A star struck yokel (Red Skelton) arrives in Hollywood with the ambition of being a movie actor. He's naive so a struggling actress (Virginia O'Brien) takes him under her wing to show him the ropes. Based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly (which was based on the book by Harry Leon Wilson) and directed by choreographer turned director Robert Alton (PAGAN LOVE SONG). This is the second film version of the book and play, it was filmed in 1932 under the title MAKE ME A STAR. I found this one more affable than the 1932 movie because Skelton, like him or not, has more presence than the bland Stuart Erwin in the first version. Skelton can be irritating but he's rather subdued (for him) here since he's not supposed to know he's funny and I enjoyed the serious scenes much more than the comedic ones. Virginia O'Brien's down to earth warmth was most welcome. Audiences didn't find it funny either and the movie tanked. With Gloria Grahame, Leon Ames, Alan Mowbray, Hugo Haas and Jim Davis.
No comments:
Post a Comment