Flirtation Walk

Some good songs, good cast. Dick Powell handles most of the singing, sounding great as always, even in Hawaiian. Pat O'Brien is enjoyable in a familiar role as the tough guy with a heart of gold. Biggest disappointment of the whole movie is no dancing by the lovely Ruby Keeler. What were they thinking? The movie is very different from the 42nd Street-Footlight Parade-Golddiggers musicals that the Powell/Keeler team is most famous for, and if you expect to see that type of movie, you might be disappointed. I love them in those movies, but I also enjoyed this as something different. It would be nice to see this movie released as part of a DVD box set to complement the great Busby Berkley set released in early 2006.

'Scrapper' Thornhhill (Pat O'Brien) is an Army sergeant stationed in Hawaii struggling to get his men into shape. One of those men is the singing Dick 'Canary' Dorcy (Dick Powell). General Fitts is visiting for a couple of days. Dick is assigned to drive his daughter Kit (Ruby Keeler).

This is a romance musical taken place around the military. It is the in-between war years and this is a pro-military film. Dick Powell is too old to be a new recruit. He is 30 and looks older if only he doesn't do the double-chin face. The music is not my taste. It has some light humor and drama. This is mostly fine.

'Flirtation Walk' may not be a great film, but it entertains and charms and it is difficult not to like. Flawed? Yes. Worth watching? Absolutely, with the many good points nearly making up for the few points that don't come off quite so well.

Coming off least is the story, which even for a musical-comedy is formulaic and extremely simplistic. Sadly, Frank Borzage tends to make heavy weather of it, meaning that 'Flirtation Walk' is not quite as light-on-its-feet as it could have been and the patriotism present in some of the film is a little too overt and heavy-handed.

However, 'Flirtation Walk' while not lavish still looks handsome and colourful as well as skilfully photographed. The songs are very tuneful and very easy on the ear, the best of them being the witty and clever "Mr and Mrs is the Name". The script is smart and amusing, if a little too frothy in places.

Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell are immensely likable and their chemistry is incredibly charming and a large part of the film's appeal. Despite the story being less than perfect, it has enough pep and zip to keep things moving at a bright and breezy pace, and the penultimate scene is very moving. Pat O'Brien similarly brings sympathetic emotional impact.

In summary, the story is flawed but the charm and likability (especially from the performances and chemistry of the two leads) is immense. 7/10 Bethany Cox

With hindsight,"flirtation walk" appears as a blueprint for "shipmates forever"(and even ,so to speak for "Blue Hawai" in which Elvis played a discharged soldier mind you).Like the 1935 (shall we say "sequel"?)work,it features the same actors and it's the most distressingly mediocre movie by one of the greatest directors of the era."Flirtation walk " pales into insignificance when compared to "no greater glory" "little man what now?" "three comrades" "mortal storm" "young America" "stranded" "big city" .....and I don't even mention the masterpieces of the silent era !Borzage epitomized greatness ,and perhaps are we too demanding ?There is a good idea,the play a la "Hamlet" or how to get a message of love through.

However,Borzage 's touch is nowhere to be seen in this umpteenth version of "I shall become an officer and a gentleman".If you want to see a good patriotic movie by Borzage,do choose " stage door canteen" in which the characters are made of flesh and blood.

Flirtation Walk is a 1934 musical starring Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Ross Alexander, Pat O'Brien, John Eldredge, and Henry O'Neill.

Powell plays Dick Darcy, a private stationed in Hawaii. He meets the general's daughter Kit (Keeler). The two fall for one another, but she's engaged to another (Eldredge). They break up.

A few years later, they meet again, this time at West Point. Kit is still engaged, but very happy to see Dick. Feeling used by her, Dick rebuffs her and hurts her feelings.

Dick has to write and appear the annual show, and the other cadets want Kit to play the lead. Dick refuses as women are not allowed, but the cadets appeal to her father, who gives the okay.

I love Dick Powell. I'm not such a fan of Ruby Keeler, who was certainly very pretty and did some good films with Powell. I did not find this a scintillating musical. The music was dull, and the story was flat.

I actually watched this to see if I could do what no one else has been able to - find Tyrone Power, who was a cadet in this film.

The only reason he is listed on IMDb is that he became famous as he was not a featured cadet. He was an extra, probably answering a call for young men to be extras at West Point. He cannot be spotted.

By the way, he and Linda Christian lived directly across the street from Dick Powell and June Allyson on Copa D'Oro in LA.

Dick Powell had such a beautiful voice, but it wasn't used a lot or to great advantage here. In short, this can't hold a candle to "42nd Street" or "Dames," or other musicals of the era.