That Man's Here Again

Another reviewer referred to this as late night TV watching, and that's exactly the circumstances under which I saw this. Maybe at 1:00 my critical faculties are dimmed, but I quite enjoyed this little movie. I believe the "That Man" in the title refers as much to Hugh Herbert himself as the character he played. Though largely forgotten now, he was enormously popular in his day, and Daffy Duck is said to be based on him and his trademark "Woo hoo." He's a supporting player in most of his movie appearances, several in Warner Brothers musicals of the 1930s, but this film is really built around him. So if he's someone whose shtick you can only take in small doses, this is not the movie for you. But if you find him funny, this will be a field day.

I found Tom Brown and Mary Maguire appealing as the romantic leads. She's very pretty and has a soft, vulnerable presence that is quite different from any other actress I can think of. She was only 18 when she made this movie and had waif like quality. Her scene with her baby can't help tug at your heart strings, even though the kid seems to want to be anywhere but there. Give her credit for soldiering on with her lines while the kid squirms up a storm. (Not sure why they didn't do another take. Budget?) In the few movies I've seen her in she always makes an impression. She apparently did not have a happy life, and in a sad irony, her own baby died if SIDS.

The movie's plot machinations are somewhat silly and predictable, but in a movie that doesn't take itself seriously, I didn't really care. The point is that young love triumphs in the end, thanks to guardian angel Hugh Herbert. And a wackier guardian angel you will never find. (What if he'd played Clarence in "It's A Wonderful Life?" Now that would've been a different!)

It could be a drama, till the end when Hugh Herbert becomes comical. Then it's hard to figure what was the writer's intention.

Whatever the case, this is a truly "lost and forgotten" film, obviously meant to focus on Herbert's talent. However, it's the romantic leads, Tom Brown and Mary McGuire, that peaked my interest.

Brown, though quite youthful here, was a fully seasoned professional, having been an actor for years. His character rendition always rings true which he projects with total conviction. Now there's a natural talent that can't be "learned." Likewise his romantic interest, McGuire, is most photogenic and appealing, playing her part with dramatic security--another genuine talent.

Herbert plays his comedy down till the end when his trademark zaniness emerges. True, this is a "B-film," and an enjoyable one.

Elevator operator Jimmy Whalen at a rich apartment finds homeless Nancy Lee sleeping in the basement. He gets her a job as a maid in the building. She has a baby but doesn't tell him as he has a negative attitude towards kids. They start dating until she breaks a resident's vase. Fearing arrest, she runs away.

There is never any tension. Jimmy may be nice but he's pretty dull. Did he say Geez Whiz? He should anyways. The girl is cute but there is no heat. There is never a chance that this ends in a tragedy. There is no danger. I'm guessing that Hugh Herbert used to be a big star. He keeps saying "Woo Hoo". That must be his catch phrase. It's not actually funny but it's noticeably quirky. The story is told without drama and the performances have no comedy. It's just a bit bland.

For a film that's barely over an hour, "That Man's Here Again" takes a while to get off the ground, not entirely sure it's a comedy until the titular man, old Vaudevillian Hugh Herbert (known for his Daffy Duck-esque "Woo-hoo"s), gets involved to tie up the loose ends. Until then, the main reason I watched was for the extremely cute Australian actress Mary Maquire.

The plot is basically this: young Jimmy Whalen (all-American boy Tom Brown, who later turned up on "Gunsmoke") works as an elevator operator in the Park Avenue apartment house where Thomas Jesse (Herbert) comes in late & drunk every night. One cold & rainy night, Nancy Lee (Maquire) sneaks in, cold & wet, looking for shelter. She's been living on the streets, & Whalen finagles a job for her as a maid. The two fall in love, but Nancy's secret is that she a baby in state care. When Jimmy expresses his dislike of kids, & after Nancy breaks Thomas Jesse's valuable Ming vase, she disappears, & Jesse & Whalen have to conspire to not only get her back, but find a way for the young couple to live happily ever after (tm).

As I've said, this doesn't become comedic till the end, & there are really only a couple of good laughs in the film (one in a police station). The sitcom-y way it's all wrapped up might be forgiven if certain issues of the film found a decent resolution - the main one being, where's Nancy's baby's father?

All that being said, they really don't make them like this anymore, & Hugh Herbert is amusing to watch once the scene becomes his. This is strictly late-night, can't sleep fare, but, really, isn't that what all those classic movie channels are for anyway?

In this Warner B movie, Tom Brown is a night-shift elevator operator in a ritzy apartment building, full of obnoxious people and a kindly but ostentatiously rich Hugh Herbert -- he keeps talking about the Ming vase he bought for $10,000 in Hong Kong and the other vase he bought for $6 in New Jersey. They look identical, so there's one certain scene. He rescues waifish Mary Maguire and gets her a job as a maid in the building. There's young love a-budding.

Unfortunately, the young leads endure their hardships in such a humble and kindly manner that it's not a terribly interesting movie. All this is underscored by a score by an uncredited Howard Jackson that is overly intrusive. It's a harmless, unmemorable, high-speed (58 minutes) from a period when there wasn't much of interest going on in this division of the studio.