The Doughgirls

Director James V. Kern also co-adapted this screen-translation of a once-popular play by Joseph Fields involving three would-be brides rooming together in the Honeymoon Suite of an overcrowded hotel in WWII-era Washington, D.C. They are joined by confused suitors, Eve Arden as a gregarious Russian guerrilla fighter, an amusingly out-of-it hotel staff, a blustery broadcaster, and the inimitable Charles Ruggles as the smitten boss of dotty Jane Wyman, whose heart belongs to flustered Jack Carson (who only wants to have his honeymoon!). Breathless farce came in on the tail-end of the screwball rage, but nevertheless contains several big laughs. The staginess of the material becomes overpowering before long, but the cast never runs out of energy. **1/2 from ****

This is about as wild and wacky as it gets. Eve Arden, who made a career of playing second banana, is wonderful as a Russian soldier. Jame Wyman, though not a blonde, delivers one "dumb blonde" line after another. Jack Carson is his usual blustery, pompous self. Charley Ruggles is a lecherous old man. Alan Mowbray is a Rush Limbaugh-type broadcaster, who "just got back from the front-the home front." The setting is a hotel room, and all these characters, and many more, create the most hectic, confusing and daffy atmosphere since the Marx Brothers. In fact, "The Doughgirls" is really a female Marx Brothers circus. If you like the characters mentioned above, you'll love this movie.

I saw this when it came out. Although I was only around 7 or 8 years old, I found it a very funny movie. I expect that I didn't understand most of the jokes, but the situation and the constant frenetic action, characters coming and going, must have impressed me. I found Eve Arden's character particularly funny. Firing a rifle salute from a swanky hotel balcony...wow!

Looking at it now, it is clear that it was originally a stage play-characters coming and going on one set. Machine-gun rapid quips, jokes, reactions...if one joke doesn't get you, the next one will. Jane Wyman's dumb Dora character was a stock comedy character in those days (Gracie Allen). It might have been demeaning for her to play, but it made her a star before her later weepies.

The Washington no rooms to rent situation is long forgotten. Absurdist humor has gone out of fashion, perhaps because our society has become so absurd that absurdity is no longer funny. Thus, a lot of the humor of this film and its satire don't register today. Yet, it was quite good for its time, and it is still a hoot to watch today.

Directed by James V. Kern from the Joseph A. Fields play, adapted by Kern and Sam Hellman with additional material from Wilkie Mahoney, this wartime comedy features a terrific cast in yet another story about how the crowded living conditions in our nation's capital during World War II made strange bedfellows and played havoc with relationships.

It all starts when Jack Carson and Jane Wyman get married and try to begin their honeymoon in a Washington, D.C. hotel whose lobby is overrun with people needing a room. Despite their reservation, they discover that their room's bathtub is already occupied by Ann Sheridan's character, who happens to be ditzy Wyman's old chorus line pal. Naturally she's allowed to stay as is their other gal-pal Alexis Smith, who's married to a lieutenant (actress Smith's soon to be husband Craig Stevens).

Things really heat up when Sheridan's husband's (John Ridgely) ex- wife (Irene Manning) shows up, and a gun-toting female Russian army sergeant (Eve Arden) and Carson's lecherous boss (Charles Ruggles) join the mix, further delaying-frustrating Wyman-Carson's consummation.

Alan Mowbray appears as a radio correspondent. Donald MacBride, a judge and Regis Toomey, an FBI man also appear.

... but it was funny--a nice diversion. This film featured six couples who end up sharing the honeymoon suite during the WWII housing shortage. Jane Wyman and Jack Carson are one of the couples who are married by a Justice of the Peace and end up at the hotel. Ann Sheridan and husband John Ridgely are the married couple who are currently staying in the honeymoon suite and have a hard time leaving when Wyman and Carson show up. Later, Alexis Smith and (real-life) husband Craig Stevens show up as an engaged couple who want to marry before Stevens leaves for his next military assignment. Eve Arden is a Soviet solider who just shows up (and maybe is staying in the room too? I don't know. There were so many people in there). Charles Ruggles rounds out the cast as Carson's boss, but later ends up as Wyman's boss.

Carson, who is supposed to be on his honeymoon with Wyman, refuses to stay in the suite because of all the extra people. Wyman's character, is a complete dim-wit and doormat. Sheridan and Smith walk all over her. It seems that the three ladies are also acquainted with one another, which is most likely the main reason why Wyman won't kick them out. Wyman's character, in my opinion, is the only sour note in the film, because her character is so irritating. She brags about her haircut to multiple people in the film and it's terrible. She has that matronly poodle cut hair style that so many women during the 1940s-1950s adopted which instantly aged them 10-15 years. Sheridan and Smith, while definitely wearing 1940s hairstyles, look much more sleek and sophisticated. Sheridan, Smith and Arden were my favorite characters in the film.

This movie was so frantic and had so many different characters and situations that at times, it was hard to follow what was going on. However, overall, it was funny and a great way to spend an hour and a half. This type of film fulfills the exact role I want from my movies: escapism. When I watch a movie, I want to be able to forget about all the awful things I heard/read about on the news that day. Even if it's not an absurd movie like The Doughgirls, and is something more serious like a noir, I am still able to escape. Noir films are so stylized that you're swept up into their world.