Blonde Inspiration

John Shelton, hardly a household name, plays Johnny Briggs--a would-be writer. With some money loaned to him by his uncle (Reginald Owen), he sets off to the city to make a name for himself. Unforatunately, he tries to get a job at a cowboy magazine run by a couple crooks (Albert Dekker and Charles Butterworth). These two are deeply in debt and keep promising money to various folks--including the printer and the man who writes all the articles (Donald Meek). But the printer and writer are sick of the promises and both refuse to do any more work for the magazine. In steps Briggs--who has a couple thousand dollars and is naive enough to think the publisher and editor will honor their contract. At first, the secretary, Margie (Virginia Grey), helps her bosses fool this eager young would-be writer, but she falls for the guy and takes his side--making sure the pair treat him right and give him a larger interest in the magazine. While this might seem like more of nothing, there is a supposed upcoming sale of the magazine and if it goes through, Briggs will get his money back and more. What's next? See the film.

This slickly made B-movie is not what a lot of people would expect from a director like Busby Berkeley--a man known for directing the most incredibly over-the-top musical production numbers in history (in films like "42nd Street", "Footlight Parade" and several of the Gold Diggers movies). However, he apparently preferred making 'normal' films and later got his chance--and "Blonde Inspiration" doesn't have a single song or dance number!

As I said above, this is a B-movie. you can tell for several reasons. Although it's from MGM and looks a lot nicer than the average B, its length is only about 70 minutes and the film has no big stars in the lead. However, being MGM, it has a great set of supporting actors with Meek, Butterworth, Dekker and Owen. However, I would add that Butterworth (who played wonderfully befuddled guys so well) isn't given a lot to do here. Meek, on the other hand, is great as the angry writer--as the idea of this wimpy guy writing cowboy tales is pretty funny--especially when he gets drunk and begins acting like a western hero! Overall, while not a brilliant or must-see film, it is breezy, likable and clever--and unique. I certainly can say that with over 15,000 reviews to my credit, I STILL can't think of any other film that reminds me of this one!

Based on a play, "Blonde Inspiration" is about a young man, Jonathan (John Shelton), who has had no success being a writer. When he visits a publisher of a western magazine to promote his talents, he unwittingly becomes involved in their money-making scheme. And he meets office manager Margie (Virginia Grey) there.

The story is convoluted and unnecessarily meandering. The best part of the film is Virginia Grey, who---despite the story---feels grounded in the reality of her character.

Aspiring writer John Shelton is working on the Great American Novel...but since he's sick of living with his rich aunt, he decides to move out, figuring he will get by on selling some short stories to a cheap magazine.

Little does he know, when he arrives at Smoky Trails magazine with his stories in tow, that said magazine is so nearly broke that the owners are betting on horses to raise money to pay the printer for this month's issue. Also they can't locate the one writer who produces all of their stories because he is out on one of his periodic benders....

Albert Dekker and Charles Butterworth are the shady publishers who quickly notice that young Shelton has not only stories to sell but also a stack of cash that his uncle lent him to get started on. The pair are fast talkers with no scruples—and while they spout some funny lines ("If he insists on cash, we'll promise it to him!"), they soon grow rather annoying.

Donald Meek, on the other hand, is a riot—cast violently against type as drunk and obnoxious western author Dusty King.

Luckily for Shelton, cute Virginia Grey is also on the magazine staff—and her loyalties gradually shift as she watches her colleagues take advantage of the young newcomer. Yes, it's fairly easy to guess where the plot is heading...but the story does have a handful of offbeat touches and some funny dialog to keep it interesting.

My favorite bit is the sequence where Shelton, having been "allowed" to buy into the magazine, is assigned to write an entire issue in a night: "All right," he's instructed, "you get going on the novel and we'll pick it up first thing in the morning."

John Shelton is okay if nothing spectacular in the lead role. Virginia Grey, too, is fine, though I found myself wishing she had a little more to do. Overall, it's one of those pictures where plot is more important than characterization...and the plot is bizarre rather than brilliant.

A real sleeper, this MGM B-pic is a special treat for those who dote on the pulp fiction magazines of the past. Would-be writer John Shelton is lured into investing money not his own in a shoestring western fiction weekly. Further, he gets drafted into writing the shoot 'em up cowboy stories needed to fill its pages when the current king of western pulps goes on one of his periodic benders. That's the situation which leads to the complications.

Cast is uniformly excellent and film is genuinely funny at all the right places. We get to see the big brother of the fabled Plot Genie machine, plus some hilarious sessions with Shelton attempting to brainstorm 2-gun western fiction. There's even a look inside a magazine printing plant. Shelton and Grey are fine in the leads, with great support from Butterworth and Dekker as fly-by-night publishers and the hilarious Donald Meek as Louis L'Amour's Uncle Dusty, the best western novelist who never got further west than a bar in Hoboken. Anyone who has ever written under a deadline will appreciate those scenes! One quibble: as usual in a movie about writers, every book manuscript is shown in a binder *except* one, and when you watch the movie, you'll understand why.

The resolution is not what one would expect from Hollywood, which gives this modest film a considerable boost dramatically and a slightly bittersweet edge to the finale. Tech credits are fine, although the film was shot on sound stages, like most other films of its time, and it's trite but true to say that an MGM B is the equivalent of an A from any other studio of the day.

Direction by Busby Berkeley is smooth and capable, but there are none of the musical numbers you may expect from seeing his name in the credits. In his directorial career Berkeley made numerous non-musicals, most of them forgotten today, as is this one, which is regrettable. Revivals tend to focus on his over-the-top choreography, not on his more modest productions, and Turner Classic Movies, which owns this film, hardly ever shows it. However, the TCM schedule promises a run of Blonde Inspiration at 7:30 am (EST), 29 January 2003. It's not too early to set your VCR. I've already done so!

Fun little film mocks the writing profession. The film's title is a puzzle, because the nice-to-look-at Virginia Grey doesn't seem blonde (although she was in real life). Both Shelton and Grey are pretty cute as the leads, and Donald Meek plays a brash alcoholic pulp writer in an unusual role for him. Albert Dekker is good as the fast-talking boss. But don't look for any Berkely touches, this must have been during his sleep-directing period.