Fashion Model

Fashion Model feels like an adaptation of a play--a very poorly written farce. Released in 1945, this B&W film has almost no plot. It is merely a series of gags, most of which fall flat.

It is as sophisticated as a Bugs Bunny cartoon, but was probably meant to be a madcap romp. At various times, it reminded me of an episode of the Superman TV show. Jimmy and Peggy reminded me of Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane with their "Aw Shucks" and "Jeepers" approach to acting.

The movie might have worked if they had Groucho Marx out front, or Laurel & Hardy. Then the core of the movie might have been funny or clever.

Unconvincing acting and horrible dialogue plague this film. The police are depicted as stupid--so stupid that, again, it feels cartoonish. Time spent watching this film could be better spent.

The gorgeous Marjorie Weaver is the star in this movie. Arguably, the most underappreciated actress Hollywood ever had. Her adorable Kentucky accent and her fun personality. Will win you over every time. This is a light "who done it". The movie moves along briskly with lots of suspense and humor. You'll think you have the bad guy figured out, but you probably don't. A little biased because I'm a massive Marjorie Weaver fan. I try to get every DVD she's ever made. This is a good comedy with plenty of funny bits. You will not be bored but be prepared to fall in love with Marjorie Weaver. Why she never became a big star I will never understand.

"Fashion Model" is a terrible old B-mystery. Even by the relatively low standards of such films, this one is very hard to watch--and it's certainly no surprise that the folks starring in this one never went on to become big stars!

The film is set in a fashionable dress shop--the type that would have models display the clothing for customers. When one of the models is murdered, two total idiots, Jimmy and Peggy, are implicated. Stupidly, pretty much EVERYTHING the pair subsequently do makes them look even more guilty. A lot of these things are supposed to be funny but they are painfully unfunny due to extremely broad acting and writing. The escape from the police and wedding gown scenes are particularly bad, as they rely on everyone around the pair to be stupider than tomatoes in order for their cockeyed plans to work! Again and again, the writer assumed the best way to handle everything was to dumb down the script--to such a low and silly level that the film becomes unwatchably bad. Additionally, the movie is filled with clichés, unlikable characters and all the charm and fun of a dead possum.

Marjorie Weaver and Robert Lowery star in "Fashion Model," a 1945 comedy of the sledgehammer variety. When models at Madam Celeste's Fashion House start showing up dead, a stock boy, Jimmy (Lowery) is a chief suspect. His girlfriend, who is also a model, Peggy (Weaver) wants to help clear him. The two work together to find the killer.

Actually, this isn't a bad comedy. It has some really funny bits, but they're done too over the top. In the hands of someone like Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea, for instance, and directed by Leo McCary, this might have been a classic. It comes off as silly and overdone.

Weaver is a great example of this. Her character is supposed to be quirky, so rather than Peggy BEING quirky, she instead puts it on. It's not such a subtle difference when you watch it.

The best part is the two trying to escape the fashion house wearing bridal attire and getting caught in the window with the drunk, nearsighted window dresser.

Could have been better, but then, these films were made over a few days.

A stock boy (Robert Lowery) is suspected of three murders connected to the dressmaking establishment known as Madame Celeste's fashion house where he works. With the help of his girlfriend model (Marjorie Weaver)he is determined to find the real murderer ...

The suspects: Mr. Davis, Yvonne's older wealthy boyfriend; and snobbish and condescending customer Jessica Van Allen and her henpecked husband Harvey Van Allen, the last two customers in the store before closing when Yvonne was murdered. All the models detest Mrs. Van Allen, who they criticized to her face on that last visit.

Fashion model has the usual thick detectives, amateur detectives and the wisecracks found in a comedy mystery of this era - it's sort of generic, but fairly entertaining with good performances and I liked Jessica Van Allen and her henpecked husband; the identity of the killer came as a surprise.