Naughty But Nice

I don't place comments on most of the movies I watch (and I am a major film buff, particularly the classics of the late 30's, 40's and 50's, but I felt it necessary here as most of the comments are based on viewers with a Dick Powell focus. Powell's heyday was a little prior the timeframe of my expertise so I am not commenting upon those comments, however, Ann Sheridan is one of the most underrated actresses in film and she is outstanding in this, not to mention gorgeous. The movie is more entertaining than Powell's fans have let on with the final third of the movie quite entertaining for anyone. The increasing frustration of Powell's collegiate colleagues culminating in breaking a tree limb is well done. The scene prior to the court trial with Sheridan slapping everyone repeatedly in the producer's office is outstanding and a "must see" for film fans.

"Naughty But Nice" is a pleasant Dick Powell musical comedy--more enjoyable than many of his other 30s films. He plays Professor Hardwick, a very straight-laced guy who likes writing classical- style music. However, when he accidentally gets drunk, he becomes a bit of a wild man and ends up giving in to his hidden inner urge to write dreaded swing music! Later, after the Hudson Music company publishes one of his songs, they learn it might be plagiarized and sue him.

This is a very slight movie that never takes itself seriously and has a nice sense of humor. My only complaint is that Ann Sheridan is featured first in the credits but it's more a Dick Powell film. In fact, Gale Page is more prominent in the film but comes third-- and this must be some sort of testament to the sudden star power of Sheridan. If you do watch, you'll also see Ronald Reagan in one of his earliest roles in support.

By 1939, movie audiences were well acquainted with Dick Powell's singing talents. The absence of Powell's crooning in "Naughty But Nice" (NBN) probably wasn't a disappointment to movie-goers, and they were likely amused by his performance, which was against type. Theater audiences in 1939 wouldn't have expected Powell's character, uptight college professor and composer Donald Hardwick, to put in a singing performance in this film.

Don't miss the scene early in NBN that takes place in the dining room of the Hardwick home, as Donald's aunts reveal why they haven't spoken with their sister in years. Listen closely to the dialogue as they reveal the story of the brash musician she married, his instrument of choice, his nickname, and the title of the last song he performed before his untimely death. That dialogue had to have spawned at least a few laughs in theaters in 1939.

As a Dick Powell fan, the premise of this picture sounded great: a college music professor, despite his disapproval of "swing" music, ends up becoming the best-selling composer on the pop hit parade. The comic opportunities in this scenario, not to mention Powell's mellifluous singing voice, are needlessly squandered however--no doubt this movie disappointed Powell's fans back in '39 as much as it did this viewer in 2001.

The story promises great things and delivers on none of them:

Powell writes hit songs with a beautiful lyricist, but we never see them working together. Powell never even sings in this picture, despite 5 new songs by the same team (Johnny Mercer & Harry Warren) who gave us "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" which Powell crooned to Olivia de Havilland in the previous year's "Hard to Get".

They don't even let Dick Powell BE Dick Powell: he plays a nerdy guy lacking in social grace and appeal--and two women vie for his attention. Granted, Powell plays a convincing, somewhat lovable "four-eyed" geek, but the plot keeps hinting that, with a few potent "lemonades", he's a dancing dynamo and the life of the party! But everytime he heads out to the dance floor to strut his stuff there's a fade out and we only find out what a blast he had the night before from an item in the newspaper.

What great fun it might have been if the college prof learned to sing, swing and love. But he stays a nerd, writes hit tunes reluctantly and ends up with the girl formulaically without a spark between them. [Sigh...]

Professor Donald Hardwick (Dick Powell) only teaches about "serious music" even though his students are crazy for swing. While in New York he decides to stop by and see his aunt Martha (Helen Broderick) even though his other three aunts are outraged by the idea because years ago, when young, she eloped with a saxophone player. They consider this to be a scandal.

While visiting, Hardwick visits a music publisher and plays one of the songs he has written, which the publisher buys. Bu Hardwick is horrified when he hears his song as it has been reworked by the publisher into "Hooray for Spinach!" as a popular rather than classical song. This gets Hardwicke caught up in the music publishing industry with people who are shrewder than he and ultimately ends up in court with Hardwick falsely accused of plagiarizing the music of an early 20th century composer.

This was passable entertainment, and not as inane as most production code B comedy films from Warner Brothers in the 1930s. On the plus side, you have veteran comedienne Zasu Pitts as one of Dick Powell's aunts and Ann Sheridan as a conniving chanteuse early in her career. Because it IS early in her career, Gale Page is the love interest for Powell's character in this one, and unfortunately she just doesn't leave much of an impression. Allen Jenkins, usually a sign that a low-brow extravaganza is going to ensue, doesn't do that much damage here but instead does something that makes his character out to be not only an ignoramus, but a real heel to boot. And what's worse the plot has him paying no price for his behavior. I'm being intentionally vague here.

Dick Powell started his film career in 1932 with the WB hit "Blessed Event" where he played radio star Bunny Harmon as a practically mute character other than for his singing. All through his seven years at Warner Brothers, the studio leaned in on Powell's singing ability and put him in light musical properties. This, his last film at Warner Brothers, was no exception and caused him to leave the studio in search of more serious roles that he probably correctly assumed that he would never get at WB.