Be Yourself!

BE YOURSELF! (United Artists, 1930), directed by Thornton Freeland, stars Fanny Brice, popular comedienne from burlesque to Ziegfeld Follies to popular radio character of "Baby Snooks," in one of her very rare motion pictures in which she starred. As much as Brice, with her odd facial structure, would be somewhat hard to cast, here she plays a self-sacrificing nightclub entertainer with a soft spot for a hapless prizefighter. Billed in the credits as Fannie, BE YOURSELF!, somewhat mistitled, offers the original "funny girl" herself a chance to be both funny in her manner and sentimental through her feelings. With little evidence to the popularity she gained on stage, this is one opportunity getting to see the one-and-only Fanny Brice on the motion picture screen.

The story opens with prizefighter, Jerry Moore (Robert Armstrong) losing to McGloskey (G. Pat Collins) in the boxing ring. Next scene finds both boxers, seated in separate tables, being entertained by nightclub singer, Fannie Field (Fannie Brice), who very much favors Jerry. Because of his reputation as a boozing fighter who loses his matches, Fannie feels Jerry has potential to become a heavyweight boxing champion. She has her lawyer brother, Harry Field (Harry Green), to give up his practice by acting as his manager. Fannie invests her own money is $200 in fees and $1500 for Jerry's training, but shows no improvement in his boxing style. In time and with the proper training, Jerry wins six successful victories. All goes well until Fannie's showgirl rival, Lillian Wilson (Gertrude Astor), changes her affections from McCloskey to Jerry, even to a point of having his nose fixed and engagement to be married, causing Fannie to feel miserable and betrayed, until she comes up with an idea. Also in the cast are Buddy Fine ("Step"), and Rita Flynn (Jessica).

Fanny Brice, who made her movie debut in a part-talking musical titled by her signature song, MY MAN (Warner Brothers, 1928), currently unavailable for viewing, makes BE YOURSELF! The earliest filmed document to the Brice legend available today. With her acting style a mix between that of comediennes Winnie Lightner and Mae West, Brice does what she can with the material documented. Though she handles both comedy and sentiment convincingly, BE YOURSELF makes one wish this were a solid screwball comedy showcasing Brice's comedic talents. Though the story is rather ordinary, it's highlighted by some good song and dance interludes, including "When a Woman Loves a Man" (sung by Fanny Brice, Gertrude Astor, Marjorie Kane, and chorus); "Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love" "Stasha the Passion of the Pasha" (both sung by Fanny Brice) "Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love" (reprise by boy singer, Jimmy Jolson, dressed in bellhop uniform); "Kicking a Hole in the Sky" (a Satan number with lyrics of "Lovely ladies down in Hades," performed by Brice and others); "It's Better to Be Grateful" and "When a Woman Loves a Man." Of the lively tunes, only the final rendition of "When a Woman Loves a Man" is sentimentally sung with feeling by Brice in the "My Man" mode, but not quite as legendary.

One of the many musicals produced during the 1929-30 era, BE YOURSELF is one of those rare treats that would be of interest today due to the presence of Fanny Brice, or an early look of Robert Armstrong, three years before his iconic adventure film, KING KONG (RKO Radio, 1933) opposite Fay Wray. Harry Green's acting style, which could be annoying at times, is better structured this time around. Though this 65 minute edition of BE YOURSELF might be a shorter reissue edition to a longer original theatrical showing, this is what's circulating today. Briefly distributed on video cassette and DVD through KINO Home Video, BE YOURSELF did broadcast years ago on cable television's American Movie Classics (1997-2000) during the early morning hours. For what it's worth, BE YOURSELF entertains due to Brice's "be yourself" personality along with well-staged production numbers to help move it along. (***)

Fanny Brice was a great Broadway star, one of the ones whose abilities did not translate to film that all well. It is worth it to watch her here, and extrapolate backwards to see the stage talent that made her famous. Blessed with perfect comic timing, she belts the blues, torches a ballad and parodies operatic singing in a way that would make Jerry Lewis jealous. It would all work better live and none of it burns into immortal memory, but still it's all interesting.

William Cameron Menzies' designs are delirious. The nightclub that hosts most of the action is decidedly surreal, and only he could make a boxing arena look like the Arabian Nights.

Harry Green acts a Jewish stereotype with such guilelessness and energy that he doesn't offend. He's safely in the past, and only non-Jews will be made confused and uncomfortable. The dates in his filmography suggest that he moved to England as a result of blacklisting rather than artistic irrelevancy, as is suggested in another review. England was a good choice for exile; they've always welcomed with open arms actors willing to play reductive ethnic clichés.

There is a peculiar fascination in the film with the shape of Robert Armstrong's nose. Fanny Brice had already had one of the earliest of the celebrity nose jobs, inspiring Dorothy Parker to observe that she had "cut off her nose to spite her race."

At any rate, Armstrong and the rest of the cast know exactly what to do and do it well. As with many early talkies, the pacing and continuity are uncertain. More artifact than musical comedy, we can watch the Jews and the Irish warily circling each other from the safe distance of the 21st Century.

Fanny Brice was a great Broadway star and starred in 3 films between 1928 and 1930. Be Youself is the last of her starring films, although she would make "guest appearances" in several more through 1945.

In this one she is a nightclub star in love with a has-been fighter (Robert Armstrong). She decides to become his coach (along with her brother) and he becomes a success, but he falls for a gold-digging babe (Gertrude Astor). That's all the plot there is.

The film is badly directed and edited, with abrupt cuts and lousy continuity. But Brice is energetic and fun and sings a few numbers, the best of which is "For the One I Love." She also does a bizarre Dante number and a operatic spoof in close-up which is very funny. Brice may not have been a beauty but she was a great talent and had charm and talent to spare.

Armstrong (best known for King Kong) is pleasant as a palooka, and Astor is okay as the floozie. Harry Green is not funny as a lawyer brother. Marjorie Kane is good as a boop-a-doop girl, and G. Pat Collins is the other fighter. The red cap is radio star Jimmy Tolson.

Certainly worth a look to see the legendary Fanny Brice in action.

"Be Yourself!" is only one of a handful of films made by Fanny Brice. Despite being a bit of a sensation for the Ziegfeld Follies, she never hit it off in movies. And, as an astute reviewer already pointed out, the Fanny Brice we all are familiar with is really Barbra Streisand PLAYING Fanny. Here, you get a rare chance to actually see her as she really was in films. Sadly, what I saw was NOT good at all. Fanny's Jewish ethnic humor is off-putting today, though it might have played better back in 1930. The same can be said DOUBLE for that of Harry Green as her brother. His routine is completely one-dimensional and dumb. And, THE joke was that he was a shyster Jewish lawyer--a nasty stereotype that, again, played well back then but which is painful to watch today.

When it comes to plot, it's pretty limp. Robert Armstrong is a nasty guy who loves to punch people, so Brice and her on-screen brother decide to become his boxing managers! Despite knowing nothing, the guy inexplicably wins---and none of this makes any sense. On top of the plot, there are some songs (not good ones) and some very ethnic humor which falls flat. Frankly, there's just not much to like about this film--it's terribly written, dull and the humor is so incredibly awful. Not worth your time--even if you want to catch a glimpse of Fanny.

After seeing this film, I think I understood why Brice did few films. She just wasn't enjoyable in the least and you wonder what Ziegfeld and the audiences of the 1920s saw in her. Painful and awful.

Fanny Brice is a nightclub entertainer who has a couple of prize fighters tangle over her. She sides with Robert Armstrong and becomes his manager. Things go along swimmingly, unti he starts to have some success, whereupon very blonde Gertrude Astor moves in on him.

It's enough plot to hang the movie on. The real purpose is to have Miss Brice sing five songs by Billy Rose and do her ballerina shtick. Producers John Considine and Joseph Schenck must have figured that as long as Broadway was going Hollywood, the perennial Ziegfeld Follies star was a natural. While she's good and believable, especially with Harry Green to do the raw comedy, the movie career didn't materialize. I expect it was the destruction of the musical movie in 1930 and Miss Brice's pleasant but ordinary appearance that closed that door, and her needing an audience. She remained an occasional guest star, particularly when someone was doing a movie about Ziegfeld, but she retreated to the stage, and let radio stardom come her way.