Chatterbox

Charming film about a country girl named Jenny (Anne Shirley) with big dreams and her head in the clouds. She dreams of following in her late mother's footsteps and becoming a stage actress. Through a series of events she finds her dream actually coming true. At least that's what she thinks, as she's really being used by an unscrupulous producer who knows she's terrible and has cast her in a comedy while poor Jenny thinks she's playing a straight drama.

Anne Shirley is the whole show here. She has some good support from the likes of Edward Ellis, Erik Rhodes, Phillips Holmes, and Margaret Hamilton (in one of her more approachable roles). Oh and Lucille Ball (with platinum blonde hair!) has a small but amusing part. But Anne Shirley is the star in every sense of the word. She's such a treat to watch. Her sensitive, lovable performance carries the movie. Her portrayal of Jenny Yates is one of the more endearing characterizations I've ever seen on film. It's impossible not to like this girl and still have a heart. It's a very pleasant, enjoyable film with some nice comedic touches and a little bit of romance too. Strays off course slightly at the climax but it ends well. Give it a shot and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Jenny Yates lives with her grandfather because her mother died some time ago. However, she holds some resentment towards her grandfather because he essentially tossed the mother out of the house after she left to try to become an actress. Now, many years later, Jenny has a chance to leave home to act in the same play that her mother starred in...and although her grandfather is gruff and grumpy about this, he's not about to disown her like he did his daughter...by Jenny doesn't know this. So, she takes a giant leap and joins a traveling company of actors...and finds out it's not all it's cracked up to be.

Apart from seeing one of the theater company members in black-face, this is a very good film...enjoyable and with a few fun moments. This is a good showcase for Miss Shirley...one of her better films of the 1930s.

Some big names in "Chatterbox" - Anne Shirley is Jenny, trying to get away from an impossible situation. Lucy is in here as a very blond "Lillian Temple", in one of her earlier, credited roles. Margaret Hamilton (Wizard of OZ !) is "Tippy", the kindly landlady. Erik Rhodes, who made those fun, silly, films with Gene Raymond and Ann Sothern, is here, speaking in his own, regular voice. I think this is the first time I have heard him speak without using a silly, out-landish accent. Rhodes is "Fisher", directing the group of actors in which Jenny so badly wants to act. What Jenny doesn't realize is that she is the comedic part of a show she has always taken seriously, since her mother was in it years ago. It's fun to see the big names in this one, but the story itself is pretty lame... like the episode (every episode) of "Threes Company" where things could have been cleared up SO much earlier if any one of ten people had said one simple thing. anyhoo. It's okay. Nothing too special. Directed by George Nichols... died quite young (42) after a car crash.

CHATTERBOX is a combination of drama and comedy.. The film was less predictable than I thought. Jenny (Anne Shirley), a young girl from Vermont, wants to be an actress. Her mother was an actress and her most famous role was in the 1890's stage play "Virtue's Reward". Jenny is a bit otherwordly, living in a world of her own, the bygone world of the 1890's. She meets a young artist/painter Phil (Phillips Holmes). She is secretly in love with him. He appears to be not interested in her. Reluctantly he takes her to a theatrical company in New York where she can get a part in her favorite play "Virtue's Reward": This melodramatic play has now become a comedy, but she doesn't know that and she takes the part very seriously. Phil worries about what will happen when she finds out the truth about the whole thing.

This is a wonderful film from start to satisfying finish. Perfect acting by the entire cast. Young Anne Shirley gives a terrific performance. She's very intense and she makes even the comedy parts dramatic and honest. Her trustfulness and enthusiasm are poignant. The very talented Phillips Holmes (now undeservedly degraded to B-films) is also surprisingly good and totally convincing. A remarkable film. I am hoping for a DVD release for a better print quality!

This is an endearing movie of times gone by. Nice performances by Anne Shirley and Margaret Hamilton. Jenny wants to live out her dreams by acting in a part in a play her mother had played in previously. Her dreams are innocent and naive, and she is taken advantage of by shallow theater types who mislead her. She takes a hard lesson on real life in the theater and who to trust. Anne Shirley shows her talent in a challenging role. This movie is also interesting for the actors in it that one would not expect or show their talents as character actors -- Margaret Hamilton and Lucille Ball. This movie is not for everyone, but is likely to be well appreciated by those who cherish days when movies highlighted innocence and virtue.