Annabel Takes a Tour

"Wonder Pictures" movie star Lucille Ball (as Annabel Allison) feels her career is in trouble after rival Francis Mercer (as Natalie Preston) eclipses her in popularity and becomes engaged to a nobleman. In spite of his mishandling her publicity in the recently released "The Affairs of Annabel" (1938), Ms. Ball insists publicist Jack Oakie (as Lanny Morgan) be rehired. Ball and Mr. Oakie go on a "Good Will Tour" to promote her new movie. This entry continues Ball's romantic interest in Oakie, which came out of nowhere in the earlier film, and adds courtly Ralph Forbes (as Ronald River-Clyde) to the mix...

Odd as it seems, Ball's dramatic movie characterizations were better than her comic roles during 1930s and 1940s. Her delivery is often very abrasive, and she sometimes seems like she might hurt one of the other actors, or herself; the "Lucy" character she developed on radio (1948) and television (1951) was more finely tuned. This was the second, and last, film in the "Annabel" series. The first one was better, with the time "Annabel" spent as maid to a family being most appealing. Here, hotel manicurist Alice White (as Marcella) is very funny, and grown-up Wesley Barry looks good in a walk on role.

**** Annabel Takes a Tour (11/11/38) Lew Landers ~ Lucille Ball, Jack Oakie, Ralph Forbes, Alice White

Movie star Annabel Allison (Lucille Ball) is frustrated with her publicity being overshadowed. She runs into Lanny Morgan (Jack Oakie) again who is working for a horse. When the horse overshadows Annabel, she gets Lanny rehired again. He organizes a train trip to Chicago to promote her latest film. She fails to get the front page even after falling through a trap door.

This is a sequel. Somehow, I like her a little less in this one. She is a little higher maintenance. There is one scene of physical comedy during the dance. It's the style she excels at most. The ending is abrupt. I get the idea but a comedy should probably end more traditionally. This is a little less fun. The first one has a high concept comedy situation. This one is simply a little less.

Serious film nuts are out there. I get mail from waves of them every day as I run in the dark, stepping on feet with my comments.

There seem to be two kinds of zealots: those attached to genres and archetypes and those attached to specific people, actors and directors.

I usually blow off the email about actors. Usually actors don't have much to do with the movies they are in, and when they do it is because they coordinate their intent with that of the filmmaker. And except for a short list, most actors — like their brethren politicians — are just dull, empty people.

But I feel differently about actors in the 30s and 40s. Some of them. Those of interest just happened to be there when movies settled down after the great confusions: sound, color, the code, and the great quest of movies to define themselves.

If you want to understand your imagination, you need to follow the grooves in film. And to do that you need to see the family tree of genres, and that is only found in 30s and 40s films. The genres, naturally enough, co-evolved with certain film archetypes, and most of those were invented by actors.

Some of these actors are forgotten while their character type remains: Edna May Oliver. Some have become icons themselves, like Jimmy Stewart. Lucille Ball is worth following.

Any of these icons is worth seeing in their early work when they play characters who are actors. In this case, Lucille is an actress trying to establish an identity (which she did eventually and wonderfully) playing an actress doing the same thing. Oakie plays all the dumb jokes, so is usually that attentiongetter in the Annabel films.

But take a look at this woman. She said she wasn't funny but brave. You can see that. You can also see that she invented her walk after losing that ability because of sickness. And you can already see how she engineers her fake eyebrows after losing those. Her face isn't a funny one, but she makes it so with her mouth and eyes and those eyes are inherently comic, but painted on.

You can also see her — or rather her character — working out how to pair with the type that became Ethyl Merman.

This was in the day when she was a brunette.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Tired sequel to the uninspired Affairs of Annabel. It's more of the same with publicity agent Jack Oakie getting movie star Lucille Ball into wild stunts for the sake of publicity. All of the problems with the last movie are still here. Oakie is still annoying and not very funny. Lucy plays a smart woman who seems to lose all of her sense when Oakie suggests one of his stupid ideas. The movie starts off with Lucy demanding the studio head hire back Oakie, who was apparently fired between the first movie and this one. She keeps saying how he gets her good publicity, which contradicts the first movie. Then, almost as soon as he's hired back, she starts complaining about his schemes. The few positives of the last movie are still here, as well. Lucy is lovely to look at and she tries to make the most of the weak material. The supporting cast is an asset, including the great Donald MacBride. Lucy fans will enjoy this more than most. There aren't many laughs to be had but the likable cast makes it watchable.

Jack Oakie and Lucille Ball are no Lucy and Desi, to be sure. But Jack Oakie evokes laughter without effort. This one is full of further hi-jinx of the ne'er do well starlet and her insane publicity man. Not great movies, but all of the Annabel flix are worthwhile watches because they are good, clean, honest fun. Oakie did others on his own for RKO, some of which are good ONLY because he's there. He did his share of clunkers, and sometimes he appears in films with material that I personally find objectionable. But on the whole, he's one of the funniest characters in film ( and good with drama !!). Obviously Lucy cut her comedic teeth in these films. She can only steal a scene from Oakie by taking pratfalls or by being the butt of jokes. I dig Oakie, Lucy, and the "Annabel" films.