We're Not Dressing

I hadn't seen this strange hodgepodge of a film for about 40 years and finally caught up with it again on DVD.

All of the ingredients and defects that irritated me the first time around were just as irritating the second - the pet bear (a "joke" that long outstays its welcome) Leon Errol's drunk act and the tedious Burns and Allen shtick that is frequently dropped into the film without any relationship to the story - while the good parts still pleased me, namely Carole Lombard's winsome beauty and charm, and the lovely songs by Gordoon and Revel, which are not always presented to their best advantage but are very catchy nonetheless.

However, one thing I had not noticed 40 years ago on first viewing but which is worthy of mention, is that Mr Crosby sings "live" on set for most of the film and the orchestra is clearly on the soundstage, accompanying him and also most of the action.

This must have been one of the very last musical films to be shot in this way, without playback and lip-synchronisation (only perfected in 1933), which would soon become the industry norm.

So, this is a curio for that reason and also interesting in that we can more accurately assess Crosby's vocal skills and his way of performing and phrasing a song at this stage of his career - rather well, on this evidence.

Poor Ethel Merman is totally wasted but I read elsewhere here that her big number was cut and re-used in the later BIG BROADCAST of 1936. Her best film was yet to come - Alexander's RAGTIME BAND, where she lights up the screen every time she comes on to belt out another Irving Berlin hit.

Back to this film - its one saving virtue is its length - a crisp 74 minutes, which means that no matter how tiresome the comedy becomes (and it does, believe me), it isn't too long to wait before Bing sings yet another lovely song. The DVD print is in pretty good shape too.

I loved it! Bing and Carole were great together. The whole cast was terrific! George and Gracie kinda stole the show, but that just proves how funny they are. One of my favorite scenes is when Bing Crosby is singing "May I" to Carole Lomabard. She pretends to dislike him, but smiles at him when he's not looking , but stops when he looks at her. The whole time she's trying to keep up with it, but starts to smile when he looks at her and frown when he turns away. It's difficult to describe, but when you see the movie you'll understand. Some of the plot doesn't make much sense, and is just plain silly at times, but that just makes it the screwball that it is. The bear seems to be very well trained, it's not suppose to be cruel, though you can't help but be worried, and when it's a guy in a suit, it's funny and suppose to look unreal. My opinion may be great because I'm such a huge fan of Carole, but even if you have no idea who she is, watch it anyways.

This movie does have something resembling a plot, but to summarize it would be to waste your time and insult your intelligence. It would also distract you from the movie's very real merits, which can be summed up as 1. Merman, 2. Burns and Allen, and 3. Crosby. Merman is the real star here; she gets one great musical number after the next and performs them with gusto and comedic flair. Crosby gets even more numbers, and performs them well, but they aren't as interesting. Burns and Allen do several comedy skits in their best style (Gracie and daffy is not something that you want to miss). The plot, or what passes for one, gets us from one musical or comedy number to the next, and for that its weakness can be forgiven.

Two notes. 1. Carol Lombard is wasted in this movie. 2. There is a tame bear in this movie that is constantly abused, which gets rather aggravating.

If you can make a copy of this movie, cut out the dialog and you will have some entertaining numbers.

WE'RE NOT DRESSING (Paramount, 1934), directed by Norman Taurog, may sound like a pre-code movie set at a nudist colony, but in spite of this offbeat title, it's actually a tuneful, in fact, very tuneful musical-comedy set on a South Pacific island. Heading the cast is Bing Crosby, taking a new direction in his fourth leading role for Paramount in a revamped story to James M. Barrie's novel, "The Admirable Crichton."

The story opens on a yacht christianed "Doris" where Prince Alexander (Jay Henry) and Prince Michael (Ray Milland), a couple of phonies out to nab rich women, accompany the wealthy yacht owner named Doris Worthington (Carole Lombard) on a cruise in the South Pacific. Also on board is her Uncle Hubert (Leon Errol), and his man-chasing fiancée, Edith (Ethel Merman). Doris is loved by Alexander and Michael, but while faced with a dilemma as to which one she should marry, she also has her eye on a deck hand sailor named Steve Jones (Bing Crosby). Aside from taking orders from her, he takes on the responsibility in caring for her pet bear, Droopy. When the drunken Hubert takes over the helm of the yacht, causing it to go out of control, it eventually sinks, causing all passengers to jump overboard in their life preservers. The crew is lost at sea while Steve, accompanied by Droopy and the ever-complaining Doris, comes upon an deserted island. Eventually the island is inhabited by the two princes, Hubert and Edith. On the other side of the island are George and Gracie Martin (George Burns and Gracie Allen), a couple of botanists working on experiments, adding more to the confusion.

Unlike the easy-going character he was to play on film through much of his career, WE'RE NOT DRESSING places Crosby on the tough side, especially on the island where he takes control over the castaways, ready to fight the two princes, and keeping the temperamental Doris under control by dunking her head in the ocean water or giving her a facial slap in return for a kiss.

A fine selection of tunes by Harry Revel and Mack Gordon include: "It's a Lie, It's a Lie!" (sung by sailors); "A Sailor Must Be True to Any One Girl," (sung by Bing Crosby); "It's a Lie, It's a Lie!" "It's a New Spanish Custom" (sung by Ethel Merman); "I Positively Refuse to Sing" (with a brief insert of "Stormy Weather"); "May I?" "She Reminds Me of You," "Goodnight, Lovely Little Lady," "Love Thy Neighbor," "May I?" "Once in a Blue Moon" (all sung by Crosby); "It's the Aninal in Me" (sung briefly by Merman); and "Goodnight, Lovely Little Lady" (sung by Crosby). Of the many songs, "May I?" is no doubt the best in the bunch. The latter part of the story finds Crosby crooning the haunting "Once in a Blue Moon" to Lombard in the foreground of the shining moon. According to Bob Dorian, former host of American Movie Classics, in one of its several broadcasts in 1992, commented on the cut number, "It's the Animal in Me," sung by Ethel Merman, and inserted to another musical, THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936 (1935) starring Jack Oakie. In spite of that tune taken out of WE'RE NOT fadeout.

WE'RE NOT DRESSING can be categorized as the most tuneful of the Bing Crosby musicals, consisting as many as six songs heard before reaching the twenty minute mark. More tunes are sung, some reprized, before coming to its 75 minute conclusion. Reminiscent to early sound musicals of the 1929-30 period, the film consists of a leading couple (Crosby and Lombard) supported by a secondary comical couple (Merman and Errol) taking part in songs while going into their comedic dance. As an added attraction, there's the comedy team of the serious-minded Burns and daffy Allen as another secondary couple around to enlighten things with their now familiar comic exchanges having no bearing with the story. In one prime scene, Gracie demonstrates to George how she captures lions and tigers with her numerous "moose traps." This sequence is generally amusing until George's predicament becomes a bit too painful to become humorous as he falls victim to Gracie's contraption, with his feet trapped in shackles and hands tied over his head to be left behind as he faces a loaded rifle pointing directly in his direction. In spite of this minor flaws, any film consisting of a live crooning and roller skating around the deck, is one crazy movie.

Of the Crosby musicals of the early 1930s, WE'RE NOT DRESSING ranks one of the longer survivors on commercial television in the 1970s before shifting over to cable stations as American Movie Classics (1991-92), the Disney Channel (1990s) and Turner Classic Movies where it premiered August 17, 2006 during its all day tribute to Carole Lombard. Distributed to home video in the 1990s, WE'RE NOT DRESSING continues to find a new audience with its current availability on DVD. Good night, lovely little lady. (***)

This musical "on crack" is basically a Vaudeville retread. Most of the talent is wasted. The whole "pet bear" routine is quite weird, and adds nothing to the plot, as thin as it is.

Granted, this is an early sound film, but when you consider some of the excellent RKO musicals of the period, with Astaire, this Paramount production leaves much to be desired.

I've never been a Burns & Allen fan, so that whole routine is lost on me. Ethel is certainly her usual electric self, and Bing is Bing. Lombard is definitely wasted. It is interesting to see Ray Milland in an early role.

Certainly, the film is worth a look for its historical significance in studio history, but I cannot recommend it as an entertaining movie. Watch it if you have the time, but if it's between this and some other TCM classic, select the other option.