Flirtation Walk

With hindsight,"flirtation walk" appears as a blueprint for "shipmates forever"(and even ,so to speak for "Blue Hawai" in which Elvis played a discharged soldier mind you).Like the 1935 (shall we say "sequel"?)work,it features the same actors and it's the most distressingly mediocre movie by one of the greatest directors of the era."Flirtation walk " pales into insignificance when compared to "no greater glory" "little man what now?" "three comrades" "mortal storm" "young America" "stranded" "big city" .....and I don't even mention the masterpieces of the silent era !Borzage epitomized greatness ,and perhaps are we too demanding ?There is a good idea,the play a la "Hamlet" or how to get a message of love through.

However,Borzage 's touch is nowhere to be seen in this umpteenth version of "I shall become an officer and a gentleman".If you want to see a good patriotic movie by Borzage,do choose " stage door canteen" in which the characters are made of flesh and blood.

'Scrapper' Thornhhill (Pat O'Brien) is an Army sergeant stationed in Hawaii struggling to get his men into shape. One of those men is the singing Dick 'Canary' Dorcy (Dick Powell). General Fitts is visiting for a couple of days. Dick is assigned to drive his daughter Kit (Ruby Keeler).

This is a romance musical taken place around the military. It is the in-between war years and this is a pro-military film. Dick Powell is too old to be a new recruit. He is 30 and looks older if only he doesn't do the double-chin face. The music is not my taste. It has some light humor and drama. This is mostly fine.

'Flirtation Walk' may not be a great film, but it entertains and charms and it is difficult not to like. Flawed? Yes. Worth watching? Absolutely, with the many good points nearly making up for the few points that don't come off quite so well.

Coming off least is the story, which even for a musical-comedy is formulaic and extremely simplistic. Sadly, Frank Borzage tends to make heavy weather of it, meaning that 'Flirtation Walk' is not quite as light-on-its-feet as it could have been and the patriotism present in some of the film is a little too overt and heavy-handed.

However, 'Flirtation Walk' while not lavish still looks handsome and colourful as well as skilfully photographed. The songs are very tuneful and very easy on the ear, the best of them being the witty and clever "Mr and Mrs is the Name". The script is smart and amusing, if a little too frothy in places.

Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell are immensely likable and their chemistry is incredibly charming and a large part of the film's appeal. Despite the story being less than perfect, it has enough pep and zip to keep things moving at a bright and breezy pace, and the penultimate scene is very moving. Pat O'Brien similarly brings sympathetic emotional impact.

In summary, the story is flawed but the charm and likability (especially from the performances and chemistry of the two leads) is immense. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Some good songs, good cast. Dick Powell handles most of the singing, sounding great as always, even in Hawaiian. Pat O'Brien is enjoyable in a familiar role as the tough guy with a heart of gold. Biggest disappointment of the whole movie is no dancing by the lovely Ruby Keeler. What were they thinking? The movie is very different from the 42nd Street-Footlight Parade-Golddiggers musicals that the Powell/Keeler team is most famous for, and if you expect to see that type of movie, you might be disappointed. I love them in those movies, but I also enjoyed this as something different. It would be nice to see this movie released as part of a DVD box set to complement the great Busby Berkley set released in early 2006.

FLIRTATION WALK (First National, 1934) directed by Frank Borzage, teams Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler for the fifth time, and the first to present their names above the title. When released in November 1934, this sentimental musical-comedy was so successful that it was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, along with eleven (yes, 11!) other movies that year, but no win.

The predictable plot begins in Hawaii in which Powell plays Army Private Richard Palmer Grant Dorcy, better known as "Canary," who meets and falls in love with General John Brent Fitt's (Henry O'Neill) daughter Kit (Ruby Keeler) on a two day visit at the base. Kit happens to be engaged to Lt. Robert Biddle (John Eldredge), but she doesn't care. She gets Dick to take her out for a moonlight drive, and they are later are caught embracing by Biddle. Fearing Dick would get court martialed, Kit discourages and cures the lovesick private before she leaves Hawaii. Determined to forget Kit and become an officer and a gentleman, Dick decides to leave Hawaii and enroll at West Point. After more than three years at the military academy, and close to graduation, Dick encounters Kit once more. (Her father is stationed there as the new superintendent). Dick then tries to ignore Kit and give her a hard time, but risks getting a dismissal from the academy when caught embracing Kit once more in her quarters by Biddle.

Pat O'Brien co-stars as Scrapper Thornhill, Dick's sergeant in the first half of the story set in Hawaii, while Ross Alexander and John Arledge appear as the cadets in the second half set at West Point. Alexander, the one with the physical appearance of dancer Ray Bolger, supplies some fine comic touches here. Directed by two-time Academy Award winning director, Frank Borzage, FLIRTATION WALK focuses more on plot than musical interludes. Powell sings a little, but tap dancer Keeler does not do any fancy footwork here. There are no real lavish production numbers to speak of, with the exception of a Hawaiian luau some 20 minutes into of the story. The 15 minute segment of the Hundredth Night Show at West Point consists of songs by Allie Wrubel and Mort Dixon: "No Horse, No Wife, No Mustache," the lively and amusing "Mr. and Mrs. Is the Name" and the title song.

Aside from scenes filmed in Hawaii and West Point, light comedy, sentimental moments and good tunes, Dick and Ruby are believable their roles, while Pat O'Brien, as a tough sergeant, isn't afraid to shed a tear, especially during Dick's West Point graduation. Quite different from the previous Powell and Keeler musicals, from Broadway theater setting to military background, which actually works to good advantage, although there is too much time devoted to plebe year and Powell reciting the definition of "Leather."

FLIRTATION WALK was distributed on video cassette through MGM Home Video in 1992, and can be seen on the Turner Classic Movies cable channel. One final note: Although it's been said that future film star Tyrone Power appears as one of the extra cadets, he is so hard to find. (****)