We're in the Money

a minor warner studio output using up its contract players. blondell and farrell spark off each other like an early version of thelma and louise as they serve witness summons on a range of male lugs: a crooner, a wrestler and a wiseguy. an interesting film for the potential it offered for female leads, a potential that hollywood has always underexploited.

Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell made quite a few films together, and you could tell had fun. That is the secret to any good film, and Warner Brothers held the distinction of cranking out a ton of dramas and comedies that clicked. Warners also had a stable of some of the best actors, and always put them to good use. The word on the street was everybody had fun making these films.

The ladies, this time, are process servers(?) who go through some wacky situations to get the job done. But what happens when their next target is someone who catches their eye, at least one of them? Sparks fly and it gets even more complicated.

This is fun stuff, and with a dependable cast, foremost hilarious Hugh Herbert, who is perfect for this kind of material. Herbert's trademark was his "woo woo" laugh, which could either mean he's enjoying something or in big trouble. Humphrey Bogart's wife at the time, Mayo Methot, also has a small part in this one. Methot gained more fame being married to Bogey and always fighting with him, making lots of headlines at the time. One big happy family.

Its also neat to spot all the veteran actors here, and most were Warner Brothers alum. Many were in the GOLD DIGGERS musical comedy series. Both Farrell and Blondell appeared in GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937. A big thank you to TCM for rerunning this on a lazy summer afternoon with lots of memories attached.

Usually sold in WB box sets, this film is on dvd for collectors.

Best parts of this typically so so Ray Enright comedy are the ones where Joan Blondell and Glendale Farrell are riffing off each other and, in the process, providing us with one of the more inspired comedy duos of 1930s Hollywood. Joan's ditzinness contrasts perfectly with Farrell's deadpan wisecracks, kind of like Harpo and Groucho without tiresome Chico. Their talents are at their best in the nightclub scene where they effortlessly combine to nail the oleaginous crooner with a jury summons. Other than that, though, the movie kind of drags with scenes that try too hard (throwing Joan overboard from the yacht, the gangster stuff) alternating with scenes that are more weird/distasteful than quirky/funny (the wrestling sequence). And a little of Hugh Herbert, kind of a poor man's Ed Wynn, goes an awfully long way. Give it a C plus.

... and if they had it would have likely been much better.

Dixie Tilton (Glenda Farrell) and Ginger Stewart (Joan Blondell) are process servers employed by attorney Homer Bronson (Hugh Herbert). They want to quit, but Bronson has a troublesome client, Claire LeClaire who is suing a rich man for breach of promise. There are four subpoenas involved, and the male servers who have attempted to do the serving have been beaten up. Bronson promises the girls a thousand dollars if they can serve all four, the idea being that a female process server will not be suspected. Ginger is in love with a chauffeur she has been meeting in the park and she only knows his name is Carter. He is, in fact, the object of the breach of promise suit. C. RIchard Courtney. He wears the chauffeur's outfit to throw process servers off the trail. Neither Carter nor Ginger knows who the other is, but since Ginger is going to end up serving him, you just know complications will ensue when the truth comes out about both of them.

As it stands it would have made a good three reel (30 minutes long) short. Or the plot could have been beefed up considerably and it could have been worthy of its 64 minute runtime. Instead it is stuffed with a wrestling match, a nightclub number, and a bunch of badly done overlong chase scenes both in boats and cars with third rate back projection while the actual dialogue and cast interaction is somewhat anemic. I will say this about it - Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell have great chemistry together and make a terrific comedic duo. It's no wonder they were teamed several times as they were a joy to watch.

EARLY Joan Blondell.. LOVE HER in Desk Set, but that was about twenty years after this. She and Glenda Farrell were silly working girls in all those black and whites in the 1930s and 1940s... Ginger and Dixie are process servers, and are trying to get out of such a dangerous business. Their boss has one last assignment for them, and after being offered a huge amount, this will be their last caper, serving the big mob boss who doesn't want to be served. Ginger has a beau Carter, played by Ross Alexander. Sadly, Alexander offed himself a couple years after this film was released. The Hays film code had just started being strictly enforced, and this clearly was not good news for Alexander, as his lifestyle could not be kept quiet, and this clashed with the studio big-shots. Silly, vaudeville man Hugh Herbert is the goofy attorney, and is clearly here for the laughs. Some fun cameos, or almost cameos... a young Lionel Stander (Max.. from Hart to Hart) has several spoken lines. Walter Brennan is a guest at the wedding, and according to IMDb, Mayo Methot's scene was deleted. Also several songs by actor/singer Phil Regan... he had quite the adventures after his acting days, if you look him up on wikipedia. This one is fun, and scurries right along. Story is pretty straight forward, and has some clever lines. I recommend this one. Pretty surprised at the low rating... only a 6.. but of course, only 140 votes so far. Hopefully TCM will show this one more often.