Fashions Of 1934 (1934)

A con man (William Powell), his assistant (Frank McHugh) and a designer (Bette Davis) travel to Paris where they plan to make knock offs of the exclusive haute couture fashion house designs for the U.S. market. Based on THE FASHION PLATE by Harry Collins and Warren Duff and directed by William Dieterle (PORTRAIT OF JENNIE), this is a throwaway of a movie. Davis has never looked more glamorous but you'd never guess she would soon become one of the screen's great actresses. She might as well be Ruby Keeler here! Powell lays the charm on but it's an uphill battle. The film has two big production numbers. One, a fashion show is entertaining enough but the other (this being a Warners picture) is one of those godawful overproduced Busby Berkeley musical numbers with girls as human harps and ostrich feathers everywhere. Mercifully at a running time of one hour and 18 minutes, it's not too tedious a sit. With Reginald Owen, Verree Teasdale, Hugh Herbert and Jane Darwell.