Bionda fragola

Charming turn-of-the-century romantic comedy gives Rita Hayworth her breakthrough role as the flirtatious town siren who gets her comeuppance when she ditches James Cagney for Jack Carson. Her best friend Amy (Olivia de Havilland) marries dentist Biff (Cagney) after an unusual courtship which provides some amusing scenes between the outspoken miss and her boyfriend. The plot thickens when Cagney's best friend Hugo (Jack Carson) uses him in a shady business scheme that leaves Cagney taking the blame and serving time in prison. He resolves to get even with Hugo one day--and gets his chance when Hayworth brings Hugo to his dental office to have a tooth pulled. It's all done with a light touch and played to the hilt by an engaging cast. Rita shines in the title role but it is Olivia de Havilland who really walks off with the film as Cagney's sweetheart. Time magazine reported that she stole the film from both of them with her "electric winks". Only flaw is the occasional emphasis on comedy scenes with Alan Hale (as Cagney's father) that tend to drag. George Tobias has a good supporting role, as does George Reeves ("Superman") who appears at the beginning and end of the story as Cagney's belligerent neighbor. Cagney is his usual blustery self but shows a nice flair for comedy. Entertaining and a great film to watch on a rainy afternoon.

Trivia note: Compare this with the musical remake Raoul Walsh directed in '48 called ONE Sunday AFTERNOON with Dennis Morgan, Dorothy Malone and Janis Paige in the three central roles. Painfully bad and painfully dull with terrible songs and lackluster work by Morgan as Biff Grimes.

Very entertaining, funny, and well acted movie. A great cast including a young George Reeves (Superman). It starts out as a comedy but has a lot of serious moments without being preachy. It is hard to believe that Cagney would come in second in anything in life but he plays the part perfectly.

With film stars such as James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson and George Tobias featured in this film you can expect a highly entertaining romance/drama. Yes, the storyline has been re-done more than a thousand times over and over where boy (James Cagney as Biff Grimes) meets stunning girl (Rita Hayworth as Virginia Brush) and falls blindly in love by the attractive but more cunning woman, and where the third string girl (Olivia de Havilland as Amy Lind) is ignored and insulted by Biff even though she outwardly shows how much she cares for Biff and does not want to see him get hurt by the vixen Virginia.

Biff's father old man Grimes (Alan Hale) is reluctant to find steady work and he would much rather foolishly try to win over a string of already married women that all live in Biff's neighborhood with his charm. Biff is a typical tough guy who is smitten with the out of his league Virginia who likes to play the field and take advantage of as many men as she possibly can date, dine then leave broken hearted at her front door step.

For Biff, there is always the registered nurse Amy Lind who seems to appear and interfere with Biff's attempts at wooing the beautiful Virginia, who was responsible in the first place for Biff and Amy's first few dates.

Yes this is a simple love triangle story seen many times before. the difference though is in the depth of star performances who signed on to make this particular film more than just a cut above its competitors. Although the film is now 77 years young at the time of my writing this review, and where horse and carriage was the preferred method of transportation, and gas lighting before electricity was more common, and the film is in black and white, it rates 4 **** out of 5***** stars in my review. I give the film a solid 8 out of 10 rating and I wish there were more films made like this today.

Hint: Look for a young 27 year old George Reeves as the neighbor's college tough guy Harold in his turtleneck lettered sweater, more than ten (10) years prior to taking on his most famous and popular role in the syndicated (1952-1958) TV series The Adventures of Superman.

Cagney departs from his tough, street smart persona to play the gullible, not so tough Biff Grimes. Notice how he loses fight after fight; in one scene he's a barroom bouncer tossing his drunken father out asking his father not to put up too much of a fight "I'm supposed to be a tough guy".

He gets suckered time after time by Hugo and Virginia. That wouldn't have happened to other Cagney characters! His best scenes are with Olivia DeHavilland. What chemistry. Sometimes no dialog, just glances.

The main characters play off each other phenomenally. Even the minor characters are superb. Who was that fat German who blew beer foam into Cagney's face? He was great! The period music is so woven into the story that the movie almost becomes a musical. The lovely theme that's played whenever Olivia DeHavilland come into the scene is "When You Were Sweet Sixteen". Unlike the title song "Strawberry Blonde", it's never sung in the movie but it was popular at the turn of the century. Perry Como made it one of his hits in the early 1940's.

The movie is such a nostalgic, funny, (sad at times) look back at the turn of the century that you wish you could go back there with them.

It's amazing that director Raoul Walsh also made the brilliant, violent, cynical "White Heat" with nary a sentimental, lovable character.

Julius Epstein (the man who gave us Arsenic and Old Lace) excels with his adaptation of James Hagan's play One Sunday Afternoon. (For those who think the credit belongs with the playwright not the scriptwriter, I refer you to the 1948 remake One Sunday Afternoon.) The script is crisp and witty, one liners abound, and I found myself laughing out loud often.

The film gains its strength from the morals of a bygone era, as men and women struggle to find love without overstepping the bounds of decency. Yet it holds up well more than 60 years after it was made. The themes of love and happiness are timeless.

Cagney is excellent as jailbird-turned-dentist Biff Grimes. His famed tough guy persona bubbles not very far below the surface but we are reminded that this actor is much more multi-faceted than history sometimes remembers him.

The female cast members are outstanding. The beautiful Susan Hayworth plays the title character Virginia Brush superbly, showing every nuance of the shallow yet ultimately dissatisfied wannabe socialite. Her best friend, Ann Lind, provides a great showcase for Olivia de Havilland's talent, moving from the brash, forward suffragette to the devoted wife, showing her vulnerability as well as her strength along the way.

Some of Hollwood's fine character actors get a chance to impress too. The hard-working Jack Carson impresses as Hugo Barnstead, the charming womanizer turned sleazy tycoon. George Tobias has plenty of scene-stealing moments as Grimes' good friend, Nick the barber. (Look closely and you may recognize him as Bewitched's Abner Kravitz.) Alan Hale is at his best as Grimes' irrepressible Irish father. Keep your eye out for TV's Superman George Reeves as Harold, the Yale student neighbour.

This film provides an amusing reminder that beauty and wealth do not always bring happiness.

Enjoy Strawberry Blonde. I did.