Myrt and Marge

Originally, "Myrt and Marge" was a radio show...one I have never heard nor have nearly all the folks who read this review. And, I know almost nothing about the radio show. But, what I do know is that the film was surprisingly good despite having a relatively small budget since it was made by Universal Studios....a relatively small and lower budgeted film studio during the 1930s.

The film begins with all the performers and crew of a play being told by their boss that he's broke and has no choice but to stop production. However, he also tells them that they are free to continue the production on their own...provided they can get financing. And, like you'd expect in such a film, they soon find a Mr. Jackson who is willing to invest in the musical extravaganza. But there's a huge problem...Jackson is a perv and wants to use his position to force poor Marge into bed with him.

While a post-code film would have been very vague about the sexual harassment aspect, since this is a brave pre-code film it's NOT just sexual harassment...and ultimately he tries to rape her. It's a very adult thing for movies back then, but it's also handled very deftly...and there's nothing vague about his attack nor the response it provokes! I applaud the film for being so brave about such a sensitive topic.

But the movie isn't just good because it handles the assault so well....it's also a fun and well made picture. Most of the songs are catchy, the comedy provided by Ted Healy and His Stooges is clever and the leads are all very good. Universal, in this case, was hitting on all cylinders and a 'small' picture like this should have been routine...but thankfully wasn't. Overall, very enjoyable and well worth seeing.