Le mannequin du collège

A pretty Norwegian coed finds plenty of romantic complications while working as an undercover campus mannequin at old Plymouth University.

Sonja Henie was Norway's ice queen when she won Olympic gold medals in 1928, 1932 & 1936. After going professional, she began a celebrated movie career at 20th Century Fox in 1936 with ONE IN A MILLION, which was her American film debut. Beautiful & talented, as well as being a natural in front of the cameras, she carved out her niche during Hollywood's Golden Age. Although Henie's ice routines may look antiquated by comparison to modern champions, there was nothing antique about her dazzling smile or sparkling personality. In this regard, some of today's snowflake princesses could still learn a great deal from her.

As her career progressed, it became increasingly difficult for Fox to find decent stories for Henie and the excuses for the lavish ice dancing numbers were often implausible. No matter. Audiences did not flock to her films to watch Sonja recite Shakespeare. The movies were meant to be pure escapist fantasy, plain & simple.

MY LUCKY STAR is no exception and its story is often quite silly - relying a bit heavily on impromptu singing from its middle-aged college student cast, and borrowing too much from its predecessor, HAPPY LANDING. However, the moments on the ice never bore (especially the Alice in Wonderland sequence -with music from Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland - which closes the film) and the co-stars are rather interesting.

Stalwart Richard Greene is fine as Sonja's romantic interest, while Cesar Romero once again gets to display his comedic talents as a zany Romeo. Joan Davis grabs a lot of the laughs as Sonja's rubber-limbed roommate; Buddy Ebsen is her slow-talking, fast-dancing beau.

George Barbier is enjoyable as an apoplectic tycoon, as is laconic Arthur Treacher as his factotum. Miffed minx Gypsy Rose Lee and gung-ho student Elisha Cook Jr. are given little to do, but Billy Gilbert easily steals his few scenes as a soda jerk besotted by pistachio nuts.

Ultimately, though, this is Sonja's show. She glides effortlessly into the viewer's heart, while balancing on a thin edge of silver, suspended over frozen water.

Cute story and superb cast are hampered by silly and often stupid dialog, dialog so bad so often, even these great actors can't deliver the lines convincingly.

Never mind. Sonja Henie is so adorable, with the sunniest smile, and the cutest cheekbones, one can just tune out the silly lines and watch her.

Richard Greene was about as good-looking a guy as ever crossed the pond and was usually a good actor. I felt some of his reactions here were out of place, but, again, forget about it and watch Sonja.

Arthur Treacher was his usual self, which means pretty well perfect for the part.

Joan Davis ... well, she was over the top, but was also astonishing in her prat-falls. Too bad her part was intrusive and the focus of most of the silliest of the dialog.

Buddy Ebsen is one of those people who can do no wrong. I met him once, at a Western film festival at (I think) UCLA. He was one of the most talented people in Hollywood history. From a vaudeville-type dancer to a serious dramatic actor, he could do it all. Great talent!

I'm confused about part of the cast. I don't know who played the girl friend of the Greene character, but I think it was Patricia Wilder. She sounded like a genuine Southerner and Ms. Wilder was from Macon.

But one of the female characters said "y'all" to one person and only ignorant Yankee script writers make that stupid error, and it's one that irritates me thoroughly. "Y'all" is plural. That means more than one person, and no Southerner says "y'all" to one person.

Never mind. Watch Sonja.

Also watch Paul Hurst. He was around a long time, playing tough characters, especially villains, in silent Westerns, and playing a wonderful character in John Wayne's "Angel and the Badman" (1947). He was a great talent.

Not finally, but finally for this review, that gold-digger played by Louise Hovick? She was much better known as Gypsy Rose Lee. And she was a find! Very underplayed, very cool and calm as the gal wanting money from George Cabot, Jr., played somewhat over the top by Cesar Romero, usually one of my favorites, but who needed a better director here to tone him down.

Be patient, but do watch "My Lucky Star" when next it is available on TCM or FX. Be patient, because a lot of the early dialog will irritate. Be patient, and await the adorable Sonja Henie, who left us far too soon.

This is a silly movie with much singing and dancing. Acting is average, but writing leaves something to be desired. There are rememberable performances by Buddy Epsen, with a short but outstanding performance by Gypsy Rose as the bitter wife of a rich playboy. A totally unbelievable portrayal of college life which ends with a superb ice skating exibition of Alice in Wonderland. Many parts are worth watching, but do not be afraid to fast forward through parts of the movie

I bought this movie because I am a huge Richard Greene fan and I have always wanted to watch Sonja Henie.

I was not disappointed.

This movie is definitely worth seeing and/or buying. It has wonderful, catchy swingy tunes and a great cast. Sure, the story is cliché, but weren't most musicals like that back then? Well, it is actually a little bit more original than others, because Sonja wraps packages at a department store, and after meeting her, and to keep her away from his jealous wife (Gypsy Rose Lee a.k.a Louise Hovick), Caesar Romero, the son of the big department store Sonja works for, sends her to fictional Plymouth University as a "living mannequin" to promote their store's women's' sporting goods section. While there, Sonja befriends student Buddy Ebsen and his girlfriend Mary Dwight (Joan Davis), does some enjoyable skate routines (best one is COULD YOU PASS IN LOVE? first sung by Buddy and Joan, then skated by Sonja and a chorus of skating guys in bowler hats), gets tricked by a nasty Southern girl who is a bad ice skater (played nicely by Patricia Wilder) gets accused of being involved in a scandal (courtesy of Gypsy Rose), and falls in love with super-duper handsome senior Richard Greene. They and others sing a very lovely ballad on a hayride. (I don't know the name.) But it's very charming, and it was stuck in my head for a week after I watched it. The musical numbers are fun, though they come nowhere near MGM or early Busby Berkeley musical splendor. Sonja dos live up to her name as great ice skater, though. In the big production "Alice in Wonderland" finale, she shines, and the costumes and music and charming. The other big musical number, I'VE GOT A DATE WITH A DREAM, showcases a myriad of showgirls wearing beautiful furs and evening gowns, and other fashionable outfits, and a tenor who sings the song admirably. Later into the number, Buddy and Joan do a short, comedic rendition of the song.

In all, MY LUCKY STAR is a good way to pass the time and a good film to start with if you want to explore the works of Sonja Henie.

20th Century Fox has never been MGM, even on its best day, and Sonja Henie is no Dorothy Hamill. Nevertheless, 1933's MY LUCKY STAR is worth a look if for no other reason than historical value. The plot is paper-thin, as the movie is just a vehicle for Henie, who before the advent of triple-lutzes, was the golden girl of female skaters. She also was cute in an adorable and wholesome, mountain girl way. Here, she plays a department store clerk who is sent off to college by the store's owner and ends up becoming an ice skater. Department store heir Caesar Romero puts on an ice extravaganza starring Henie, but has to convince his blustery old dad that it's worth the money, as it will encourage more store business. The big finale is a patchwork, with none of the smoothness or assuredness of those classic MGM musicals, which themselves got off to a shaky start before finding their footing. . Bits of this gigantic ice show are clumsily edited together. But Henie looks adorable, attired in a Little Bo Peepe costume. The revue's theme is "Babes in Toyland," with music from the legendary Victor Herbert operetta), and Henie skates her little Scandanavian heart out. No athletic lutzes in her day, but plenty of spins and one small leap. Plus she sports the most adorable frilly panties under an abbreviated, flared skirt. The bonnet she wears is a trifle much, making her look more like Baby Snooks, but when she smiles at the camera, nothing else matters. A young Buddy Ebsen, he of the Ray Bolger-ish rubber-limbs, is along for the ride -- er, I mean skate. And Richard Greene of "Robin Hood" fame is Henie's love interest. The film's sound is horribly tinny, which is typical of 1933 movies. This one's for early talkie fans -- and, of course, Henie fans.