Por um Corpo de Mulher

Ann Dvorak (Olive) is one of those people you really must avoid in life. Not because she likes a drink – that bit is quite fun – but because she never goes away. Even when she is dead, it would seem.

This is a comedy that makes use of screwball comedy set pieces. It's all about misinterpretations. And it's pretty funny in parts. Some of artist Turhan Bey's (David) reactions are expertly dialogued, especially when a dead body turns up on his balcony and he discovers what has actually happened.

The director could have made more of singer Hadda Brooks. If she's going to appear in a film, then give her a full song. Ann Dvorak takes the attention away during Hadda's scene and we don't really want to hear Dvorak singing the title song "Out of the Blue".

You have to be in the mood for this type of comedy and if the mood takes you, it is quite a good example. I'll be keeping onto it for a future viewing when in the mood. It's got a pretty good cast and is one of Carole Landis's last films.

This film stars George Brent, Turhan Bey, Virginia Mayo, Ann Dvorak and Carol Landis. The Earthleigh family (Brent and Landis) are a couple very annoying people. Mrs. Earthleigh is highly annoyed by everything and is as much fun as jock itch. Mr. Earthleigh is a wimp and puts up with his wife's bully behavior towards him as well as their neighbor, Mr Galleo (Bey). She insists that Galleo MUST get rid of his dog and sics her husband and their lawyer on the guy.

One day, Mrs. Earthleigh leaves to go on a trip. When she's gone, her husband meets a very strange alcoholic, Olive (Dvorak) and she follows him home and WON'T leave no matter how hard he tries. Eventually, she appears to have died and falls onto Galleo's property! Well, Earthleigh can't find this narcoleptic alcoholic...and later Galleo decides to pretend he found this lady DEAD on his terrace...and enlists Earthleigh to 'dump the body'. Galleo knows there is no body but figures this is a chance to blackmail Earthleigh into dropping his lawsuit and letting him keep his dog. What's next? Well, Olive appears to die several more times and suddenly lots of people are being accused of killing her!

This is a cute little comedy and I might have scored this very original film higher had Dvorak's performance been a bit less broad and silly. Subtle definitely would have worked better...but it still worked and is a cute little situation comedy. Worth seeing.

Ann Dvorak carries the film. The rest of the cast are merely adequate and are not adept at comic timing and delivery.

The film fails as a true screwball comedy because the pace is too slow. Had the pace been a bit more frenetic, it might have succeeded. This was the director's fault more than anything.

Ann Dvorak's career peaked in the 1930s. Some of her best work came after that. Most of it was in dramas. It was a delight seeing her do a comic role. I urge those not familiar with her to do more research and check out some of her 1940s and 1950s performances. One that comes immediately to mind are The Secret of Convict Lake and A Life of Her Own.

George brent, in a bedroom farce, about halfway through his film career. He had just finished making a slew of films with miss davis in the 1930s and early 40s. The storyline has a bit in common with rear window. When olive gets stuck in arthur's apartment, he must go to great lengths to keep it secret, and try to get rid of her, or the gossip-y neighbors will all find out. Not to mention his wife. Some big name co-stars ... virginia mayo, ann dvorak. And hadda brooks actually sings "out of the blue" in the bar, about 45 minutes in. And turhan bey looks a lot like brent. That must be why they have brent wear glasses for most of the film. And if the nosy spinster miss patterson looks familiar, she was also miss trumble on "i love lucy", who would frequently babysit for lucy. And probably wore the same dress! It's an okay comedy. During the first half, they are all working so hard, so much bickering and not having fun. Things move a lot faster in the second half. Directed by leigh jason. He had also directed "the bride walks out" and "love on a bet", which are both so much more fun than this one. And both star gene raymond. See those two, if you can find them; they show on tcm now and then.

This screwball comedy seemed kind of forced and less believable than those from a decade earlier, not sure why. But once I accepted it as such, found it pretty funny and enjoyed all the performances, even Dvorak's one note portrayal of a lush was entertaining.

Most notable is George Brent playing the milquetoast who can't rid himself of Dvorak looking for a drink before his wife comes home. I've never seen him attempting comedy and his Coke bottle glasses help the image. And there are several scenes we get to see his famous wide rear end as he attempts to hide Dvorak in a steamer trunk. (the mic boom makes a few appearances too)

Virginia Mayo is delightful as usual, and between Carole Landis & Ann Dvorak you see several gorgeous costumes.

I had never seen Turhan Bey in a movie before and he reminded me of Orson Welles a bit in looks & demeanor. The high point of Bey's appearance was seeing him in white shorts, socks & sandals looking as if cast from a Village People video as the "Tennis Player"

The story had a few cute running gags about spinster neighbors seeing Dvorak passed out in a drunken stupor and thinking she's been murdered and of course the Brent character trying to get rid of her any way possible.

This under 90 minute romp may be predictable, but because it's perfectly cast & acted and fun to watch.