Playing Around

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

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.

Nobody would describe this as a good film but it's actually quite entertaining and fun. What makes it so watchable is that gorgeous, cuddly bundle of joy, that proto-Marilyn Monroe, Alice White.

Like many pictures made in 1929, it looks like a silent film; its exaggerated movements and facial expressions are pure silent cinema. But this has got sound, lots of sound and apart from the stilted vocal delivery (due to poor equipment, not poor acting) it's used to great effect in enhancing the mood and feel of a time even before the Depression. Although this is horribly handicapped by being made using Warner's unwieldy Vitaphone system - which was obsolete as soon as it was invented, Mervyn LeRoy works wonders with the hand he's been dealt. These very early Vitaphone pictures were hampered by the sound recording to often be confined to a static studio set but visually this one is quite impressive with some great cinematography. In terms of storytelling, LeRoy pulls a rabbit out of the bag by making it compelling and honestly quite exciting. It is better than you'd expect because of its decent story and decent director. If you compare his innovative style with that of Edward Cline who made the atrocious SWEET MAMA, again with the lovely Alice White a few months after this, you will understand why Mervyn LeRoy is still remembered today.

The story, which is by Vina Delmar is simple but engrossing - somehow completely unrealistic yet also believable. What's it about: blonde bimbo ditches her dull, dumb idiot boyfriend for a slick, smooth creep whom to everyone but her, is obviously some sort of minor gangster. It's a cracking little plot and I honestly did not see the plot twist coming - I was genuinely surprised! The dialogue is silly but it isn't meant to be taken that seriously, it's delivered straight but it's all very tongue in cheek and works keeping everything light-hearted but still conveying the daft but enjoyable story.

Most people will watch this because of Alice White, lovely Alice White! She might have been a pretty awful actress but she's so adorable that you instantly forgive her lack of talent. Like Marilyn Monroe did twenty years later, she invented a character and became that role: Alice White was created by Alice White because that's what the movies wanted at that point in time. She had never even planned to become an actress; she was a slightly chubby, dark-haired script girl working for Charlie Chaplin with a nick name of Peter Rabbit then one day a cameraman suggested she put on a blonde wig and 'pout like a movie star' to test his equipment. From that moment, Alva White became Alice White. In this picture she really plays up to that dizzy blonde caricature of herself. Obviously she would never win any Oscars but in this one she does put some effort into proper acting and it's considered to be one of her best films.

Inexplicably Alice While isn't to everyone's taste but if she is, this is a must for you. Some of you may find her wide-eyed cuteness and sweet little girl voice unbearable but if you do you clearly are a loathsome spotted reptile with no soul.

If you're looking for a subtle film, then I suggest you not watch "Playing Around". It has a very heavy-handed moralistic plot and it practically bashes you over the head with its message.

When the film begins, Jack (William Bakewell) takes his date, Sheba (Alice White), to a night club. But he's shocked at the prices and can't possibly afford the place on his salary...which is understandable. What isn't understandable is the drip, Jack, insisting they just go home. Not surprisingly, Sheba is NOT happy about this and a fast-talking playboy, Nicky (Chester Morris) notices...and swoops in to impress the pretty lady. Soon Nicky and Sheba are dating...but trouble looms as Nicky is a cheap crook...and ends up shooting Sheba's father!!! It's the most insane of coincidences, that's for sure!

The coincidence is bad enough...but the film is so obvious and amateurishly written that I won't recommend you watch it. Not a terrible film exactly...but far from a good one! It's a shame as I usually love Chester Morris films.

The moral of the story is its theme song, "We Learn About Love Every Day." The title of the movie is PLAYING AROUND (First National Pictures, 1930), directed by Mervyn Leroy, and starring the young, blonde, pert and sassy Alice White in one of her several leading roles for the studio during the late silent/early talkie era (1927-1931). Being the studio's answer to Paramount's Clara Bow, White didn't have much of a cult following as the legendary "It" Girl, however, whatever films that have survived, PLAYING AROUND is a prime example of White's screen character, as adapted from the story, "Sheba" by Vina Delmar, and based on the play, "Playing Around" by Frances Nordstrom and Adele Commandini.

Following a fade-in resembling a pirate movie leading to a production number, the story gets underway with the introduction to its basic characters and how they meet. Set in New York, the story opens in the exclusive Pirates Den restaurant where patron Nicky Soloman (Chester Morris) dines with his male friends. Moments later, Sheba Miller (Alice White), a free-spirited blonde, is escorted by Jack (William Bakewell), her steady boyfriend from her childhood days. After being seated, Jack, with only five dollars in his pocket, finds that after going over the menu, the only thing he can afford is butter milk for 40 cents. Before leaving for a movie, a contest, "Pagent of the Knees" is to take place with Nicky, acting as judge, is to pick out the girl walking cross the stage behind a half-way curtain, with the best looking legs. Of the parade of girls, Nicky chooses Sheba, who not only wins the prize cup, but a free dinner. Feeling awkward about being the center of attention, Jack talks Sheba into leaving. Before the night is over, Nicky, very much interested with the blonde, makes attempts by impressing her, especially by driving his expensive roadster in front of her residence where she lives with her middle-aged father (Richard Carlyle). It would be a matter of time before Sheba begins ignoring her soda-jerking boyfriend making $35 a week for the exciting Nicky, with whom she goes with during the late night hours of fun. Sheba, a working office girl by day, becomes the topic of gossip by a couple of nosy neighbors (Ann Brody and Nellie V. Nichols) while her father, manager of a cigar store across town, wants very much to meet the man she intends to marry. Before the meeting is to take place, Nicky learns the man he robbed and shot earlier that evening happens to be her father. As Sheba gets to learn more about love every day, she needs to get to learn more about the sort of guy she's been dating.

As with many early talkies, song interludes are incorporated into the story. With music and lyrics credited to Sammy Stept and Buddy Green, songs include: "You're My Captain Kid," "We Learn About Love Every Day" (sung by Alice White); "That's the Low-down on the Low-down" and "We Learn About Love Every Day"

Though the story could hardly be considered fresh and original in 1930, PLAYING AROUND, under Leroy's capable direction, keeps the pace moving, especially when Alice White's character is playing around. Co-star Chester Morris, playing a questionable character, is smooth and quick thinking, a sure reason why any woman would choose him over some nerdy boyfriend (William Bakewell) on a tight budget. Bakewell's characterization becomes annoying at times, which makes one wish his role was awarded to someone in the class of Arthur Lake (Dagwood Bumstead in the "Blondie" film series a decade later), who would have played well as the rejected suitor that could meet with the approval from its movie audience for Lake's ability for intentional humor and conviction. One interesting distinction that gives PLAYING AROUND a sense of originality is the two minute recap of the 66 minute plot recaptured through scenes in song to "We Learn About Love Every Day" by off-screen male vocalist following the THE END title, with nice earful listening to old-style twenties orchestration. Marion Byron, who co-stars as loyal friend and co-worker, Maude, provides a touch of in-humor where she invites Sheba to the movies to see a film starring Al Jolson, "All talking, all singing, all weeping." Could she be making reference to his recent release of SAY IT WITH SONGS (1929)?

For all its worth, PLAYING AROUND may be a movie with the roaring twenties feel to it, and very vintage, but regardless of its age featuring flapper beauties, it's still interesting as well as entertaining. Though it doesn't play very often, it can still be found on the cable TV channel of rarely seen oldies on Turner Classic Movies, especially those starring Alice White where being a naughty flirt and playing around happens to be her livelihood as she learns more about love every day. (** roadsters)