L'amour travesti

This little picture, a fine Wesley Ruggles comedy, struts along with great pace, and has a great cast with Lana Turner, Robert Young, Dame May Witty, and Walter Brennan. The acting is excellent, the antics unusual,and the comedy delightful. But the thing that is way beyond compare in this picture is the bubbling beauty of Lana Turner at her absolute peak. She carries the day with a sublime sort of sparkling charm as she changes personalities several times just to break her tedium with life. No, she never HAD amnesia, and no, she never wanted to commit suicide! But people will talk. Her beautiful sparkle and comedic charm actually made me weak in the knees. Robert Young does a decent job chasing her down the entire film, but it is Turner's film all the way.

Shapely small town "soda jerk" Lana Turner (as Peggy Evans) can serve jumbo banana splits blindfolded, but gets in trouble for doing it with general manager Robert Young (as Robert "Bob" Stuart). When he sees Ms. Turner without the blindfold, Mr. Young falls in love. And, she is a very beautiful young woman. Still hurting from the reprimand, Turner considers her boring life, and decides to give herself a complete makeover. When her farewell is mistaken for a suicide note, Young is blamed for Turner's disappearance.

Turner takes off for New York City, where she dyes her dark hair platinum blonde. There, a mishap lands her in the care of Eugene Palette (as Durstin), who suggests she may be a missing heiress. Turner decides to adopt one's identity ("Carol Burden"), then moves in on wealthy Walter Brennan (as Cornelius) and grandmotherly May Witty (as Baba). Although initially suspicious, Mr. Brennan accepts Turner as his daughter, after she identifies a childhood toy. But, Young needs to find Turner in order to clear his name, and make it a happily ever after ending for everyone.

Veteran Wesley Ruggles contributes some fine comic direction, especially for Young. According to "Turner Classic Movies" (TCM) host Robert Osborne, Mr. Ruggles' old friend Buster Keaton directed Lana's nicely played "blindfold" sequence, early in the running time. It also looks, to this viewer, like the "concert balcony" and "coming out party" could be Ruggles / Keaton collaborations. Despite their efforts, the movie seems too long, and doesn't make too much story sense.

Several actresses have tried, but it looks like Lana was one of the few who could have played the lead in a biography of Marilyn Monroe, who probably saw the 1940s Turner in the flickering darkness. MGM made "Slightly Dangerous" a well-produced "Cinderella" story for their new starlet; probably, they expected more mileage out of the picture, but Turner would prove a big pay off in due time. The "lingerie scene" shows off an obvious pair of assets. You also get to see rascally Robert Blake (as Sonny) hit Young on the foot with a hammer, and Florence Bates is always fun at the party.

****** Slightly Dangerous (4/1/43) Wesley Ruggles ~ Lana Turner, Robert Young, Walter Brennan, May Witty

I didn't find this film to be a let down in any way - I found it very funny. I didn't take my eyes from it; the gorgeous sets and beautiful Lana Turner were mesmerizing. There is a hilarious scene in which Peggy Evans (Turner) is trying to decide what her new name will be: Walking down a city street, she sees ads and signs of retailers and tries out the names to see if they suit her (Abercrombie & Fitch, Suzanne Hats, etc...). She's debating with herself, trying out new names - and it's just hilarious. There are a few scenes where we hear her talking to herself, and I find these scenes some of the most fun. She's clever and serious, but her logic is unfounded. This is a fun movie, and I don't believe the cast took it too seriously. The cast seemed to make it a light comedy-drama, with a few madcap laughs.

Soda-jerk Lana Turner (Peggy) wins $2.50 for punctual attendance over 1,000 consecutive days and she has the privilege of spending this gift within the store that she works for. What a lucky break! She is horrified at this pointless achievement and so quits for better things. Quote right, Lana. What she does next is pretty dodgy, though. Watch and find out in this romantic comedy which also stars Robert Young (Bob) as the man pursuing her in more ways than one.

This film has a good cast with Turner very good in the lead role. I wasn't too keen on Young, he's a bit drippy in this but he does get some amusing dialogue. Turner gets some clever scenes, eg, serving customers whilst blindfolded and when she is given a test to identify a treasured toy in a roomful of options. Her logic can't be faulted. She is both strong, calculatingly clever and funny in this film and she looks just like Marilyn Monroe. I wonder if Monroe copied her look? There is a convincing supporting cast although the story is based on a pretty dodgy idea! Doesn't matter, it's all fantasy. And it leaves the viewer feeling happy.

The delightful MGM film "Slightly Dangerous" proved to the world the power and star appeal of Lana Turner, who at 21, was at the height of her beauty. The film, directed with great comedic style by Wesley Ruggles, feels as fresh today as when it was released. The excellent quality of the print TCM showed is one of the reasons to enjoy it even more.

"Slightly Dangerous" is a fun film, typical of those wartime years. We are introduced to Peggy Evans. She has been selected for an award of $2.50, in merchandise from the small department store where she works, for her punctuality. Figuring it would take her another three years to earn the $10.00 prize, Peggy, who has quarreled with her new boss, Bob Stuart, decides to try her luck in Manhattan, where she undergoes a make over and goes from a brunette into a ravishingly looking blonde.

Her problems start when she is hit by a bucket of paint in front of one of the daily newspapers. Since her clothes are ruined, and has no proof of identity, the people around her believe she has suffered a temporary memory loss. Thus begins her adventure in the big city in which she pretends to be the lost daughter of a millionaire.

Bob, who has been fired himself, comes to the city trying to locate Peggy after he sees her picture in the newspaper. By now, Peggy has turned into Carol Burden, the daughter of the rich Cornelius Burden. Her troubles start when Bob wants to prove she is Peggy the girl with whom he has fallen in love.

The film is delightful because of the light touch Mr. Green gave the story. Lana Turner was a good comedienne who was perfect in playing the double role of Peggy/Carol. Robert Young was also an actor that was effective in all the comedies he played, as he shows here with his take of Bob. The perfect supporting cast couldn't be better. Walter Brennan, Dame May Witty, Eugene Palette, Ward Bond, Ray Collins, Alan Mowbray.

"Slightly Dangerous" will please everyone because of the magnificent cast in the movie.