My wife absolutely loves "Gigi" (1958). I don't exactly know why, but I just can't warm to it at all. At all. I think a lot of it is the hokiness of the plot, but some of the problem may be Maurice Chevalier. Just never could warm to his character in film. Well, last night was somewhat different. I have a DVD of "The Way to Love" (1933), and so I decided at nearly midnight to put it in and see about it. Starring Maurice Chevalier, Ann Dvorak, Edward Everett Horton, Minna Gombell (almost doing a perfect Una Merkel), and others, the minor cast is equally fabulous, from John Miljan, Sidney Toler, Grace Bradley, George Regas, Douglass Dumbrille, and still many more. The show can't help but please a Pre-Code, early 30s movie lover. Chevalier is genuinely charming as can be. Edward Everett Horton is wonderful to watch, as always, and he isn't in the least over-the-top as he sometimes can be with his three-look-oh-yeah-what? turn around look he gives in every movie he ever made. This also has a couple of musical numbers that actually are fun, Chevalier showing what made him famous, from his flair for body language with a song to putting it across no matter the subject matter, no matter the words. These are pretty good. Now - what made the movie, though, was Ann Dvorak. She is a fabulous actress. She's a solemn, glum, orphan-raised late teen in the film who's harrassed horribly by her guardian, carnival knife-thrower, George Regas. He's equally stupendous in his nasty part. You really hope something happens to him. Well... Plot is silly and outrageously implausible. The main characters' characters are implausible as all get out. But, you know what? That's exactly what makes this film tick. A wonderful way to introduce yourself to Chevalier. Or to Dvorak. She was a great actress who wasn't given her due. But she took what she got and made more of it than what she got or what anybody thought could be made of it. Decent career for a very, very intelligent actress. Fascinating life, too.
Recommended highly if you're looking for just an hour and a half of sheer non-sensical musical entertainment with a lot of redeeming value attached.
Terrible title, by the way. Much better show than the title could ever hint!
