Going Places

This pre-war comedy of impersonation and manners at a race course is amusing. Watching Louis Armstrong and hearing him sing the old standard, "Jeepers Creepers," makes the movie. Hollywood's casual acceptance of racial bias and denigration of blacks is cooly reflected by two race track gamblers addressing Armstrong as "Uncle Tom" when they meet him.

Powell is a sporting goods salesman who goes out to the track using a well known jockey's name trying to drum up business for their sporting goods by using and wearing those goods. But the imitation is too good. Anita Louise is the niece of a rich uncle who owns a stable of racehorses, and at first wants Powell to ride the wild horse, "Jeepers Creepers" in the Steeple chase, but then changes her mind and wants him to ride her own fast but tame horse, Lady Ellen. Powell's problem is that he takes a shine to the girl and just can't say no, but he is NOT a jockey! For the girl's sake he doesn't want to lose the race nor does he want to make a fool of himself and get trampled in the process. Louis Armstrong is the groom who can only calm the wild horse by playing "Jeepers Creepers" on his trumpet. Allan Jenkins is a gangster-type who has this inside information on the horse and is leaning on Powell to throw the race AND ride the wild horse, NOT the tamer fast horse Anita Louise wants Powell to ride. How will this turn out? Watch and find out, but first make a pot of coffee. It's a snoozer folks.

On the positive side, there are some great tunes and Powell's charm and voice are usually enough to carry almost any film through. Plus there is the great Satchmo singing "Jeepers Creepers". However, the plot, point by point, is just so inane yet boring. Ray Enright directed this film, and I've noticed that he directed more than his share of dogs over at WB. I'm not sure if Warner Brothers gave Ray the dogs to direct because he was Ray Enright, or if the films were dogs because of the way he directed them. Let's just say that Ray Enright as director in the credit is usually not the mark of quality.

My recommendation - if you are a Dick Powell completist and can keep your attention focused on Powell, his antics, and his singing, this is probably going to at least keep you awake. Otherwise, have it on hand if you ever have a severe case of insomnia, because "Going Places" is a film that goes nowhere.

GOING PLACES is a slight comedy about horse racing that features a terrific cast of supporting players, many of them like Walter Catlett and Thurston Hall some of the best characters actors ever seen on screen. Powell, in his pre-hardboiled detective days, plays a store clerk who poses as a jockey for promotional reasons among the horse set in Maryland. Catlett is his co-worker who poses as his valet. Much identify confusion and merriment ensue, with several musical interludes, the most memorable being Mr. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong debuting the classic number, JEEPERS CREEPERS, which in the movie is the name of a cantankerous race horse the horse-shy Powell ends up riding. This sort of film and in some cases the exact same plot had been done before and would be done again many times, with better known names like Bob Hope, Abbott and Costello and The Marx Brothers. Horse racing was at its most popular in the 1930s and '40s, only to quickly decline in the TV era. The highlight of the movie is an amusing musical number called "Charlie the Horse" sung in four-part harmony by Powell, Catlett and two silly thugs who are pushing the horse-hating Powell to race. It may remind some of something out of GUYS AND DOLLS.

GOING PLACES (Warner Brothers, 1938), directed by Ray Enright, capitalizes on the then current trend of horse racing stories, the most famous of the time being MGM's A DAY AT THE RACES and SARATOGA (both 1937), and 20th Century-Fox's KENTUCKY (1938), among others. The writers of GOING PLACES bring a more modern approach to an oft-filmed story based on the William Collier play, "The Hottentot," previously lensed as a silent in 1923, an early talkie in 1929, and again as POLO JOE (1936) with Joe E. Brown. Starring Dick Powell in his third of four comedies with occasional songs produced during the 1938-39 period, this ranks the best and funniest of the four in many ways. First it presents Powell as likable leading man, as he had been for quite some time, and secondly, unlike his earlier effort in THE COWBOY FROM BROOKLYN (1938), Powell shows his fine flare for comedy. As with COWBOY FROM BROOKLYN, his character is also afraid of horses, but in GOING PLACES, it doesn't come out as silly and/ or forced. GOING PLACES is given fine support from Anita Louise, a very attractive blonde co-star, along with some fine character actors, Allen Jenkins and Harold Huber, and especially Walter Catlett, whose presence and comedic timing in confusion is most welcome here.

As for the story, Powell plays Peter Mason, a sporting goods salesman at Detridge & Frome, with Franklin Dexter (Catlett) as his fellow assistant. Because Peter feels that not being able to sell their sporting goods is hurting business, he goes to Walter Frome (Robert Warwick), president of the company about this situation, and it is suggested that the store should advertise in order to improve sales and send someone to the Maryland steeple chase to demonstrate the horse riding outfits. Unable to get Peter Randall, the best gentleman rider in the world now vacationing in Australia, to do the demonstrating (and since the company has the rights to his name in advertising), it is suggested that Peter stand in and pose as Randall, with Dexter acting as his valet. Peter and Dexter then drive over to Maryland with a stock of sporting goods as an advertising stunt. Arriving at the hotel there, Peter makes the acquaintance a couple of Peter Randall fans, Cora Withering (Minna Gombell), and her beautiful niece, Ellen Parker (Anita Louise), who both know of the famous Peter Randall, but don't know of his physical appearance. Because of this pretense, Peter finds himself talked into riding Ellen's horse, Jeepers Creepers, in an upcoming race, causing Peter, who is terribly afraid of horses, to get the creepers. Along the way, Peter and Dexter encounter of race track gamblers down on their luck, Maxie (Harold Huber) and Droopy (Allen Jenkins), who insist that Peter ride in the race so they can collect on the winnings.

Featured in the supporting cast are: Ronald Reagan as Jack Withering; Larry Williams as Frank Kendall; Thurston Hall as Colonel Harvey Withering; Joyce Compton as Jean; Eddie Anderson as George; Louie Armstrong as Gabriel; and Maxine Sullivan as a maid and specialty singer.

With the music and lyrics by Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer, the songs are as follows: "Jeepers Creepers" (sung by Louis Armstrong); "Say It With a Kiss" (very briefly sung by Dick Powell on the piano/ possibly a deleted song or number); "Oh, What a Horse Was Charley" (sung by Dick Powell, Walter Catlett, Allen Jenkins and Harold Huber); and "Mutiny in the Nursery" (sung by Louie Armstrong, Dick Powell, Anita Louise, Maxine Sullivan and others). Of the four tunes, only "Jeepers Creepers" remains the most memorable, being honored for an Academy Award as Best Song for 1939, losing to "Over the Rainbow" from THE WIZARD OF OZ (MGM). The "Oh, What a Horse Was Charley" segment is quite amusing, in which Powell tries to prove to Jenkins and Huber that he is only a composer, not the famous horse rider. In order to convince them, Powell, along with Catlett, make up the words to his new composition, ending with all four men participating in the song with their own "made up" lyrics, ending with Huber and Jenkins playing horsey and galloping out of the hotel room. "Mutiny in the Nursery" is a catchy but not-to-memorable jive number featuring nursery rhymes, including "Little Bo-Peep" to the lyrics.

In spite of some of its shortcomings, GOING PLACES is highlighted with several funny sequences, including two segments where Powell rides Jeepers Creepers, first accidentally landing on the horse's back by falling from the top of the barn, going about the country road minus a saddle, giving the people the impression of what a great rider he is while all along he is quite fearful and wants to get off. The climatic race is equally funny when Powell, Jockey # 13, rides Jeepers Creepers only to have the horse run off the track and around town, rushing through the back yards of residences and laundry lines, followed by the overly familiar routine where the horse runs through the ditch, causing the ditch-diggers to flop out one by one. With the help of the bugle playing Louie Armstrong and his musician friends, orchestrating to the tune "Jeepers Creepers," does the wild horse tame itself and return to the track where it belongs. Many of the comic gags presented here are standard and typical for the likes of such comedians as the Marx Brothers (A DAY AT THE RACES, 1937) or Abbott and Costello (IT AIN'T HAY, 1943), but in watching Powell doing the same makes GOING PLACES, which can be seen on cable television's Turner Classic Movies, both interesting viewing at 84 minutes, as well as a real curio. (***)

Forget the silly plot - watch this for the wonderful music, including Jeepers Creepers, and the incredible Mutiny in the Nursery featuring Louis Armstrong (who has a major acting role), Maxine Sullivan, and the Dandridge Sisters (including a teenaged Dorothy).

One wonders if the thugs, Allen Jenkins and Harold Huber, singing Oh What a Horse was Charley Til He Got a Charley Horse, was any kind of inspiration for the singing thugs in Kiss Me, Kate.

The plot - well, as an advertising stunt, Dick Powell impersonates a famous horseman, Peter Randall, falls in love with Anita Louise, and ends up jockeying Jeepers Creepers who only responds to the song. The race has to be seen to be believed. And even then, you won't believe it.

See it for the musical numbers.