Dinheiro em Penca

a minor warner studio output using up its contract players. blondell and farrell spark off each other like an early version of thelma and louise as they serve witness summons on a range of male lugs: a crooner, a wrestler and a wiseguy. an interesting film for the potential it offered for female leads, a potential that hollywood has always underexploited.

... and if they had it would have likely been much better.

Dixie Tilton (Glenda Farrell) and Ginger Stewart (Joan Blondell) are process servers employed by attorney Homer Bronson (Hugh Herbert). They want to quit, but Bronson has a troublesome client, Claire LeClaire who is suing a rich man for breach of promise. There are four subpoenas involved, and the male servers who have attempted to do the serving have been beaten up. Bronson promises the girls a thousand dollars if they can serve all four, the idea being that a female process server will not be suspected. Ginger is in love with a chauffeur she has been meeting in the park and she only knows his name is Carter. He is, in fact, the object of the breach of promise suit. C. RIchard Courtney. He wears the chauffeur's outfit to throw process servers off the trail. Neither Carter nor Ginger knows who the other is, but since Ginger is going to end up serving him, you just know complications will ensue when the truth comes out about both of them.

As it stands it would have made a good three reel (30 minutes long) short. Or the plot could have been beefed up considerably and it could have been worthy of its 64 minute runtime. Instead it is stuffed with a wrestling match, a nightclub number, and a bunch of badly done overlong chase scenes both in boats and cars with third rate back projection while the actual dialogue and cast interaction is somewhat anemic. I will say this about it - Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell have great chemistry together and make a terrific comedic duo. It's no wonder they were teamed several times as they were a joy to watch.

Best parts of this typically so so Ray Enright comedy are the ones where Joan Blondell and Glendale Farrell are riffing off each other and, in the process, providing us with one of the more inspired comedy duos of 1930s Hollywood. Joan's ditzinness contrasts perfectly with Farrell's deadpan wisecracks, kind of like Harpo and Groucho without tiresome Chico. Their talents are at their best in the nightclub scene where they effortlessly combine to nail the oleaginous crooner with a jury summons. Other than that, though, the movie kind of drags with scenes that try too hard (throwing Joan overboard from the yacht, the gangster stuff) alternating with scenes that are more weird/distasteful than quirky/funny (the wrestling sequence). And a little of Hugh Herbert, kind of a poor man's Ed Wynn, goes an awfully long way. Give it a C plus.

Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell made quite a few films together, and you could tell had fun. That is the secret to any good film, and Warner Brothers held the distinction of cranking out a ton of dramas and comedies that clicked. Warners also had a stable of some of the best actors, and always put them to good use. The word on the street was everybody had fun making these films.

The ladies, this time, are process servers(?) who go through some wacky situations to get the job done. But what happens when their next target is someone who catches their eye, at least one of them? Sparks fly and it gets even more complicated.

This is fun stuff, and with a dependable cast, foremost hilarious Hugh Herbert, who is perfect for this kind of material. Herbert's trademark was his "woo woo" laugh, which could either mean he's enjoying something or in big trouble. Humphrey Bogart's wife at the time, Mayo Methot, also has a small part in this one. Methot gained more fame being married to Bogey and always fighting with him, making lots of headlines at the time. One big happy family.

Its also neat to spot all the veteran actors here, and most were Warner Brothers alum. Many were in the GOLD DIGGERS musical comedy series. Both Farrell and Blondell appeared in GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937. A big thank you to TCM for rerunning this on a lazy summer afternoon with lots of memories attached.

Usually sold in WB box sets, this film is on dvd for collectors.

Two lady process servers will stop at nothing to do their job - but then one falls in love with the man they are stalking...

WE'RE IN THE MONEY was the sort of ephemeral comic frippery which the studios produced almost effortlessly during the 1930's. Well made & highly enjoyable, Depression audiences couldn't seem to get enough of these popular, funny photo dramas.

Joan Blondell & Glenda Farrell are perfectly cast as the fearless, fast-talking females who will try anything to serve their subpoenas. Although Joan gets both top billing and the romantic scenes, both gals are as talented & watchable as they are gorgeous.

Ross Alexander plays Blondell's love interest and he does a very nice job. Remembered now chiefly for his appearance in the classic A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (1935), this talented young man from Brooklyn was gifted with the good looks & acting skills which should have made him a major Hollywood star. Instead, Alexander ended up in mostly forgettable parts in obscure films. Tragically, Ross Alexander died a suicide in 1937, at the age of only 29.

Hugh Herbert, whimsical & wacky as ever, appears as the girls' boss. Whether driving a stolen car or piloting a speeding motorboat, he is equally hilarious. Behind him comes a rank of character actors - Henry O'Neill, E.E. Clive, Lionel Stander, Hobart Cavanaugh - all equally adept at wringing every smile out of any situation. Sharp-eyed movie mavens should spot an unbilled Walter Brennan as a witness at the wedding.

While never stars of the first rank, Joan Blondell (1906-1979) & Glenda Farrell (1904-1971) enlivened scores of films at Warner Bros. throughout the 1930's, especially the eight in which they appeared together. Whether playing gold diggers or working girls, reporters or secretaries, these blonde & brassy ladies were very nearly always a match for whatever leading man was lucky enough to share equal billing alongside them. With a wisecrack or a glance, their characters showed they were ready to take on the world - and any man in it. Never as wickedly brazen as Paramount's Mae West, you always had the feeling that, tough as they were, Blondell & Farrell used their toughness to defend vulnerable hearts ready to break over the right guy. While many performances from seven decades ago can look campy or contrived today, these two lovely ladies are still spirited & sassy.