Kansas City Princess

Rosie Sturges (Joan Blondell) and best friend Marie Callahan (Glenda Farrell) are manicurists in Kansas City. Marie does not like Rosie's gangster boyfriend Dynamite Carson (Robert Armstrong). There is a ring, girl scouts, and plenty of situational comedy.

This is a gangster screwball comedy thriller. The situation is convoluted. I was expecting more from the girl scouts. There is potential for greater comedy. The concept suggests some more outrageous fun but it doesn't quite get there.

Kansas City Princess (1934)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Rosie (Joan Blondell) decides to go out with a man after her best friend (Glenda Farrell) says that her gangster boyfriend (Robert Armstrong) doesn't deserve her. Once out on the date the man steals a valuable ring from her that was given to her by the gangster. Fearing for their safety, the two girls head to New York but of course the gangster finds out and goes after them. No, this isn't a hard-hitting drama from Warner but instead it's a "B" comedy that starts off well but quickly falls apart into a disastrous second half. Blondell and Farrell are so good together that the film actually starts off on a very good note. I thought the two actresses had some nice chemistry together and we get a pretty funny sequence where Farrell is teaching Blondell what to say in order to get a rich man. There's also a pretty good dinner sequence where the two ladies and their dates end up in a bad situation. Once the girls jump on the train and head to New York, the entire film just comes crashing down. As others have pointed out, it really does seem as if the screenplay wasn't completed so the actors, director and others just showed up and starting making things up as they went along. There's really not a single thing in the second half of this picture that makes any sense and for the life of me it just seemed like a bunch of characters talking at one another in order for the running time to reach past the hour mark. Before long additional characters are brought into the chaos and it still doesn't make any sense. The only ones who are going to want to check this out are fans of the two ladies. Both are good in the film but even their charm can't save this stinker.

Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell spout zippy dialog as a couple of manicurists moving up in the world in this very silly comedy.

Robert Armstrong is Dynamite, a good-natured tough guy who wants to marry Blondell—who is keen on that idea despite Glenda's outspoken disapproval ("If you was the bearded lady in the circus, you'd still be too good for Dynamite"). All three end up on a boat bound for Paris, where Armstrong meets millionaire Hugh Herbert and quickly declares himself Herbert's bodyguard.

The plot itself makes very little sense but is held together, more or less, by the personalities of the four stars, who seem determined to make it something fun, however thin the story. The dialog is certainly colorful—packed with phrases like "a low down mug" and "That guy getting fresh?"—and generally delivered as rapidly as humanly possible (especially by Blondell and Farrell, certainly a couple of Hollywood's all-time great fast talkers).

Overall, it's not particularly memorable but very easy to take for the hour or so it lasts.

From the first few bars of Leo Forbstein's jaunty, jolly intro music you know what to expect and that's exactly what you get: Joan and Glenda's smart and sassy comedy double act guaranteed to make you smile.

You'll certainly smile but probably not laugh at this one. Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell are both brilliant as are Robert Armstrong and Frank McHugh but this is one of the weaker pictures in the series. It's entertaining enough (in fact, very entertaining) but somehow doesn't feel as funny as it should be. Some critics have blamed the ridiculous story but it's no less believable than those of their other ones. Possibly this wasn't quite as sparky because it was made at the time when the new Production Code regulations were being introduced - it must have been difficult adapting such a racy, raunchy double act to conform with Hollywood's new pseudo-puritanical regime.

It's not a fabulous film, the story is makes no sense, the acting flips between over the top overacting and uninspired just reading by rote but.... I still loved this. It's harmless, good natured fun.

"Kansas City Princess" is a film that sure looks as if the script was not even close to being finished when the movie was shot. So much of it seemed vague and incomplete that I just can't recommend it no matter how much I enjoyed the actors.

Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell are two hucksters who manage to get themselves onto a cruise ship despite having no money. Through conniving and lying, they manage to ingratiate themselves to a dippy rich guy (Hugh Herbert). Additionally, Blondell's boyfriend (Robert Armstrong) also manages to get hired by this dippy rich guy. What happens next just seems random and silly...which it was.

I like Joan Blondell films. She played a great dame and Farrell was also quite good. The problem is that they had no script to work with and I kept waiting for the story to materialize...which it never did! Overall, enjoyable but severely lacking when it comes to story.