Marlene Dietrich's career revived with Destry Rides Again so Universal whipped up this follow up, which uses many of the same elements, and mixes it in with Sadie Thompson. She's a singer who travels through the South Seas, getting kicked out of various islands for causing brawls, which is a funny concept. She lands on one island and falls for naval officer John Wayne.
Wayne and Dietrich work well together - they had an affair in real life and their chemistry is evident: she with her exotic looks and warm nature, and he this big handsome lug. They seem to genuinely like each other as well as finding each other attractive.
The other strength of this film is the support cast - Dietrich has these offsiders including dopey Broderick Crawford, doctor Albert Dekker, and pickpocket Mischa Auer.
There's a horrible scene were Crawford slaps Dietrich around to dissuade her from marrying Wayne - and the film seems to support that position. It's not exactly strong on plot either - it's mostly men falling for Dietrich, with Oscar Homolka being a bit too stalker-y.
There's several brawls and songs. I'm a sucker for stories set in the South Seas, and it has the breezy charm of many medium budget films Wayne starred in during that decade between Stagecoach and Red River.
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