This Way Please

THIS WAY PLEASE (Paramount, 1937), directed by Robert Florey, is an enjoyable little "B" musical noted for its introduction of the radio voices of Mary Livingston (Mrs. Jack Benny), James and Marian Jordan (as Fibber McGee and Molly of Wistful Vista) to the silver screen. Top-billing goes to Charles "Buddy" Rogers, a popular singer in the early days of Paramount musicals, making a possible comeback attempt to recapture those glory days, but in the long run, he is overshadowed by an up-and-coming Betty Grable, only three years away from her achieving popularity with those lighthearted Technicolor musicals for 20th Century-Fox during the World War II years beginning with DOWN ARGENTINE WAY (1940).

As for the storyline, Betty Grable plays Jane Morrow, a young girl who applies for a job as a theater usherette, hoping to someday get her big chance performing on the stage. She encounters Brad W. Morgan (Charles "Buddy" Rogers), a matinée idol and singer who is master of ceremonies at the local first run movie house. After taking an interest in her, Brad arranges in giving her a chance with an audition, and in the long run, she attracts much attention while Brad starts to lose his credibility. After Jane becomes engaged to marry Stu Randall (Lee Bowman), with a big wedding ceremony arranged to take place at the movie theater, it will be up to Brad to try to break into the theater to claim her.

The musical program features: "This Way Please?/ "Delighted to Meet You" (sung by chorus during opening credits); "This Way Please?" (voiced by Buddy Rogers on a record); "Is It Love or Infatuation?" (sung by Buddy Rogers and chorus); "Delighted to Meet You" (sung and tap danced by Betty Grable); "What This Country Needs is Voom-Boom" (sung and performed in comedic style by Romo Vincent, Jerry Bergen and Wally Vernon as Trumps, Bumps and Mumps); "This Way Please?"/ "Delighted to Meet You" (sung by Mary Livingston); "I'm the Sound Effects Man" (sung by Rufe Davis) and "Is It Love or Infatation? (instrumental during wedding ceremony). While this is a 1930s musical, much of the score, especially "Is It Love or Infatuation" (the big song plug here, particularly one big scene when there are multiple Betty Grable images on the movie screen within a movie screen to help promote her) plays at a slower tempo, giving the impression that this is a 1940s musical during the big band era.

The supporting cast includes Porter Hall as S.J. Crawford, the theater manager; Cecil Cunningham as Mrs. Eberhart, his secretary; and unbuckled, Akim Tamiroff seen briefly as a tartar chieftain on the movie screen in the theater; and James Finlayson, a familiar character actor who frequently co-starred in numerous Laurel and Hardy comedies for Hal Roach in the 1930s, appearing as Jim O'Toole, a policeman who is to give Fibber McGee and Molly a ticket for illegally parking their car where it shouldn't be, only to find himself agreeing to let them park on that spot with him minding the car, thanks to Molly. And speaking of character actors, there is Ned Sparks, in his usual droll manner, playing as "Inky" Welles, the "love interest" to Maxine (Mary Livingston), the head usherette, who wants to marry him. Classic television fans will be quick to take notice and recognize Rufe Davis (Floyd Smoot, the train engineer, from the 1960s TV sitcom, PETTICOAT JUNCTION starring Bea Benadaret and Edgar Buchanan), making his movie debut as a radio technician encouraged by Mr. Crawford to sing in front of an open mike, "I'm the Sound Effects Man," and true to his word, comes up with more sound-effect noises, ranging from duck sounds, dog fights, cows and factory whistles, plus much, much more.

While THIS WAY PLEASE is no cinematic masterpiece, this "B" musical-comedy, which runs at a swift 72 minutes, is a cinematic boost to the career of the very young Betty Grable. On a final note, the radio personalities of Fibber McGee and Molly would reappear in several likable comedies in the early 1940s for RKO Radio. Other than their one liner exchanges throughout the movie (Molly: "McGee, a man winked at me." McGee: "Ah, we all make mistakes"), the one thing that certainly stands out is Molly's contagious laugher. (**1/2)

Betty Grable (Jane) is looking for a job as a chorus girl but accidently lands a job as an usherette when Lee Bowman hires her at a theatre run by Porter Hall (SJ). The theatre shows films and has a popular singer Charles 'Buddy' Rogers (Brad) who introduces each show with a song. Betty and Buddy meet and you can guess what happens. Betty ditches the usherette role and starts singing at the performances and marriage is in the air.

It's not an interesting storyline. It's not an interesting film. It's also got an annoying cast with too many comedy characters that aren't funny - here is a role call of them: publicity man Ned Sparks (Inky) whose deadpan deliveries only hit the mark and made me laugh on one occasion, Jim & Marian Jordan (Fibber & Molly) who play a couple holidaying with a caravan trailer and they did the opposite of humour called annoyance, a trio of idiots called Mumps, Bumps and Trumps who get too much screen time being unfunny delivering spoken word singing that isn't lyrically clever or interesting and certainly not tuneful, and what the hell is Rufe Davis (sound effects guy) doing? Dire!! Mary Livingstone (Maxine) is Betty's best pal and is yet another comedy character - she's not too bad but she's never really funny either.

As this is a musical, the actual music needs a mention. One word. Terrible. Completely forgetful songs and uninterestingly performed. There is also a lack of dance routines which is what I was looking out for.

The reason I have marked this film so high (a 3 out of 10) is because of Betty Grable and her only dance routine even though it is grainy due to the poor quality of the film. The other memorable sequence comes at the film's beginning with the marching usherettes as we see them rehearse a busby Berkely style formation. This film had so much potential but ended up a let-down.

One of the few Betty Grable's movies of the Thirties in which she's featured prominently, "This Way Please" offers one song and one tap dance number from the great Betty Grable. Both are very good, especially the dance sequence done with energy and precision. Her famous legs were not just shapely but extremely dynamic too and efficient at dancing, dancing anything. And, contrary to what many people, Betty Grable herself, often said, that woman can act! She proves it in that movie. Of course, the plot is lightweight, but Betty Grable sparkles so, that, combined with some efficient acting, she makes her performance in the film very enjoyable.

All the rest of the cast is great too beginning with Ned Sparks. That man is funny all the way just with the sound of his voice and his non verbal actions. He really steals the show. Mary Livingston proves that she's not just Mrs Jack Benny in a very sympathetic and a kind of unusual realistic role for a musical. Fibber McGee is good but cannot stand besides his wife, Molly, both radio personalities of the time. SHE is so at ease on-screen and so funny while doing all those voices in one sequence that poor Fibber has not a ghost of a chance to stand out. Charles "Buddy" Rogers is effective in his role, good-looking enough to be a leading-man, light enough to play in a musical, good enough to act when it is required in that lightweight film. Very believable in a matinée-idol and he does a really nice-looking couple with Betty Grable! As for Lee Bowman, he has the handsome good looks and talent to be more featured than he is here but, in that film in particular, somehow, his part shifts from austere to the complete opposite during the film! That's weird. Even his infatuation for the Betty Grable character cannot explain such a change in his part's personality! The musical numbers are all well executed and the acting from everybody is very good. As for the script, it's not original (think of any other backstage musical of that era...) but, with such a talented cast and without being too fussy on that department, we forget easily that fact.

See it, it's a surprisingly good and entertaining film.