Be Yourself!

BE YOURSELF! (United Artists, 1930), directed by Thornton Freeland, stars Fanny Brice, popular comedienne from burlesque to Ziegfeld Follies to popular radio character of "Baby Snooks," in one of her very rare motion pictures in which she starred. As much as Brice, with her odd facial structure, would be somewhat hard to cast, here she plays a self-sacrificing nightclub entertainer with a soft spot for a hapless prizefighter. Billed in the credits as Fannie, BE YOURSELF!, somewhat mistitled, offers the original "funny girl" herself a chance to be both funny in her manner and sentimental through her feelings. With little evidence to the popularity she gained on stage, this is one opportunity getting to see the one-and-only Fanny Brice on the motion picture screen.

The story opens with prizefighter, Jerry Moore (Robert Armstrong) losing to McGloskey (G. Pat Collins) in the boxing ring. Next scene finds both boxers, seated in separate tables, being entertained by nightclub singer, Fannie Field (Fannie Brice), who very much favors Jerry. Because of his reputation as a boozing fighter who loses his matches, Fannie feels Jerry has potential to become a heavyweight boxing champion. She has her lawyer brother, Harry Field (Harry Green), to give up his practice by acting as his manager. Fannie invests her own money is $200 in fees and $1500 for Jerry's training, but shows no improvement in his boxing style. In time and with the proper training, Jerry wins six successful victories. All goes well until Fannie's showgirl rival, Lillian Wilson (Gertrude Astor), changes her affections from McCloskey to Jerry, even to a point of having his nose fixed and engagement to be married, causing Fannie to feel miserable and betrayed, until she comes up with an idea. Also in the cast are Buddy Fine ("Step"), and Rita Flynn (Jessica).

Fanny Brice, who made her movie debut in a part-talking musical titled by her signature song, MY MAN (Warner Brothers, 1928), currently unavailable for viewing, makes BE YOURSELF! The earliest filmed document to the Brice legend available today. With her acting style a mix between that of comediennes Winnie Lightner and Mae West, Brice does what she can with the material documented. Though she handles both comedy and sentiment convincingly, BE YOURSELF makes one wish this were a solid screwball comedy showcasing Brice's comedic talents. Though the story is rather ordinary, it's highlighted by some good song and dance interludes, including "When a Woman Loves a Man" (sung by Fanny Brice, Gertrude Astor, Marjorie Kane, and chorus); "Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love" "Stasha the Passion of the Pasha" (both sung by Fanny Brice) "Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love" (reprise by boy singer, Jimmy Jolson, dressed in bellhop uniform); "Kicking a Hole in the Sky" (a Satan number with lyrics of "Lovely ladies down in Hades," performed by Brice and others); "It's Better to Be Grateful" and "When a Woman Loves a Man." Of the lively tunes, only the final rendition of "When a Woman Loves a Man" is sentimentally sung with feeling by Brice in the "My Man" mode, but not quite as legendary.

One of the many musicals produced during the 1929-30 era, BE YOURSELF is one of those rare treats that would be of interest today due to the presence of Fanny Brice, or an early look of Robert Armstrong, three years before his iconic adventure film, KING KONG (RKO Radio, 1933) opposite Fay Wray. Harry Green's acting style, which could be annoying at times, is better structured this time around. Though this 65 minute edition of BE YOURSELF might be a shorter reissue edition to a longer original theatrical showing, this is what's circulating today. Briefly distributed on video cassette and DVD through KINO Home Video, BE YOURSELF did broadcast years ago on cable television's American Movie Classics (1997-2000) during the early morning hours. For what it's worth, BE YOURSELF entertains due to Brice's "be yourself" personality along with well-staged production numbers to help move it along. (***)

"Be Yourself!" is only one of a handful of films made by Fanny Brice. Despite being a bit of a sensation for the Ziegfeld Follies, she never hit it off in movies. And, as an astute reviewer already pointed out, the Fanny Brice we all are familiar with is really Barbra Streisand PLAYING Fanny. Here, you get a rare chance to actually see her as she really was in films. Sadly, what I saw was NOT good at all. Fanny's Jewish ethnic humor is off-putting today, though it might have played better back in 1930. The same can be said DOUBLE for that of Harry Green as her brother. His routine is completely one-dimensional and dumb. And, THE joke was that he was a shyster Jewish lawyer--a nasty stereotype that, again, played well back then but which is painful to watch today.

When it comes to plot, it's pretty limp. Robert Armstrong is a nasty guy who loves to punch people, so Brice and her on-screen brother decide to become his boxing managers! Despite knowing nothing, the guy inexplicably wins---and none of this makes any sense. On top of the plot, there are some songs (not good ones) and some very ethnic humor which falls flat. Frankly, there's just not much to like about this film--it's terribly written, dull and the humor is so incredibly awful. Not worth your time--even if you want to catch a glimpse of Fanny.

After seeing this film, I think I understood why Brice did few films. She just wasn't enjoyable in the least and you wonder what Ziegfeld and the audiences of the 1920s saw in her. Painful and awful.

"Be Yourself" was a hastily thrown together film that had to include a few musical numbers just to satisfy a 65 minute runtime. It starred Fanny Brice, Robert Armstrong, Harry Green, G. Pat Collins, and Gertrude Astor.

Robert Armstrong played Jerry Moore, a wannabe boxer who spent more time on his back than on his feet. After he slugged the reigning champion, McCloskey aka Mac (G. Pat Collins), in a nightclub, some palooka put the idea in Fannie's head that Jerry could fight professionally.

Fannie (Fanny Brice), who worked at the nightclub of topic, got her brother Harry (Harry Green) to be Jerry's manager and the three were off and running. Fannie just had to figure out how to keep Jerry from going to the canvas with every landed blow.

The movie was so-so at best. They filled too much time with singing and stage acts, and the gold digger routine by Gertrude Astor was unimaginative. I can tell that a lot of Hollywood writers were victims, or afraid to become victims, of gold diggers because they wrote about them so much.

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I was curious about Fanny Brice in her younger years, and this is the only commercially available film that stars her of which I am aware. The plot is thin and preposterous, but that's not the point. The point is viewing Fanny's comedy and musical talents and some unusual production numbers as well as the great art deco style of the nightclub in which she works.

Fanny plays a nightclub performer who has financed her younger brother's law school and also set him up in business for himself. He has quite the memory for individual laws, but is a little too ambitious at chasing ambulances only about ten years after ambulances have been around. Enter down-on-his-luck boxer Jerry Moore (Robert Armstrong), who frequents the club where Fanny works. He gets mad one night at a fellow patron, boxing champ Mac, who has been mouthing off to him, and Jerry knocks him out after only a few punches. This gives Fanny and her brother the idea that maybe all that Jerry needs is a good manager to organize his career, and they decide to take on the job. After Fanny invests in a bunch of training equipment for Jerry she learns that he's only fought four times and he's only won once, and that was a technical decision. She doesn't quite have on her hands the diamond in the rough that she thought she had. Will Fanny get Jerry to stop lying down every time after he is punched the first time? Is a lasting romance in the cards for the two? Can Fanny get her brother to stop suing people? Watch and find out.

As for the songs - "Cookin Breakfast for the One I Love" is very cute and is probably the only time you'll ever see Robert Armstrong in a duet with anybody, the production number "Kicking a Hole in the Sky" has Fanny and chorus dueling with the devil, and "When a Woman Loves a Man" has a torch song quality to it. The five numbers included here really showed Brice's musical range.

There's also some cute comedy bits involving the other girls that work in the club. One mentions that she told her boyfriend that if he didn't marry her she'd kill herself. While she's getting ready for the next act a package arrives from him. Expecting an engagement ring she instead receives a gun.

I would recommend it to anybody who likes the early talkies.

Fanny Brice was a great Broadway star and starred in 3 films between 1928 and 1930. Be Youself is the last of her starring films, although she would make "guest appearances" in several more through 1945.

In this one she is a nightclub star in love with a has-been fighter (Robert Armstrong). She decides to become his coach (along with her brother) and he becomes a success, but he falls for a gold-digging babe (Gertrude Astor). That's all the plot there is.

The film is badly directed and edited, with abrupt cuts and lousy continuity. But Brice is energetic and fun and sings a few numbers, the best of which is "For the One I Love." She also does a bizarre Dante number and a operatic spoof in close-up which is very funny. Brice may not have been a beauty but she was a great talent and had charm and talent to spare.

Armstrong (best known for King Kong) is pleasant as a palooka, and Astor is okay as the floozie. Harry Green is not funny as a lawyer brother. Marjorie Kane is good as a boop-a-doop girl, and G. Pat Collins is the other fighter. The red cap is radio star Jimmy Tolson.

Certainly worth a look to see the legendary Fanny Brice in action.