, then it's perfectly watchable.

My husband purchased the DVD of this movie, as well as an original movie poster for my birthday. I am a huge Mae West fan, and have been all my life I suppose. She was a wonderfully talented woman, strong minded and strong willed, and not ashamed of who she was. It was a wonderful movie, and I suggest it to all who are able to get the opportunity to watch it. It has a wonderful cast, wonderful writing, direction is done well, and Ms. West is at her finest. She is absolutely stunning to say the least. This is one of those movies that will give you a belly laugh. Hope you all go down and try to find some of her wonderful work. She was a great writer, and actress, and did so much for women writers in her day and today.