I will confess up front that I have never understood the stardom of Mae West. She's not good-looking, she has an unusual figure that looks odd in almost any outfit, and she has a dramatic range about the size of a walnut. Some of her one-liners are funny, but I find her hard to watch. Other comic acts of the time (Fields, Marx, even Stooges) are much funnier and less dated. My guess is that her pushing of moral boundaries made her a curiosity - a trend that unfortunately continues to the present day.
This film is a curious mix of a predictable Dudley Do-Right style melodrama (featuring villains in moustaches and fair damsels in distress) with a comedy that never delivers much in the way of laughs. (It's hard to get to uproarious about white slavery.) West's vocal solos, hair, and make-up are hideous, and speaking of make-up, Cary Grant seems to be wearing as much eye shadow as his leading lady.
The best comedy bits are delivered by minor characters, including non-speaking extras in the bar scenes. Some jokes will go right over the head of folks who don't get the allusions (like the song "Where Did You Get That Hat?" played early in the film, or Mae West quoting "Old Black Joe" when waiting for her maid).
Fortunately, this dud is barely over an hour in length, making the wait for the ending slightly less excruciating.
This film is a curious mix of a predictable Dudley Do-Right style melodrama (featuring villains in moustaches and fair damsels in distress) with a comedy that never delivers much in the way of laughs. (It's hard to get to uproarious about white slavery.) West's vocal solos, hair, and make-up are hideous, and speaking of make-up, Cary Grant seems to be wearing as much eye shadow as his leading lady.
The best comedy bits are delivered by minor characters, including non-speaking extras in the bar scenes. Some jokes will go right over the head of folks who don't get the allusions (like the song "Where Did You Get That Hat?" played early in the film, or Mae West quoting "Old Black Joe" when waiting for her maid).
Fortunately, this dud is barely over an hour in length, making the wait for the ending slightly less excruciating.