Baby Face Harrington

I would not normally think of Baby Face Harrington as a Raoul Walsh type film as Walsh directed action/adventure films with some of Hollywood's leading actors in the lead.

Star quality eschewed in this 1935 release from MGM's B picture unit. A whole flock of familiar character players populate the cast of this one led by Charles Butterworth who plays his usual droll milquetoast character.

Through an innocent mistake Butterworth takes money from skinflint Donald Meek and his wife's uncle Eugene Pallette who is the Chief of Police has to arrest him. When one of the notorious Nat Pendleton's gang, Stanley Fields is arrested Fields breaks jail and Butterworth goes with him and now folks think maybe this mild mannered clerk might be a criminal mastermind.

Butterworth's wife Una Merkel stands by her man. But that doesn't stop the Snidely Whiplash type villain Harvey Stephens moving in.

All those people in this cast makes this almost required viewing. You will not be disappointed.

The story of a mild mannered milquetoast (today he'd be called a loser) played by Charles Butterworth, who gets mixed up with criminals, cops and a bank robbery. He predictably winds up a hero. But I believe the story here is secondary to the cast, which features Una Merkel (brightens up any film in which she appears), Nat Pendleton, who made a career of playing gangsters and dumb cops, Eugene Palette as a detective and Donald Meek, who for once played a role that wasn't particularly in keeping with his name. Butterworth underplayed a role that was meant to be underplayed, and did it beautifully. Call it a B picture, a bill filler or whatever, it was a pure pleasure watching some of the great character actors of the '30's carry a film in which the focus was not on a major star.

Baby Face Harrington (1935)

** (out of 4)

Raoul Walsh directed this comedy about a dorky bookkeeper (Charles Butterworth) who gets mistaken for a dangerous gangster. Una Merkel, Eugene Palette and Donald Meek co-star in this comedy, which only runs 65-minutes yet it takes at least a half an hour to get warned up but by then it's a little too late. The first half has all sorts of stupid jokes, which aren't funny but there are also long scenes where no laughs are even gone after. Once the mistaken identity happens then things pick up with Butterworth being charming in his role. It's rather strange that Walsh would take over the gangster genre from D.W. Griffith with the landmark Regeneration and then make one of the all time great gangster films in White Heat but have this stuck in the middle.

30s B picture with Charles Butterworth playing a meek and mild man who through ridiculous circumstances gets involved with a vicious gangster. Una Merkel plays his wife who loves him no matter what. Pleasant enough movie. It's not particularly good or that funny but I enjoyed watching it.

Good acting helps. Butterworth is great in the lead role. His dead pan line readings match the material beautifully. Also Merkel was excellent as his long-suffering wife. She's beautiful and plays her role perfectly. Every time she's on screen the film lights up. The supporting cast is full of great character actors that 1930s film fans will recognize instantly. The only real debits are a so-so script and some tired slapstick gags.

Yes its slow at times and a little creaky but it makes up for it with sharp witty dialogue unappreciated by some because of its understated dryness. Watch it for the interplay - Butterworth is superb, Merkel is delightful, great supporting roles for Pallet, Meek, Pendleton and the rest.

One of the most Britishly dry US comedies I've seen and definitely not the usual for its period.