Looking for Trouble (1934)

It is a performances centric movie

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Copyright 9 March 1934 by 20th Century Pictures Inc. Presented by Joseph M. Schenck. Released through United Artists: 29 March 1934. New York opening at the Rivoli: 11 April 1934. U.K. release: 20 October 1934. Australian release: 7 November 1934. 8 reels. 80 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Hardbitten telephone linesman has an off and on romance with his girlfriend because he suspects her boss is a crook. COMMENT: Producer Darryl F. Zanuck was certainly looking for trouble when he brought Wild Bill Wellman and Spencer Tracy together. The two men took an instant dislike to each other, a dislike that quickly bloomed into such a mutual hatred that the two men came to blows both on and off the set. The feud continued even after the movie wrapped until Wellman gave Tracy a black eye during a fight at the Trocadero on 4 December 1935. The movie itself is an entry in the popular hero-has-a-comic-sidekick brigade, although I found Mr Oakie's frequent bouts of deliberately forced comedy wearisome rather than entertaining. Fortunately, the movie captures more thrills than laughs even though the action is considerably delayed by a lot of romantic squabbling which we all know is going to come to nought. Whilst definitely below his usual standard, Tracy's performance rates as acceptable enough. He allowed Jack Oakie, Judith Wood and Paul Harvey to steal scenes, but drew level with Constance Cummings (who was cast in a lack-luster role as Tracy's on again off again girlfriend). Understandably, Wellman's direction lacks his usual drive, though he does come good in the two climactic action scenes.

Tracy was always playing the hard guy in his days at Fox Films. He really didn't play normal or sympathetic figures until he moved to MGM. Here Tracy plays Joe Graham, a telephone company troubleshooter. He's offered a promotion - a job as supervisor of 14 other troubleshooters, and tells his boss he doesn't want the job. The money means nothing to him, not sitting around in an office means everything to him. He says he just wants to be happy and for now being a troubleshooter does that. He's apparently seen the world, hopping freighters for China or India, or wherever, and just picking up odd jobs until he wanted to come home.He's dating Ethel (Constance Cummings), but their relationship is turbulent. He's jealous of everyone, and of Dan in particular. Dan's a bad guy, working both as a troubleshooter and in an illegal gambling hall. Heck, he'll do anything to pick up money if it's illegal. Joe knows this and keeps mum about it - not because he's crooked himself, he just has a philosophy of not meddling. But when something Dan has done gets blamed on Joe's new partner, Casey (Jack Oakie), Joe speaks up, gets Dan fired, and Joe punches Dan in the nose for good measure. Since Dan has been circling around Ethel, he tells Ethel a one sided story of what happened - that Joe beat him up AND got him fired just because Joe was jealous. Ethel breaks if off with Joe and is drawn even closer to Dan, with whom she sympathizes.The point here is, both of these people are being unreasonable and not communicating. Ethel never bothers to hear Joe's side of the story. Joe goes around accusing Ethel of being untrue to him, when she has often just gone out by herself on nights when Joe was troubleshooting. In the meantime, Joe's goofy partner hits it off with Ethel's roommate, played by Arlene Judge, although the mutual attraction had me scratching my head.So Ethel quits the phone company and starts working for Dan, who is actually running an illegal enterprise out his rented office of which Ethel is completely unaware. Now you might think, I can see where this is going. Dan is going to out himself as a bad character, Ethel will see the error of her ways, possibly in danger of bodily harm from Dan, Joe saves the day, all is well.Actually, that's not what happens at all. The turn of events is completely unexpected and the last half of this film is particularly exciting. I'll let you watch and find out what does happen. Let me just say that even an earthquake enters in as a plot point! Great shades of "San Francisco"! Let me just say in closing that I never thought Paramount or Fox really knew what to do with Jack Oakie. It seems like he did his best stuff at Universal - "Chance of a Lifetime", "Bowery to Broadway", and "That's The Spirit" come to mind. At any rate I'd recommend this one. It certainly does not take you where you'd expect it to take you.

The lives of telephone repair men are explored in an overly plotty comedy with contrasting types playing off of each other with both tough and humorous dialog. Spencer Tracy and Jack Oakie reminded me of Bing Crosby and Bob Hope in the best "Road" movies with their quite opposite personalities. Tracy is hard and cynical, while Oakie is a good-natured jokester who lightens up his initially unamused partner quite a bit in spite of the fact that they both love the same woman. During the course of the movie, they discover a dead body, get involved in a bank heist and manager to get out of a burning building where they were held hostage. The clever dialog helps the film rise above its convoluted plot which runs all over the place in a short running time. A hard-boiled dame played by Judith Wood adds some zest to the conclusion, the other women in the plot not very interesting.

Tracy aces the Bell Telephone Company trouble shooter hero character. Incident is piled high as Spence takes a night time 'phone emergency, with new side kick Okie in tow, and gets mixed in with the speak easy low lifes at the club, where he's repairing the 'phone. Misunderstandings follow with switch operator lady friend Cummings and rival gone to the bad Conway, involving wire tapping and a bank job. Throw in the 1933 Long Beach earth quake no less. They go on too long past the fire scene, which should be the climax and major talents like director Wellman, Tracy and Cummings must have regarded this as light duties but they seem to be in their element and deliver lively entertainment for the undemanding.