Gold Diggers of 1937 (1936)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

" . . . if you're willing to obey." No, this is NOT a line of dialogue from the latest FIFTY SHADES DARKER trailer. Rather, it comes as part of the lyric for the powerful closing number of an otherwise fairly slow-paced GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937, "All's Fair in Love and War." This ten-minute visual wonder emanates from the delightfully demented mind of Real Life World War One Drill Sergeant turned Broadway and Hollywood choreographer Busby Berkeley, and is about the closest thing to a live-action Looney Tune ever committed to screen. Call it BUSBY IN WACKYLAND: a tap-dancer strutting his stuff on the seat of a five-story tall rocking chair, a battle of the sexes clinched by womanly weapons of mass deception, Chorines popping out of Cannons, and flag twirlers first performing in mid-air, and then reaching hurricane strength. Otherwise, the plot of this edition of the GOLD DIGGERS series is mostly a vigorous (and prophetic, from Warner Bros.' Early Warning System) defense of the U.S. Affordable Care Act (aka, ObamaCare), with a plot centering on Broadway Producer J.J. Hobart's Pre-existing medical condition. (Spoiler: J.J. will be slain in a New York Minute under the Donald J. Rump Administration.)

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

Busby Berkeley musicals are always great fun to watch regardless of the storyline because of the outstanding musical sequences. Berkeley's Gold Diggers series contains some of the most exciting. Gold Diggers of 1937 is possibly the worst of the lot, but it still isn't bad. With a great cast and an interesting finale, this film is a must for fans of early musicals.Dick Powell stars as an insurance salesman with a terrible record. He bumps into Joan Blondell on a train one day and finds his luck steadily increasing from there. Soon, he gets a client (Victor Moore) to open a million dollar insurance policy, which makes him begin to hear wedding bells. However, his client is not very young, nor is he very healthy. His business partners are counting on this. They've gambled his fortune away and now have no other way to cover their backs. With plotting from both sides, poor old Mr. Hobart is in for a heck of a ride.Unfortunately, this film reads much more like the b-pictures that Powell and Blondell made during the slump in their careers than like the instant classics they were teamed up in at the beginning of their careers.There are only a few songs used throughout this film, and none of them are as catchy as the ones from past installments. Still, they're created quite well visually. "Speaking of the Weather" features two stagings, the first in an office as a tet a tet between Powell and Blondell and the second at a big party. This version features an excellent tap routine. The big finale is "All is Fair in Love and War" which features a bevy of beautiful girls rocking in rocking chairs and bombing their beaus from across a largely black screen.

Blondell and Farell are fetching, Powell is suave, story not too bad, but most of the musical numbers are just a little too silly and corny. The last number, the "show" is quite good though. Worth watching. I want a mustache just like powell's! May be the next big thing after the goatee...