We're in the Money

a minor warner studio output using up its contract players. blondell and farrell spark off each other like an early version of thelma and louise as they serve witness summons on a range of male lugs: a crooner, a wrestler and a wiseguy. an interesting film for the potential it offered for female leads, a potential that hollywood has always underexploited.

All I can say is any Warner film that has ROSS Alexander and PHIL REGAN in supporting roles is already in trouble. Ross has no sparks as a leading man running away from a process server (Joan Blondell) and Regan's high-pitched tenor is hard on the ears. For comic slant we have HUGH HERBERT in another one of his stereotyped roles to gather whatever laughs there are from a motorboat out of control.

Then we have JOAN BLONDELL and GLENDA FARRELL fast talking their way through an "Okay, toots" kind of script and we have more trouble ahead as the two leading ladies blunder their way through one mistake after another in search of good comedic results. The script is no help, with Blondell getting dumped overboard from a yacht several times in a row.

Mercifully, the programmer is only 66 minutes in length, but seems longer than that. Not recommended to anyone but die hard Joan Blondell fans who apparently think she's great in everything, no matter how ridiculous the plotting is or how slim the material.

Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell made quite a few films together, and you could tell had fun. That is the secret to any good film, and Warner Brothers held the distinction of cranking out a ton of dramas and comedies that clicked. Warners also had a stable of some of the best actors, and always put them to good use. The word on the street was everybody had fun making these films.

The ladies, this time, are process servers(?) who go through some wacky situations to get the job done. But what happens when their next target is someone who catches their eye, at least one of them? Sparks fly and it gets even more complicated.

This is fun stuff, and with a dependable cast, foremost hilarious Hugh Herbert, who is perfect for this kind of material. Herbert's trademark was his "woo woo" laugh, which could either mean he's enjoying something or in big trouble. Humphrey Bogart's wife at the time, Mayo Methot, also has a small part in this one. Methot gained more fame being married to Bogey and always fighting with him, making lots of headlines at the time. One big happy family.

Its also neat to spot all the veteran actors here, and most were Warner Brothers alum. Many were in the GOLD DIGGERS musical comedy series. Both Farrell and Blondell appeared in GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937. A big thank you to TCM for rerunning this on a lazy summer afternoon with lots of memories attached.

Usually sold in WB box sets, this film is on dvd for collectors.

... and if they had it would have likely been much better.

Dixie Tilton (Glenda Farrell) and Ginger Stewart (Joan Blondell) are process servers employed by attorney Homer Bronson (Hugh Herbert). They want to quit, but Bronson has a troublesome client, Claire LeClaire who is suing a rich man for breach of promise. There are four subpoenas involved, and the male servers who have attempted to do the serving have been beaten up. Bronson promises the girls a thousand dollars if they can serve all four, the idea being that a female process server will not be suspected. Ginger is in love with a chauffeur she has been meeting in the park and she only knows his name is Carter. He is, in fact, the object of the breach of promise suit. C. RIchard Courtney. He wears the chauffeur's outfit to throw process servers off the trail. Neither Carter nor Ginger knows who the other is, but since Ginger is going to end up serving him, you just know complications will ensue when the truth comes out about both of them.

As it stands it would have made a good three reel (30 minutes long) short. Or the plot could have been beefed up considerably and it could have been worthy of its 64 minute runtime. Instead it is stuffed with a wrestling match, a nightclub number, and a bunch of badly done overlong chase scenes both in boats and cars with third rate back projection while the actual dialogue and cast interaction is somewhat anemic. I will say this about it - Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell have great chemistry together and make a terrific comedic duo. It's no wonder they were teamed several times as they were a joy to watch.

Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell are process servers for nitwit lawyer Hugh Herbert. Their current and last assignment is to serve subpoenas on Ross Alexander and his associates in a breach-of-promise case brought by Anita Kerry, who's French when she isn't talking like someone from the Lower East Side of New York. What Miss Blondell doesn't know is that the chauffeur she's in love with is Alexander, made up in the disguise by his lawyer, Henry O'Neill, to avoid be subpoenaed.

The comedy is securely carried by Herbert and Miss Farrell, both operating at a great pace, with Miss Blondell playing the more serious of the two young ladies. There's a lovely sequence showing the ladies at work as they subpoena various people for the case, only to be blocked by the calm cynicism of Henry O'Neill as Alexander's lawyer. The happy ending is a bit rushed, and the process photography that makes Herbert such a terrifyingly funny driver is a bit obvious, but the easy camaraderie of Miss Blondell and Miss Farrell, who appeared in five films together, help to make this a superior comedy.