The Policy Girl

Roscoe Ails wants to sell an insurance policy to Donald Novis. His sister, dancer Mitzi Mayfair, offers to help him.

It's mostly a showcase of Novis' singing, which he does in more than one style, from ballad, to novelty, to Irish tenor. He's very good, and even if he never translated his voice to movie stardom, he had a long career, with a song in the cartoon version of LADY AND THE TRAMP - repeated in the 2019 version.

The other performer people might come to see was Miss Mayfair. She was a nice tap dancer who appeared in a few movies in this period, and then vanished from the screen. Taking part in a USO tour during the Second World War led to a role in FOUR JILLS IN A JEEP, but that did nothing to produce further movie roles. She died in 1976 at the age of 61.

Policy Girl, The (1934)

** (out of 4)

Vitaphone short has an insurance salesman begging his sister to introduce him to a radio star so that he can sell her a policy. Roy Mack directed this film without much fire but I can't say this was his style since this was the first film I've seen from him and he did make over a hundred in his career. What we got is basically another attempted comedy that mixes several musical segments but the comedy isn't funny and the songs aren't memorable. The film takes a while to warm up but not once would I say it's entertaining. Mitzi Mayfair, apparently a major Broadway star who couldn't make it in Hollywood, gets top billing but doesn't add anything to the film.

Warner Brothers Vitagraph shorts gave the moviegoing public a chance to see a lot of Broadway and radio performers who never quite made it to screen stardom Such a one is The Policy Girl where dancer Mitzi Mayfair tries to sell an insurance policy to radio comedian Reed Brown, Jr.

A whole flock of forgettable songs are packed into this short subject, sung mostly by Donald Novis a popular radio tenor of the time. Novis made a few film appearances, but he is most remembered for introducing the Rodgers&Hart classic The Most Beautiful Girl In The World in Jumbo. Would any of the songs here be as memorable as that one.

The Policy Girl is a pleasant if not memorable bit of fluff.

When you score a misfire on both comedy and music, you might as well fold your tent and go home.

"Two little birdies, fly and go home," sings a high pitched tenor in the closing song. The acting is inept, MITZI MAYFAIR displays nothing that would make anyone think she was once the toast of Broadway, the songs are forgettable and the comedy routines are beyond weak.

Hard to see what movie-goers in the '30s saw in this kind of tripe.

Mercifully, this Vitaphone Brevity from Warner Bros. is very brief. By the time it's over, you'll be grateful.

Directed by Roy Mack, it gives more running time to DONALD NOVIS, a very high pitched tenor, rather than MITZI MAYFAIR. Mitzi only does a couple of dances--with no particular flair in style or content.

This is one old short that can easily be skipped.