weezeralfalfa
The penultimate of a series of musicomedies that Warner produced with the title Gold Diggers of.....or in...... . Only those produced in the '30s are still available. They may be purchased, along with 5 other films, in the Busby Berkeley 9 Film DVD Collection. It's commonly concluded that these films declined in interest with progression over time. However, to me, the 1935 installment is least interesting. Certainly, the screen plays in the last 2 are at least as interesting. The finale musical production was more interesting to me than in the '35 film or "Gold Diggers of Paris".During the credits, Dick Powell sings "With Plenty of "Money and You", which would be reprised. Then, during a life insurance salesman conference, he sings "The Life Insurance Song". When the meeting adjourns, a horde of female gold diggers are waiting outside to follow the men when they board the train outside. One remarks "Ï Like fat men. You can always outrun them" Joan Blondell(as Norma) pairs up with Powell, and asks for a job in his insurance company. They get further acquainted in his office, as the wind from a storm blows his desk papers all over the room, and Powell sings "Speaking of the Weather".J.J. Hobart(Victor Moore),a stage producer, is always in a bad mood, especially complaining about his body. He has innumerable bottles of pills on hi desk. He wants to produce a new show soon but, unknown to him, his 2 assistants lost the money he gave them on a stock market gamble. Powell shows up to sell him life insurance, but he says he doesn't need any because he has no dependent, and enough money. However, his crooked associates convince him to take out a $1 million policy, with his company as the beneficiary. But can he pass the physical?. Four doctors examine him, and, amazingly, pass him. Now, Powell wants JJ to have a long life, as the longer the policy is in force, the more commission he gets. In contrast, JJ's crooked assistants(Hugo and Morty) want him to die soon so they can replace the money they lost. They talk showgirl Genevieve(Glenda Farrell) into trying to stress his heart by vigorous dancing and seduction. But JJ feels much younger with the attention of a young woman. He's playing ping pong and leap frog in his office. This is not working, so his assistants discretely bump him into the swimming pool, hoping he will drown. But Powell is nearby and dives in to save JJ and his future commissions. Genevieve finally tells JJ that his associates lost all his money for the show. He faints and is taken to the hospital. Powell gets a call from the hospital saying that JJ is 'gone', which Powell interprets as meaning he died. But it really means he left the hospital, and shows up at his office.Meanwhile, Powell and Joan have taken time out occasionally to romance. Powell sings "With Plenty of Money and You", and later "Let's "Put Our Heads together". He organizes a fund raiser for the show. His boss invests significant money in it. The chorus girls try to blackmail their boyfriends into investing in it, and finally, enough is collected to put on the show, which features the song "Äll's Fair in Love and War". Against a pitch black background, a mass of rocking chairs appears, with a couple in each. This transforms into a single huge rocking chair, which is blown up by a chorus girl. A white cannon and stacks of white cannon balls appears in its place. Each ball that is fired turns into a circular close up of one of the chorus girls, until the cannon is blown to bits. A lineup of male dancers in soldier uniforms, with rifles, is in a trench. Parallel to them is a trench filled with female dancers, who charge into the no man's land between, wielding spray bottles: presumably squirting perfume as they advance. This scene turns into a drum corps, then a bugle corps, then a flag corps, all of whom march around, doing various maneuvers. To me, the funniest character was bald, pudgy, Victor Moore, who played JJ. Powell also provided some laughs. Joan was cute and personable, this being her 3rd leading lady role in the Warner musical series including Busby Berkeley.
TheLittleSongbird
Gold Diggers of 1933 was a terrific film with some of Busby Berkeley's best material. Gold Diggers of 1935 was almost as good too, but this was a little disappointing. Apart from the cracking final number All's Fair in Love and War Berkeley's choreography lacks excitement and has a rather toned down feeling to it(censorship no doubt had something to do with it). While it still looks quite nice, it's nicely shot and the costumes are well-tailored, there is also a sense with the less-than-grand sets and how some scenes are staged that there was a lack of budget. Dick Powell sings beautifully and has a charming appearance but can have a tendency to be a little too sappy and wooden here. The songs are very nice and catchy still, Speaking of the Weather is charming and All's Fair in Love and War is catchy and in all respects the highlight of the film. There's plenty of snappy dialogue to savour also, and while with some silly moments the plot is actually pretty decent and paced well. The performances compliment the film nicely, Victor Moore is very funny and wonderfully cranky, Joan Blondell still charms even when in more subdued mode and Glenda Farrell is deliciously sassy, coming this close to stealing the film whenever she appears. All in all, disappointing but still enjoyable. 7/10 Bethany Cox
JLRMovieReviews
Victor Moore and his partners are putting on a Broadway show, but they are virtually broke, so his partners' plan is to get Victor Moore some life insurance and then get the old man to croak so they can get the insurance money to pay the bills, in this 1930s movie musical. Dick Powell and Joan Blondell (real life husband and wife) star as the leads, who meet and fall in love and Glenda Farrell is on hand for some fine wisecracks and for being used to dupe Victor Moore. Joseph Crehan and Osgood Perkins (Psycho star Anthony Perkins' father) are Victor's partners who have this secret plan. The film on the whole is very enjoyable and pleasant, but is not terribly inspired or original; it's not that it's a bad film, it's just not that great of a film to write home about at all, along with the fact it's a tad long given for such a paper-thin plot. It's nowhere as good as its predecessors "Gold Diggers of 1933 and 1935", which featured some show-stopping musical numbers choreographed by Busby Berkeley. It's also not as funny as "Gold Diggers in Paris" with Hugh Herbert. So all in all, if you like the stars and this type of movie musical, you'd probably like it, but you won't be wowed too much by some pretty forgettable songs. Period.
writers_reign
For reasons best known to themselves Warners decided to go with two songwriting teams on this one, despite the fact that the number one team of Harry Warren and Al Dubin were already batting .600. Nevertheless they tapped Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg to provide half the score and the clash of styles is an apt metaphor for this hybrid movie which is neither fish nor fowl. Dick Powell was also a joke as a tenor and by saddling him with a moustache the producers only gave us cynics more to scoff at. Given the fact he was married to co-star Joan Blondell at the time the chemistry between the two is lackluster to say the least. Victor Moore has the key role which is ... er, Victor Moore, maybe he should have paid the two dollars and bought himself out of this one. Glenda Farrell does what she can but still winds up married to Moore - it's that kind of film. One the other hand musical buffs and Golddigger completists will welcome the chance to add this to their collections.
