Congo Maisie

This time, just call Maisie "Congo Maisie" in this 1940 second entry into the "Maisie" series. Each episode of Maisie's fabulous life is done as a separate entity as if the previous one never happened. So don't get too attached to anyone.

Maisie, stranded as usual, stows away on a ship that doesn't go the way she wants and, in fact, breaks down. She tags along with a rubber plantation manager (John Carroll) when he hikes to his old house where he worked as a doctor (he's since forsaken the Hippocratic oath). Now it's the home of a doctor who does research (Sheppard Strudwick) and his wife (Rita Johnson).

"Congo Maisie" is chock full of adventure, with Maisie assisting in an emergency operation and, wearing a gown and a Carmen Miranda headpiece from her club act, fends off witch doctors.

It's quite funny but as my sister yelled out to me hearing some of it, "Is that a politically incorrect movie you're watching in there?" Uh, yeah.

John Carroll is the new object of Maisie's affections. He talks a lot and uses a monotone that becomes grating real fast. I recall a photo of him where he was presented as a Gable wannabe. Forget it. Rita Johnson is absolutely lovely, and Sheppard Strudwick is very good. Fun.

"Congo Maisie" is the second film of what would be a 10-fim series of comedies mixed with other genres by MGM from 1939 to 1947. The first film , "Maisie" of 1939, had been planned for Jean Harlow in 1937 until she died suddenly of liver disease. Ann Sothern was picked for her role two years later and did so well that MGM had its writers churn out nine more tales based on the Maisie Ravier character.

In these early films, Maisie is usually playing a club dancer and singer who's between jobs or enroute to another one. But here she happens to be in British West Africa, just before World War II. The opening scene identifies it as Kurmala, West Africa, and it appears to be on the coast at the mouth of the Congo River. That might be present day Muanda of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The movie opens with Maisie sneaking out of her hotel to avoid the proprietor because she can't pay her bill. She stows away on a boat that she thinks will be traveling along the coast. So, she's surprised when she finds out its going a good distance up the Congo. And that's where this comedy drama takes place. The boat engine conks out and Maisie and the male passenger, Dr. Michael Shane, have to walk a couple miles to the Atkinson Rubber Co. Medical station, where he used to work.

This story centers around the former doctor who's now trying to make it big running a plantation. But when the new doctors takes ill, he has to again practice medicine. Besides helping the doctor with his practice, Maisie helps stem a medicine-man provoked uprising with some magic of her own. And, she helps save the stations doctor's marriage. Naturally, the comedy is quite low-key in such a setting, but it's a good and entertaining film.

Here are some favorite lines.

Nelson, "Have you seen anything of a blonde?" Captain Finch, "Brother, where is she?" Nelson, "That's what I'm asking you. Are you sure that there ain't been no blonde with a suitcase stowed away on this boat within the last couple of hours?" Captain Finch: "Listen, silly, if there was a blonde on board, would I be out here talkin' to you? You've got it easy. You're behind that face. Brother, from the front it's terrible."

Captain Finch, "And don't ever offer anybody money like that - in the presence of witnesses."

Maisie Ravier, "Hey, what happens to me? Can I come along?" Dr. Michael Shane, "Suit yourself." Maisie, "Well, it's you or the crocodiles, and they got more teeth."

Maisie Ravier, "What was that?" Dr. Michael Shane, "A baboon drumming." Maisie, "Now, who'd give a baboon a drum, missionaries?"

Maisie Ravier, "Hmh. All the modern conveniences. Electric lights, hot and cold running monkeys...."

Maisie Ravier, "Hey, wait a minute. This is not how you look at a place. I've even had fun in Philadelphia - in good company."

Dr. Michael Shane, "I spent five years serving humanity. Now I'm looking out for Michael Shane." Dr. John McWade, "I didn't know you could measure service to humanity five years and then no more."

Dr. Michael Shane, "Little girls who listen at key holes don't go to heaven." Maisie, "I know, but sometimes you get a chance to help someone you like and I like that Mrs. McWade."

Maisie Ravier, "You better operate." Dr. Michael Shane, "I'm not practicing medicine." Maisie, "Have you stopped practicing being a man?"

Dr. Michael Shane, "I'm going to take that out, McWade. I know you don't like me, but my worst enemy will tell you that I'm handy with a knife."

During the late 30s and through the 40s, Ann Sothern made ten Maisie films. They were clearly B-movies--short, relatively low budget (for MGM) and meant as second films in a double-feature. Yet, despite this, they also were very polished and entertaining. Clearly, MGM made nice looking B-films.

In this second installment, Maisie is inexplicably in central Africa! Why is never really explained well and seeing the blonde Sothern traipsing about what is supposed to be African jungle is rather surreal. As far as the plot goes, it's a reworking of "Red Dust" but due to the Production Code, the sexiness of the remake is much more subdued than the original. In the original, Jean Harlow was a tramp--a nice tramp but clearly a tramp. Here, Maisie is a nice girl--a show girl but a NICE show girl.

When the film begins, Maisie stows away on a boat. Instead of heading down river to Lagos, it heads up river to disease-ridden and superstition-filled jungle. Along the way, she teams up with a grumpy ex-doctor, Dr. Shane (John Carrol), and they head to a jungle hospital--where the "Red Dust"-like plot ensues. There, another doctor's wife is bored and lonely and immediately falls for Dr. Shane. But, Maisie being a good girl, she does what she can to help the lady realize her problems WON'T be solved with an affair. How all this works out you'll just have to see for yourself.

Aside from stealing a few clips from "Trader Horn", the film looks pretty good for a stage-bound B-movie set in the jungle. And, the acting and story work well. Overall, it's an agreeable little film and a decent remake since the story is more a reworking than a direct remake. Worth your time even if it is a bit patronizing in how it depicts many of the Africans.

Since it's a Maisie, I was expecting more of a comedy. But the laughs, such as they are, are secondary to a rather dramatic plot. Due to a series of mishaps, our girl ends up in a medical research station in darkest Africa. There she mingles with a strapping fellow refugee (Carroll), along with the current research doctor (Strudwick) and his classy wife (Johnson). In the background lurks a restive native tribe and their jealous witch doctors. Naturally, emotions wander while the natives grow more restless.

Sothern's brassy persona remains intact but with many more dramatic moments than usual for the series. And that's despite a really clever opening. Looks to me like the studio was still unsure of the series direction. Not so with the handsome Carroll, who's clearly a Clark Gable hopeful in both voice and manner, and getting a lot of screen time, to boot. Fortunately, Maisie gets some snappy lines, along with the movie's highlight where she out-performs the witch doctors with a magic act. And catch her slinky outfit that's a real eye-catcher. Too bad for Rita Johnson's rather dour and dowdy role as the neglected wife.

All in all, it's a well-mounted B-picture whose sets and effects reflect MGM's concern with quality. Nevertheless, the 71-minutes largely fails to show off Maisie's street-wise comedic appeal to best effect. The series would soon find a surer footing for that appeal.

Maisie is Maisie. Always enjoyable, but never rising to the level of series like The Thin Man. I like them as much as Blondie and a little better than Torchy. If you liked the first one you can certainly bask in this mix of seriousness and silliness.

Typically, some people are upset that the African characters are not all depicted as surgeons or poets. Oddly, these guardians of the film world end up minimizing the contributions of the black actors and the importance of the African characters (e.g., Everett Brown as Jallah).

Third World riots aren't pretty (they share this quality with First World riots). Hollywood would film it different today, but they'd also ruin the movie with politics. To enjoy old movies we have to accept that things were different then.

My rating (7/10) is measuring Congo Maisie against other movies in the series and against other series movies of the same type.