Playing Around

Alice Whites career as a star only lasted around 6 years.By the time she made this her style of dizzy blonde was going out of fashion,to be replaced by the more cynical gold digger type played by Joan Blondell.In this film she is romanced by patent hair Chester Morris who robs her fathers shop in his spare time.Alice is no great shakes as an actress but she is a great personality.

Alice White is just shy of being engaged to dull but dependable William Bakewell when she's picked up by Chester Morris. She easily falls for his smooth manner, and his seemingly endless wealth. But that's not who he is at all.

Although director Mervyn Leroy keeps things moving at a slightly stodgy pace in the dialogue, and Miss White seems to be a nitwit, there are some nice points to this movie. For one, there are a few songs by Sam Stept and Bud Green -- and no, I don't think I've heard of them before either. Miss White sings "You Learn About Love Every Day", and it's a good song, with the tune reprised a couple of times. Another song, "That's The Lowdown on the Lowdown" is an okay piece, but it's given a fine performance by Carolynne Snowden. In addition, there's a fine moving shot with talking going on. Since this was finished and copyrighted in 1929, someone should have told the sound engineer Earl Sitar you couldn't do that, not in Hollywood. He was suitably punished by being uncredited, and being stuck in the B movies.

Although there's a lot to kvetch about here, the things that it does right outweigh those easily, particularly Morris' performance, clearly meant for a star build-up. With Richard Carlyle, Marion Byron, and George "Gabby" Hayes with his teeth in.

...as were most of Alice White's films. Alice would never win any acting awards, but the films she starred in during her brief reign over at First National exemplify the end of the Jazz Age. Alice's characters may have not had the best judgment or the best taste in men, but their intentions were always good, and that is the case here.

The film starts out in a nightclub named "The Pirate's Den". A big pirate-themed production number that looks like something that didn't make the final cut in Warner's revue "The Show of Shows" takes up the first five or so minutes - but Alice is nowhere in sight at this point. After the show is over, our stars appear. Sheba and Jack (Alice White and William Bakewell) are out for a night on the town, but Jack gets a headache when he looks at the prices on the menu. At the club at the same time is Nickey Solomon (Chester Morris) who seems to be a likable fellow who enjoys living well. However, he has one major character flaw - his profession is holdup man. Fortunately for the patrons of the club, this is his night off. He and Sheba meet when the club has a "legs contest" in which the female patrons are invited to participate. The curtain is lowered on the stage so you can just see the legs of the participants, and the girls then parade around the stage. Nickey is named judge, and he picks Sheba's legs as the winner(s). When the curtain is raised he sees the rest of Sheba and Nickey is quite taken by the entire package.

From this point on Nickey is wooing Sheba, and Jack, who is just a 35 dollar a week soda jerk, is having a hard time competing. The scale is weighed even more heavily in Nickey's favor due to the fact that he is a rather talented liar who has Sheba believing he is a successful businessman. Chester Morris was excellent at playing an evil guy with a nice guy facade, but here you never see the really nasty side of his nature except for one scene. Nickey makes one serious mistake for a holdup guy - driving your own car to robberies and then blowing its unique sounding horn.

This film has Alice singing only one number. Besides the opening production number there is another big costumed production number towards the middle of the film also staged at "The Pirates Den". The supporting roles are played well here too. There are a couple of older ladies that live across the alley from Sheba and her father that are always gossiping, and the part of Sheba's poor but loving father is played with heart by Richard Carlyle. Recommended for fans of early talkie fare if it ever crosses your path. In the 16 years I've been watching Turner Classic Movies I don't recall it ever being aired there.

Bubbly blonde Alice White (as Sheba Miller) enjoys an evening out at "The Pirates Den", an expensive nightclub. Her boyfriend William Bakewell (as Jack), a soda jerk making only $35 per week, thinks the place is out of their price range and wants to leave. On the way out, Ms. White enters the club's "pageant of the knees" contest and is judged by suave Chester Morris (as Nickey Solomon) to have the prettiest legs. Named "Queen of the Den," White sings "You Learn About Love Every Day" and arouses Mr. Morris. His friends advise White is a "no," but Morris considers her a possibility. White loves her childhood sweetheart, but is drawn to Morris' fancy lifestyle. White doesn't know it, but Morris has a secret she may not like...

This is a fairly typical plot, but the production turns out to be engaging. The popular elements of early talking pictures fall into place, with nightclub providing a natural site for musical numbers. The acrobatic blonde and other young women are an attractive diversion. Sounds of the city are natural, with Morris' car horn providing a focal point which fits neatly into the plot. The story, from writers Vina Delmar and Frances Nordstrom, is not extraordinary – however, secondary cultural characters and situations help keep it lively. The performances are theatrical, which fits the presentation as "Playing Around" is staged nicely by director Mervyn LeRoy and photographer Sol Polito; their lighting and tracking of sets a highlight.

****** Playing Around (1/19/30) Mervyn LeRoy ~ Alice White, Chester Morris, William Bakewell, Richard Carlyle

Soda jerk William Bakewell (Jack) works at a drugstore managed by Richard Carlyle (Pa) who has a daughter Alice White (Sheba). Alice and William are dating and the film starts in a swanky nightclub where poor William can't afford anything. Alice enters a 'best legs' competition on stage and is noticed by popular customer Chester Morris (Nickey). Oh dear, this doesn't bode well for poor William. Chester pursues Alice and we gradually realize that Chester isn't such a nice guy.

The musical numbers are entertaining in this film - there are three - and this adds to the film's enjoyment. The cast are ok, if slightly wooden, and you will have to sit through a couple of scenes with some irritating dialogue between 2 nosey neighbours. Those scenes could have been cut. The story is easy to follow, a little nonsensical at times, but it's a fun film to watch. Chester Morris reminds me of Ray Liotta.