Aimez, je le veux

Violets in Spring (1936)

** (out of 4)

Mildly entertaining two-reeler from MGM has Charlie Hall (George Murphy) and Mary JOnes (Virginia Grey) working in an office together for four years and finally agreeing to go out on a date. The two quickly fall in love but soon this threatens the working relationship. This musical really isn't all that memorable but there are a couple things that keep it watchable. One is getting to see Grey in a somewhat early role. She's certainly the best thing about the film as she has a certain charm that manages to shine through even though the screenplay doesn't give her much to do. Murphy wasn't nearly as memorable but he too was good enough and the two stars at least had a little chemistry working. Another good thing about the picture is that it somehow goes by rather quickly, which really shocked me because of how unoriginal most of everything is. The film gets off to a really bizarre start and especially once you hear the opening musical number about people getting out of bed and heading to work. The other musical numbers are just as bland but they're at least not as strange as the opening one. There's really nothing overly good here but at the same time the thing isn't the worst that you're going to see.

George Murphy and Virginia Grey work dully with each other in an officer where they must check in using a time clock out of METROPOLIS. Janitor Christian Rub lectures their boss out of a book -- he's studying psychology at night school in this overproduced but enjoyable MGM musical short.

It takes about ten minutes until Grey and Murphy are dressed in evening clothes and singing songs. Murphy had just started working for MGM, where he would continue for a couple of decades. He had broken into show business in a double act with his first wife. By 1930s, he was on Broadway, where he appeared in ROBERTA. He entered the movies soon thereafter, mostly at Columbia.

Later, of course, he became a U.S. Senator. I wonder if he found that as satisfying as the applause of opening-night crowds.

This certainly is an unusual little short that I recently watched on Turner Classic Movies. I happen to unintentionally record this short film that followed a full-length one. While usually I am NOT a big fan of musicals, I decided to give this one a try. Well I am certainly glad I did, as it was very unusual and quite sweet.

The film starts out with a very strange but very interesting musical number involving people getting out of bed and going to work. It worked quite well because of the way it was handled--very offbeat and also pretty funny seeing all the miserable people forcing themselves to go! The film follows people going into one particular company. In a very surreal scene, the boss and a lowly janitor get to talking and have a bet. The janitor says he can get a couple of employees to fall in love using a little "psychology". It's all in very good fun and it's also rather romantic.

Overall, a short worth seeing just because it is so unique and stylish--plus it has a nice sense of humor and some quirky little surreal elements that made me smile.

Every cliché imaginable is present in this little 21-minute short from MGM, circa 1936, featuring GEORGE MURPHY and VIRGINIA GREY as a pair of business-like office workers who find romance through the intervention of a janitor (CHRISTIAN RUB) who's been taking psychology courses at night.

Rub is a familiar face as a character actor during the '30s. He was the voice and model for Walt Disney's Gepetto and gives this short film its most spirited performance. Leonid Kinskey is another familiar face as the piano playing neighbor.

Nice seeing Virginia Grey and George Murphy whirl around the dance floor and do some neat dance steps, but the plot is a trifle even for a short subject and is not helped by hapless dialog and the truly cornball situations. Grey looks beautiful and it's a pity her career never really landed her a star-making role, and Murphy is just amiable.

Summing up: Entertaining as a curiosity piece.