Je vis pour aimer

The generic, meaningless tile is a tip-off. Everett Marshall has no screen presence. He may have been a popular radio singer but what he's given here is dull and repetitious.

The ravishing Dolores del Rio is made up too heavily and essentially miscast. Lupe Velez, who was at another studio, would have been much for fun. So would any number of Warner Brothers stars. Glenda Farrell, Winifred Shaw, Joan Blondell -- all of them could play temperamental divas in their sleep.

It's hard to think hat Busby Berkeley had anything to do with this movie, which has no real dancing and has no style. It would have been better, right from the start, had there been a couple other female characters. Del Rio has no one to bounce off. And Marshall certainly is no help.

The stars are foils for the fabulous supporting cast in this film --big name stars in the credits an hilarious reference to one of the movie's plot mechanisms, in which a big name star supposedly adds luster to a radio program. The supporting cast stars in this film, an acerbic send up of show business, both theater and newly popular radio. The film smacks by-then-dead vaudeville, then places both high toned "thea-tuh" and radio in the same category. With focus almost entirely on the supporting cast, who have all the great lines and embody the satire, the film moves at a good clip, challenging us not to give a hoot about the "stars'" love story. I found this film absolutely hysterical and laughed out loud through the whole thing.

Stage diva Donna Alvarez (Dolores del Rio) wants her fawning lover Rico Cesaro (Don Alvarado) to be her leading man. Her producer pretends to agree and tells her that another actor has a signed contract to be the lead. He picks Roger Kerry (Everett Marshall) randomly to be that man. Roger is a terrible actor and quits. He's a street singer and gains fame for turning down Donna. He is followed by three fellow street performers.

Busby Berkeley is the director but there are no big dance numbers. It's mostly singing especially from opera singer Everett Marshall who did some film work. I don't particularly like either Donna or Roger. She's snooty and he's a stiff on the screen. Snooty can work in a combative rom-com. Stiffness cannot be overcome. This is a love-hate relationship without the love. The switch comes out of nowhere. The movie wants them together more than I do. I don't live for this love.

Everett Marshall only appeared in two films, this one and "Dixiana". While he was the leading man in each, he chose a different career path. He was a great operatic singer and simply chose to stay on the big stage where he made a fortune and gained fame. In hindsight, I think that was an excellent choice--especially since this sort of singing would only last in films until the early 1940s with the Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy films.

Marshall plays Roger Kerry--a singer who is about to become a radio sensation. However, his introduction to the American public isn't perfect as the show also featured Donna (Delores Del Rio), a very tempestuous stage star herself. They immediately take a dislike for each other but both are very successful over the air. Then their respective agents come up with a plan...play up their hatred to manipulate them and get the public to love them. They also then spread the story that the two have just fallen in love...though they hate each other. But, in a case of art imitating life, they do fall in love. But what will they each do? She has Broadway calling to her and he places like the Met. What's to become of them and their careers?

The story works reasonably well because the supporting actors are quite nice. But the story bogs down for me when the stars break into song...mostly because the singing, while great for the 1930s, is very old fashioned and dull when heard today to most folks. Still, a clever story makes it enjoyable in spite of the high-brow singing.

Way too much of opera singer Everett Marshall, not nearly enough of Dolores del Río. It's really a shame she didn't get better parts during her career, but at least she isn't forced to play into stereotypes in this role. The film suffers from a lack of humor, charm, and romantic chemistry though, and also from having been made after the Production Code went into place. Don't expect any flashy musical numbers, despite direction from Busby Berkeley either. Just a total blah.