Le roi des reporters

Scrambled comedy more interesting for some of its players than anything else. There's sort of a plot, but its more thrown together than anything that evolves. It's like if we just keep shouting and pushing something funny is bound to happen.

On the cast side, Joan Bennett has way too much screen gravitas for a farce like this. She sure looks the part that guys would fall all over. Nonetheless, she also looks lost in the role. Good thing she soon paired up with film impresario Fritz Lang who sensed her spider woman potential. Note too, early presence of Victor Mature as a hunky gangster. No wonder he went on to starring roles. Then there's poor John Hubbard in the lead. Unfortunately, he has about as much comedic talent as I do, putting a hole in the movie's middle. But my real take-away is little George E. Stone as Benny who keeps popping up with unusual cups of coffee in the gentlest most self-effacing manner possible. He's like a demented little elf, a truly disturbing presence, at least in my movie book. I hope he finally found the right movie set. Just don't let him fix the coffee.

Anyway, I'd skip this over-cooked stew unless the only alternative is a politician's speech.

The two (2) main studios for comedies from 1915 to 1930 were Hal Roach and Mack Sennett. Sennett developed or introduced many great stars including one (1) Charles Chaplin. The Sennett form of madcap slapstick humor were staples of the silent era. Competing with him was Hal Roach with his comedy genius Harold Lloyd. The third genius was Buster Keaton an independent. Sennett lost Chaplin and Roach later Lloyd but Roach was luckier. He was able to pair up the perfect comedy couple Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel and a group of ragamuffins called 'His Rascals' then 'The Little Rascals'. He also proved a better business man. When their mutual distributor Pathe collapsed in the early 1930s Sennett went down the tubes. Roach attached himself to LOEWS and M.G.M. the most successful combo in film distribution and production of the time.

After the mid thirties though Laurel & Hardy were showing their age as well as the 'Rascals'. Roach also had made some poor business and political connections attaching himself to the Fascist Dictator Mussolini. This ended his association with LOEWS and M.G.M. He rebounded though selling off 'His Rascals' to M.G.M. which became THE OUR GANG series. Others who supported the short subjects would also be jettisoned as the move was made to feature films distributed by UNITED ARTISTS. Later in 1940 even Laurel & Hardy would be let go.

THE HOUSEKEEPER'S DAUGHTER showed that Hal Roach had not lost any of his skill as a Director/Producer. The cast was first rate, lead by Joan Bennett and Adolphe Menjou. By this time Joan had abandoned the blond look and had become a attractive brunette with a lithe though rounded figure. This was used to advantage in several scenes. Menjou of course was always the professional. The rest of the cast is filled with other top flight character actors including, William Gargan, Marc Lawrence, Donald Meek, George E. Stone and Peggy Wood. Also in his debut feature, Victor Mature. The only weak link is the male lead a John Hubbard.

The story revolves around the murder of a Broadway BABY and has the right mix of comedy, drama and suspense. None of these are over the top nor do each of them interfere with the other. Roach was able to keep the disparate plot lines cleanly delineated. The film from start to finish is very satisfying and this was clearly reflected in other HAL ROACH STUDIO productions like OF MICE AND MEN and ONE MILLION B.C.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has for the past year featured many of the efforts of the HAL ROACH STUDIOS. Those who appreciate their efforts should contact TCM and tell them so. There are many other GEMS in their library that have not seen the light of day.

I couldn't believe my eyes..one of the most stupid movies I got to watch. I mainly watched cause from reading of various forums on movies that Joan Bennett struck a startling resemble to the gorgeous Hedy Lamarr. True, there was that...but she lacked what Hedy had. It was suppose to be slapstick, but to me it was so annoying to watch a pro like Manjou and Gargan sunk so low...slapstick were not their forte. Only one, Victor Mature showed that there was more to come from this actor in the future. The lines were so stupid, that they were embarrassing. Hal Roach must of thought he had the cast of a Harold LLoyd or slapstick cops. Avoid this trash.

"The Housekeeper's Daughter" is supposed to be based on a 1938 novel of the same title by Donald Henderson Clarke. The book is a romance about a reporter who has roommates in a boarding house, and all of them fall for the daughter of the housekeeper. But, after watching this film, one might wager that this was a common Hollywood project regarding the purchase of a book's film rights. It's just to use a theme or part of the story on which to build a completely different plot on film. And Hal Roach did this by piling on the sub-plots, different characters, lots of slapstick, and mixture of crime and a scathing put-down of the press and crime films of the day. It's a great farce for satire of the news media, but that might be lost for some amidst the slapstick and mayhem.

The cast are all very good in this comedy, drama, romance, satire, crime, and spoof of newspaper films of the golden age of Hollywood. John Hubbard isn't a name that springs to mind for actors of the past. But he was a very good supporting actor and occasional leading man during the war years. He's superb here as Robert Randall. Joan Bennett has a very good role as Hilda, a daughter who strayed into some bad company before being fed up and getting out. Adolph Menjou is ace reporter of the big time newspaper, but his Deakon Maxwell is a shyster, womanizer and con man whom Randall says is a genius in making up the news. His sidekick, and competitor when it comes to "dames," is William Gargan as ace photographer, Ed O'Malley.

When these guys move into the Randall home, while John's parents are off on their usual summer excursions, anything might happen, and does. Hilda's mom, housekeeper Olga, is played wonderfully by Peggy Wood. She gets laughs out of all of the guests at the Randall home. That is, until the hooligans begin to show up. The gangsters are all good, and Donald Meek, as the newspaper editor, Wilson, is very good in an a-typical role for the usually very meek Meek. One of the funniest scenes is when Deakon goes to see a caller who asked for the reporter from the Randall house. It's not shown on the screen, but the thud is loud and clear when Victor Mature's Lefty punches Deakon. Then with Deakon in bed and Olga caring for him, there are some very funny moments. And, toward the end, the Randalls return home early only to walk in on the mayhem. Leila McIntyre's Mrs. Randall passes out a couple times and scurries around on the floor behind the furniture to keep away the crime boss, Floyd (played by Marc Lawrence) and all his thugs.

What a zany film. Besides all the slapstick, there are a few faints and poisoning deaths. The later is the work of George Stone's Benny, who just can't seem to get the right wrong people to drink his coffee. What a good hoot and lot of fun all around.

Here are some favorite lines from this film.

Ed O'Malley, "Did anyone ever tell you you had beautiful eyes?" Hilda, "Mm, the wrong people always do."

Deakon Maxwell, "This guy throws money around like it was water." Ed O'Malley, "So what?" Deakon, "So, I wanna be around when the tide comes in."

Ed O'Malley, "Say, do you snore?" Deakon Maxwell, "Only when I'm asleep."

Robert Randall, "You don't understand. They're going to shoot me. They even threatened to cut my throat."

Editor Wilson, "Shoot you? I defy them to shoot you."

Editor Wilson, "We're going to build him up till he has to kneel down to pat the flagpole on the Empire State Building."

Deakon Maxwell, to Hilda, "She looked at him suspiciously - just as you're looking at me now."

Deakon Maxwell, to Olga, "Oh, I know I'm a little wild, and, uh, I've been around a lot. Think of the fun you'd have reforming me."

Floyd, "What are you tryin' to do, make a monkey outta me?"

Editor Wilson, "Are you a gun mol?" Mrs. Randal, shaking her head, "I just live here."

The brunette, beautiful Joan Bennett is the main attraction in "The Housekeeper's Daughter," a 1939 Hal Roach movie. With her similarly-shaped face, hair-do, and hairline, the dark-haired Joan is reminiscent of Hedy Lamar, whereas, as a blonde, she resembled her sister Constance. In my opinion, Bennett was the most beautiful actress who auditioned for Scarlett in Gone with the Wind and didn't get it.

Bennett plays Hilda, a gun moll who gets sick of the life and goes home to mother. Her mother, Olga (Peggy Wood) is the housekeeper and lives in the home of a wealthy man, Robert Randall (John Hubbard) who has aspirations to be a reporter. When two reporters (Adolphe Menjou and William Gargan) see Randall throwing around money, they stick to him like glue and wind up sleeping at his home and meeting mother and daughter. Randall, meanwhile, is hot on a murder case, which will eventually combine Hilda's past and present.

This is a pleasant enough, well acted film in the beginning but deteriorates into a lot of slapstick later on. Victor Mature has an early role, and Donald Meek is the harried newspaper editor.

As a side note about William Gargan, he had a laryngectomy in 1960 and spoke thereafter with the use of an artificial voice box. He spent the remaining 19 years of his life involved with the American Cancer Society and warning about the hazards of smoking.