We're Not Dressing

WE'RE NOT DRESSING (Paramount, 1934), directed by Norman Taurog, may sound like a pre-code movie set at a nudist colony, but in spite of this offbeat title, it's actually a tuneful, in fact, very tuneful musical-comedy set on a South Pacific island. Heading the cast is Bing Crosby, taking a new direction in his fourth leading role for Paramount in a revamped story to James M. Barrie's novel, "The Admirable Crichton."

The story opens on a yacht christianed "Doris" where Prince Alexander (Jay Henry) and Prince Michael (Ray Milland), a couple of phonies out to nab rich women, accompany the wealthy yacht owner named Doris Worthington (Carole Lombard) on a cruise in the South Pacific. Also on board is her Uncle Hubert (Leon Errol), and his man-chasing fiancée, Edith (Ethel Merman). Doris is loved by Alexander and Michael, but while faced with a dilemma as to which one she should marry, she also has her eye on a deck hand sailor named Steve Jones (Bing Crosby). Aside from taking orders from her, he takes on the responsibility in caring for her pet bear, Droopy. When the drunken Hubert takes over the helm of the yacht, causing it to go out of control, it eventually sinks, causing all passengers to jump overboard in their life preservers. The crew is lost at sea while Steve, accompanied by Droopy and the ever-complaining Doris, comes upon an deserted island. Eventually the island is inhabited by the two princes, Hubert and Edith. On the other side of the island are George and Gracie Martin (George Burns and Gracie Allen), a couple of botanists working on experiments, adding more to the confusion.

Unlike the easy-going character he was to play on film through much of his career, WE'RE NOT DRESSING places Crosby on the tough side, especially on the island where he takes control over the castaways, ready to fight the two princes, and keeping the temperamental Doris under control by dunking her head in the ocean water or giving her a facial slap in return for a kiss.

A fine selection of tunes by Harry Revel and Mack Gordon include: "It's a Lie, It's a Lie!" (sung by sailors); "A Sailor Must Be True to Any One Girl," (sung by Bing Crosby); "It's a Lie, It's a Lie!" "It's a New Spanish Custom" (sung by Ethel Merman); "I Positively Refuse to Sing" (with a brief insert of "Stormy Weather"); "May I?" "She Reminds Me of You," "Goodnight, Lovely Little Lady," "Love Thy Neighbor," "May I?" "Once in a Blue Moon" (all sung by Crosby); "It's the Aninal in Me" (sung briefly by Merman); and "Goodnight, Lovely Little Lady" (sung by Crosby). Of the many songs, "May I?" is no doubt the best in the bunch. The latter part of the story finds Crosby crooning the haunting "Once in a Blue Moon" to Lombard in the foreground of the shining moon. According to Bob Dorian, former host of American Movie Classics, in one of its several broadcasts in 1992, commented on the cut number, "It's the Animal in Me," sung by Ethel Merman, and inserted to another musical, THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936 (1935) starring Jack Oakie. In spite of that tune taken out of WE'RE NOT fadeout.

WE'RE NOT DRESSING can be categorized as the most tuneful of the Bing Crosby musicals, consisting as many as six songs heard before reaching the twenty minute mark. More tunes are sung, some reprized, before coming to its 75 minute conclusion. Reminiscent to early sound musicals of the 1929-30 period, the film consists of a leading couple (Crosby and Lombard) supported by a secondary comical couple (Merman and Errol) taking part in songs while going into their comedic dance. As an added attraction, there's the comedy team of the serious-minded Burns and daffy Allen as another secondary couple around to enlighten things with their now familiar comic exchanges having no bearing with the story. In one prime scene, Gracie demonstrates to George how she captures lions and tigers with her numerous "moose traps." This sequence is generally amusing until George's predicament becomes a bit too painful to become humorous as he falls victim to Gracie's contraption, with his feet trapped in shackles and hands tied over his head to be left behind as he faces a loaded rifle pointing directly in his direction. In spite of this minor flaws, any film consisting of a live crooning and roller skating around the deck, is one crazy movie.

Of the Crosby musicals of the early 1930s, WE'RE NOT DRESSING ranks one of the longer survivors on commercial television in the 1970s before shifting over to cable stations as American Movie Classics (1991-92), the Disney Channel (1990s) and Turner Classic Movies where it premiered August 17, 2006 during its all day tribute to Carole Lombard. Distributed to home video in the 1990s, WE'RE NOT DRESSING continues to find a new audience with its current availability on DVD. Good night, lovely little lady. (***)

OK, take away Der Bingle's singing, and what have you got? ... OK, take away Burns & Allen's comedy, and what have you got? ... OK, take away the music-comedy of Merman and Errol, and what have you got? ... OK, take away the dancing (and roller skating) bear, and what have you got? There must be a story in there somewhere...and there is, but as one of many versions of James Barrie's "Admirable Crichton," it's hardly unique.

So how do you make a musical comedy out of a social lesson? You subjugate the story and make it incidental. You find an appealing star like Carole Lombard and place her in the role of the hoity-toity socialite. You cast a crooner like Bing Crosby opposite her. You add some well-known actors like George Burns and Gracie Allen, Leon Errol, and a twenty-something Ethel Merman for some comic relief. Finally, you toss in a prince or two in the form of a Ray Milland and, in his sole role, Jay Henry, and...voilá, by George, you've got it!

In short, turn off your mind and enjoy the ride.

This 30's Paramount film starts out on board the "Doris", luxury yacht belonging to heiress Doris Worthington (Carole Lombard). Along for the ride is her uncle Hubert (Leon Errol), Ray Milland and Jay Henry as two princes who stick together like glue and both want to marry Doris, and friend Edith (Ethel Merman) who says she'll take the prince Doris turns down. Bing Crosby plays singing sailor Stephen Jones who Doris has named caretaker of her pet bear. Aboard ship Doris pushes Stephen around - although not without him pushing back - until uncle Hubert's drunkenness causes the yacht to sink. Now the tides of inequality are turned and it's Stephen with his knowledge of survival skills - and common sense skills like cooking - that give him the upper hand over his five aristocratic companions when they all find themselves shipwrecked on a deserted island.

This is when Bing was in the light and breezy musical comedy part of his film career, and the public ate this amusing escapist stuff up. Besides Bing's singing, Carole Lombard is beginning to hit her stride as a great comedienne, Ethel Merman sings a little but is mainly part of the comedy, and a very young Ray Milland manages to get upstaged by a wrestling bear.

So that the "stranded on a desert island" theme doesn't get tired, George Burns and Gracie Allen are on the island too playing two naturalists in search of wild beasts that can be studied with an amusing bit where Gracie shows George the wild animal trap she's invented.

Recommended as great light musical comedy fare from the 30's that, although it is technically precode, could have easily gotten past the censors had it been released even a year later.

I can’t say that I was particularly looking forward to this musical comedy, but it turned out to be a very entertaining 1 hour and 14 minutes. Being a Bing Crosby vehicle (albeit featured on Universal’s Carole Lombard set), there’s a plethora of dated romantic songs – and since a young (not to say slim) Ethel Merman appears in support, she chimes in as well…and so does comic Leon Errol!

Still, as I said, it’s a generally fun seafaring ride (inspired by J.M. Barrie’s “The Admirable Crichton”) – though given a rather silly and entirely meaningless title! Also in the cast are another comic couple – George Burns (who really achieved stardom after an Oscar-winning turn some 40 years later!) and real-life spouse Gracie Allen – and a young (though somewhat stiff) Ray Milland as one of two aristocratic parasites hoping to win Lombard’s hand. However, she’s got her eyes on crooning sailor Crosby – but, of course, their relationship runs far from smoothly!

Starting off on Lombard’s yacht, the group are shipwrecked on a tropical island (thanks to a tipsy Errol sabotaging the boat’s commands) – where explorers Burns and Allen(!) are carrying out some kind of research. Actually, the two parties rarely interact: in fact, very little happens on the island itself – other than that the feckless idle rich are taught a moral lesson by the manly and resourceful Crosby (anticipating Lombard’s own MY MAN GODFREY [1936] in this respect).

It’s refreshing to find Lombard in a non-wacky role, but her performance is just as delightful as ever; equally notable are the amusing contribution of Errol (Lombard’s uncle but who’s sympathetic to commoner Crosby) and the various antics of the harebrained Allen (which includes her devising an unlikely and complicated method to trap wild animals). Even so, an amiable bear named Droopy (Lombard’s pet!) steals everybody’s thunder – especially in the way it cuddles up to Crosby when singing a particular tune, and a hilarious scene in which the animal runs riot on the deck of the yacht after Errol fits it with skating shoes! There’s even a joke at the expense of another Paramount star, Mae West, when a sailor describes the acronym ‘B.C.’ as ‘Before “Come Up And See Me, Sometime”’.

This movie does have something resembling a plot, but to summarize it would be to waste your time and insult your intelligence. It would also distract you from the movie's very real merits, which can be summed up as 1. Merman, 2. Burns and Allen, and 3. Crosby. Merman is the real star here; she gets one great musical number after the next and performs them with gusto and comedic flair. Crosby gets even more numbers, and performs them well, but they aren't as interesting. Burns and Allen do several comedy skits in their best style (Gracie and daffy is not something that you want to miss). The plot, or what passes for one, gets us from one musical or comedy number to the next, and for that its weakness can be forgiven.

Two notes. 1. Carol Lombard is wasted in this movie. 2. There is a tame bear in this movie that is constantly abused, which gets rather aggravating.

If you can make a copy of this movie, cut out the dialog and you will have some entertaining numbers.