RKO pull out the B listers for this one - Alan Marshall and Laraine Day. These are pretty enough people but can't carry a rom com. The support cast don't help - randoms like Egar Buchanan and Marsha Hunt. The only one really skilled at comedy us Buchanan.
The production values are impressive - this was an "A" movie at RKO, which makes it surprising they had to borrow all the lead actors.
The story didn't work for me - I know it was based on an Oscar nominated script by Norman Krasna - but it seems like Alan Marshall is more interested in Marsha Hunt, and he's not that into Day. And it feels kind of weird he goes off with Day at the end. Was the original this wonky? I can't remember.
There's an extended sequence where Marshall is in a room with drugged Hunt for over an hour while Day is outside with Hunt's fiancee and they are stressing out. It really seems like they're having sex in there. I was unsure about the friendship between Day and Hunt and Hunt's feelings for Marshall and Marshall's feelings for Hunt and Day and Allyn Joslyn sort of hanging around.
The film was a hit - such is war. And probably the likeability of Ms Day. Who is very pretty. And likeable. That's about it. Marshall doesnt have the chops for this sort of thing - you can see why he didn't become a star. A good fake love interest or leading man.
No comments:
Post a Comment