Make Way for a Lady

June (Anne Shirley), a bright teenager with overly romantic ideas, jumps to the conclusion that novelist Valerie (Margot Grahame) is in love with June's publisher father Chris (Herbert Marshall). So she conspires to get the two together, not knowing that Valerie is in love with another man and Chris is in love with June's teacher Eleanor (Gertrude Michael).

I just love Anne Shirley. She's one of my favorite actresses from the '30s and a very underrated comedienne. It's a shame she never broke through to become a major star. Aside from being exceptionally pretty, she's also charming and adorable in every movie I've seen her in. "Make Way for a Lady" is a fine example of her talent. Herbert Marshall is his usual dignified self but gets to let loose some, which is nice. I can count on one hand the number of movies I've seen him smile. Margot Grahame and Gertrude Michael are both a little on the forgettable side. Frank Coghlan, Jr. (Billy Batson from the Captain Marvel serial) has an amusing supporting part.

Unfortunately, it does lose steam after a strong start. There are two primary reasons for this. First, whenever Shirley's not on screen things are dullsville. Also, in the second half the movie becomes more serious in tone and a little too much like a soaper versus the light romantic comedy feel of the first half. Still, it's an enjoyable B picture from RKO, helped by a short runtime. See it for Anne Shirley, a fine actress who deserves wider recognition.

June Drew (Anne Shirley) is a flighty teen and Christopher Drew (Herbert Marshall) is her devoted widower father. She performs poorly in the school play but her drama teacher Miss Eleanor Emerson is very supportive. She decides to be a matchmaker for her father. He's a publisher and author Valerie Broughton leaves her the latest manuscript. She reads the inscription and makes a false assumption.

I like the start which is reminiscent of Clueless. It turns into a melodrama. The resolution is never in doubt. It would work better if June is facing a similar challenge in her own love life. She turns from simple flighty into full blown brat. Sometimes, she is downright punchable. It could have been fun but it becomes rather annoying.

Before Deanna Durbin came along, here was Anne Shirley doing a Deanna Durbin type Ms. Fix-it part for RKO. Not that she isn't good, but the film itself is kind of silly.

Shirley's dad Herbert Marshall is a widower and a publisher of some renown and he's got a glamorous novelist client in Gertrude Michael. Somehow as Shirley has read Gert's latest epic she convinces herself that the plot is really the great love story between Marshall and Michael. In the process she alienates Margot Grahame who'd like very much to be the second Mrs. Marshall.

The whole business is dopey and Shirley ought to get a tanning from her old man for making such a mess. Everybody here has done better. Gertrude Michael comes off the best.

The basic idea of "Make Way for a Lady" is sound and could have made a very good film. Unfortunately, when it comes to the teenage character, June (Anne Shirley), the writer really blew it. Instead of a realistic young lady, June is a caricature--a giant and ridiculous stereotype of a girl! Some folks might be able to look past this...but for me it took a very good story and practically ruined it.

When the film begins, Chris Drew (Herbert Marshall) and his daughter June are happy and the biggest problem in their lives is June's upcoming performance in the school pageant. So far...so good. But June gets the crazy idea that a lady writer is her father's long lost love...and June is determined to bring them together. At the same time, Chris actually begins dating one of June's teachers and soon they are in love. So how does June muck it all up? See the film...or don't!

I have raised two daughters and taught high school and middle school...so I have seen enough drama in my life. June's drama is like all of these kids all rolled into one...and is just as annoying. It's a shame, as the film could have been very good...but this character pretty much ruins the movie.

By the way, is it just me or was the relationship between Chris and June a bit on the creepy side at times?

Perhaps it's a tribute to Anne Shirley's acting ability that I constantly felt infuriated at her meddling into her father's private life. I think not, because she always seems to act as though she was acting, which fits right into her character in this film. Of course, these feelings are from an adult perspective, and the film was primarily made for the teenage trade, and they will probably enjoy her antics. Her father's actions did not ring true, either. He, Herbert Marshall, has proposed to Shirley's English teacher, Gertrude Michael, and Shirley has the audacity to tell her she would not be welcome as a stepmother. It's not that she's jealous or doesn't want her father to remarry -- she's been pushing to have him marry Margot Grahame, a woman her father dislikes, although Shirley doesn't know that. When Marshall finds out about what she has done, instead of quick dressing down, he comforts the tearful, sickened Shirley and tells her everything is alright. Perhaps it happened, since Elizabeth Jordan's 1935 novel, "Daddy and I: A Chronicle of Small-Town Life and Youth, as Seen Through the Eyes of an Ultra-Modern Young Lady of Fifteen" may have been autobiographical. But I found it unlikely that any father would let his child get off the hook so lightly for such a severe interference. It seemed simply a plot device for the not-so-surprising ending.