This is Cecil B. DeMille's weirdest film, but it is not nearly as bad as film history would have you believe. It was his only musical comedy and it tanked at the box office, but I've always been fond of these early sound curios. Kay Johnson plays Angela Brooks, married to wealthy Bob Brooks (Reginald Denny) who spends his nights partying with his friend Jimmy (Roland Young). Bob "respects" his wife, but his passion goes to his mistress, Trixie (Lillian Roth).
When Angela finds out about Bob's mistress, she goes to have it out with her, and finds that Trixie could care less about being found out, and worse gives away all of her secrets about getting and keeping Bob, feeling that Angela wouldn't know how to use such tips anyways. . Later, Jimmy has a masked ball staged on a dirigible complete with bizarre musical numbers. It is visually interesting, but as with all of the music in this film, the numbers are completely forgettable. The only thing musically memorable is Lillian Roth doing a couple of numbers. If she hadn't had a tragic life right out of the gate there would have probably never been an Ethel Merman, because Roth would have had Merman's career. She has a spitfire presence and a booming sexy voice.
The men are bidding for dances with the women, with all attention and bidding going to Trixie until a stranger walks in - Madame Satan. She is supposed to be French but she sounds just like Greta Garbo and she is supposed to be dressed like Satan but she looks like Catwoman to me. In the meantime, the crew is getting concerned because a storm is brewing and threatening the dirigible.
Bob Brooks is a curious character. In spite of the fact that he is cheating on his wife he seems to have strong Puritanical standards for both his wife and his mistress. However, he doesn't mind abandoning Trixie for the promise of bigger better possibilities, even if Trixie is standing right there. Roland Young is always good as the friend with his dry one liners. Even though he has a small part in this film, he is the only one with a semblance of a film career just a few years later.
Recommended for the weirdness of it all, but I admit these early talkies are my weakness and YMMV.
