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.

SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS gave 21 year-old LANA TURNER her first big starring break in a film not dominated by a male star. MGM couldn't have chosen a better vehicle to show off her talent as a light comedienne with a gorgeous face and figure. And ROBERT YOUNG does nicely as her leading man in a farce that has elements of screwball comedy.

It takes the mistaken identity theme (based on a false case of amnesia) and puts Lana in the clutches of rich relatives--WALTER BRENNAN (in an unusual role for him) and DAME MAY WITTY--who believe she is their long lost daughter. Young knows the real story and spends most of the movie chasing after her to prove to the folks in her hometown that he shouldn't have lost his job over her disappearance.

It's all lightweight comedy and Turner never misses a chance to give the role of the scheming girl a sense of fun and innocence with a sexy twist. She goes from brunette salesgirl to blonde heiress in a series of outfits that only MGM's wardrobe department could devise. This is the kind of light escapist entertainment that weary wartime GIs were crazy about--and Lana looks sensational while giving an expert performance.

ROBERT YOUNG is no slouch as her leading man. He has some scenes that reveal just what a flair he had for light comedy--and some of it very physical.

The big delight is seeing so many well-known names in character roles: Ward Bond, Florence Bates, Alan Mobray, Bobby Blake (as Lana's kid brother), Ray Collins, Frank Faylen, Norma Varden and Howard Freeman, to name a few.

Well worth a look--a pure delight from start to finish.

Lana Turner is young and gorgeous in this light comedy about a waitress with a lucky penny and the dream of getting out of her humdrum life. The penny works wonders. After escaping her small town, a ladder falls on her in New York City - when she comes to, it's assumed she has amnesia (she was deciding on her new name when the ladder came crashing down). After a trip to the library, she decides to become a long-lost heiress who disappeared as a child in 1925.

Robert Young plays her ex-boss who looks to expose her lie; Walter Brennan is her welcoming, wealthy father; Ward Bond is his security guy; Dame May Witty the heiress' former nanny. Ray Collins of "Perry Mason" fame also makes an appearance, as does Eugene Palette as the newspaper editor who prints the amnesiac's story. It's a terrific cast, with Young's role being a departure for him. He does it well. Lana is simply adorable.

The movie leaves an open question, which is kind of fun, too. All in all, very enjoyable.