(1934 - d. Ray Enright) Musical.
p.c. Warner Bros.
l.p. Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, ZaSu Pitts, Guy Kibbee, Hugh Herbert.
Would be singer/composer of popular songs attempts to put on show while his uncle forms a society aimed at shutting down these theatres that include scantily dressed girls. Dick Powell is the songster and Ruby Keeler his girl who appears in his show to the horror of her mother and the self appointed guardian of public morals, Uncle Ezra Ounce (Hugh Herbert).
Much simplified version of the highly convoluted plot in the feature containing some splendid musical numbers including I only Have Eyes For You and the title number, Dames. A shortened song by Dick Powell opens the film, and Joan Blondell performs the other two items - The Girl At The Ironing Board and a slightly abridged Try To See It My Way. All these items are excellent - expertly staged by Busby Berkeley and more than compensate for the silly plot. even in its much abridged form. Nice to see ZaSu Pitts as Ruby Keelers mother, and Guy Kibbee as the long suffering father. Hugh Hurbert is the uncle, Ezra Ounce, cut down to manageable proportions in this version.
Not that any of this really matters as the important contribution comes from Busby Berkeley, and those not familiar with the production numbers in this film are in for a treat - I actually prefer them to Gold Diggers of 1935 - Joan Blondell is excellent as the 'Girl At The Ironing Board' and performing the catchy 'Try To See It My Way', and Dick Powell has never been better than warbling 'I only Have Eyes For You' and the introduction to the amazing 'Dames' number, featuring as it does about a hundred blonde scantily dressed Berkeley girls.
As I did the editing on both these releases, it would not be fitting or proper for me to comment on that aspect. They were however, due to the very complicated and involved plots, the two most difficult films that I have reduced for Derann, and due to the very long running times of the musical numbers, very difficult to split into two 400' reels, and the split between part 1&2 of 'Dames' takes place within the 'I Only Had Eyes For You' during a suitable pause in the music. This was unavoidable, but done hopefully, in such a way that provided the picture and the sound are the same for both reels, it should be undetectable when joined up as a continuous 800', and there is no problem if you keep them as separate parts. 'Gold Diggers Of 1935' has a fade-out at the end of part 1, and a fade-in on part 2.
Once Again Rank Labs have done a good job on the prints, and if anything, this is just the better of the two, having just the edge on definition and with slightly better blacks. The sound is very smooth and well recorded.
Well there you have the perfect 'double bill' to cheer up these bleak winter evenings, over 60 minutes of some of the best of Busby Berkeley, indeed some would argue that these two films contain his very best work.
These two films have cost Derann a considerable amount to release, hence the higher than usual selling price, but I think they are worth every penny, and can highly recommend them for their musical content alone.
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Distributed by: Derann
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The above review was printed in Super Eight Film Review |
