Lee Tracy

For fans of early 1930’s films, Lee Tracy is both fondly remembered and highly regarded. The red-headed actor had a charisma and charm that suited the pre-code Hollywood era perfectly. The raw energy and enthusiasm for life which came across so well on-screen was very much a genuine facet of his own personality. It would be the factor which would eventually derail his career, but the Atlanta-born actor enlivened and added spark to many great films during the early period of sound. Perhaps the most supreme example of his talent was in director Roy Del Ruth’s, Blessed Event. Snappy and full of sharp and sometimes ribald dialog, it was a showcase for everything great about Tracy, and pictures during the pre-code era.

The play by Manuel Seff and Forest Wilson was adapted to the screen in winning fashion by Howard Green. Rivaling later films like Howard Hawks’ His Girl Friday, itself a remake of The Front Page, the repartee comes fast and furious, is often bitingly funny, and is filled with enough great throwaway lines to make at least a good five pictures. As cynical as Ben Hecht’s script for Nothing Sacred, and containing just as much dark humor, this is a film anyone purporting to love the movies should see.

A great cast surrounds Lee Tracy in this one, including Mary Brian, Allen Jenkins, a very young Dick Powell, Emma Dunn as Alvin’s mother, and Ruth Donnelly, who shines bright as Tracy’s co-worker. Tracy’s Alvin Roberts is given the spotlight, however, as the up-and-coming reporter finally gets his chance and sets the streets of New York buzzing with his racy column, Spilling the Dirt. He’s working in obscurity for the Daily Express until he’s allowed to fill in for a vacationing reporter, and starts telling the public what they probably shouldn't know. The boss has given Alvin and inch and he’s taken ten miles. Everyone is sure he’s going to get canned, but when circulation skyrockets, he becomes a star. Nothing is too low, too risque, or too sensitive to reveal to the readers, who can’t wait to hear what’s been going on behind closed doors.

Dick Powell is crooner Buddy Harmon, who once got Alvin fired from a job. Alvin has a long memory, so he uses his clout to flame that fire, while at the same time taking potshots at mobsters and members of high society alike. Donnelly is fabulous as the gal taking down notes and answering calls, her wisecracks some of the best lines. Mary Brian brightens the scenery as Tracy’s love interest, Gladys; if only Alvin could find a heart somewhere, that is. Just how low he’ll go is made evident when a desperate showgirl named Dorothy Lane asks him not to print anything about her blessed event.

Allen Jenkins is memorable as the Chicago enforcer, Frankie Wells, who becomes pals with Alvin’s mom, whom it just so happens, adores Buddy Harmon! A frantic race by Gladys and Frankie to keep Alvin from crashing Buddy Harmon’s new nightclub, Chateau Harmony, leads to a fine finish for this breezy and racy film with a terrific performance by Lee Tracy. Moving faster than a speeding bullet, and smacking into your moviegoing senses with as much force, this is a wonderful example of pre-code Hollywood, and a nice showcase for the talented Lee Tracy. Put this one on your list!… (altro)