Walking on Air

Henry Stephenson and Jessie Ralph are parents at their wits end trying to keep heiress daughter Ann Sothern from marrying divorcee Alan Curtis who is a real drip. But Sothern has a plan.

She hires crooner Gene Raymond to impersonate an arrogant French count who is so obnoxious that the parents will cheer with relief when Sothern and Curtis tie the knot.

Only the usual happens in this gazilionth movie about heiresses in the 30s, Raymond and Sothern fall in love.

Raymond has a pleasant though he was no threat to Crosby, Columbo, and Vallee. And he sure couldn't compete with his own wife Jeanette MacDonald. Songs in this film are pretty forgettable.

Walking On Air is pleasant enough entertainment.

This entertaining springtime Musical reunites one of Hollywood's reportedly most reluctant screen-teams for the second of their five pairings at RKO Radio Pictures. Yet Ann Sothern and Gene Raymond accept the challenge to deliver fine performances in Song and Comedy, and willingly to tackle new skills for their roles: for Gene, he continually practices the art of monocle-wearing, and for Ann, she learns automobile driving maneuvers, such as to brake before colliding with her co-star. Yet their collective singing talents remain perfectly harmonious.

Well, at the Bennett estate, in Beverly Hills, Mr. Horace Bennett (Henry Stephenson) locks his determined daughter, Kit Bennett (Ann Sothern), into her second-story room for threatening to elope with that ne'er-do-well gold-digger Fred Randolph (Alan Curtis), whose ex-wife, the Ex-Mrs. Fred Randolph (Anita Colby) doesn't care as long as Fred meets her outrageous demands for back alimony or else.

Evelyn Bennett (Jessie Ralph) serves as a voice of reason, of sorts, as the sister who stands up to Horace and as spinster aunt of Kit, who genuinely cares for Kit's well-being, while efficiently lacing with clever wisecracks many resulting confrontations with everyone else.

Now, unbeknown to each other, Kit and Horace each places a newspaper want ad to search for assistance regarding that there Fred Randolph: Horace intends to hire a burly guard to ward off Fred in the event that he sets foot upon the Bennett estate to attempt to elope with Kit, while Kit intends to hire a decoy to impersonate an insulting French nobleman to ire her father into yielding to her plans with Fred.

Joe (Gordon Jones), an unemployed job seeker, spots the items in the want ads and convinces his roommate to apply for the one, and Joe for the other. Roommate, Pete Quinlan (Gene Raymond), who anticipates success with his forthcoming audition to sing upon a Radio Station KARB program, initially disregards Joe's suggestion, at least until he realizes that they're down to their bottom dollar, while staying at the apartment of Pete's vacationing brother and sister-in-law, Tom Quinlan (George Meeker) and Flo Quinlan (Maxine Jennings), after Joe convinces them that a change of scenery might be nice.

Well, Horace takes to hiring Joe, as Kit pays a visit to Pete, to make him over into the fashionably insulting Count Pierre Louis de Marsac, a plot device reportedly borrowed from the career of comedian Vincent Barnett, who was often invited to Hollywood dinner parties, to portray an insulting waiter.

But Horace takes to the notion of Kit's hosting Count Pierre Louis de Marsac, greatly preferring him to Fred, and hoping that Kit does, as well, even though that's hardly her intention, while Aunt Evelyn attempts to understand Kit and Horace's mindsets once events begin to go awry before her very eyes.

In addition to his household staff, including Bennett's Maid (Fern Emmett) and Vincent, Bennett's Butler (Charles Coleman), Horace hires Albert, the French Valet (George Beranger) to serve Count Pierre Louis de Marsac with provincial hospitality. But once Albert discovers certain newspaper clippings inserted into the pockets of Kit and Pete's clothing, Horace decides to warn Kit that the Count may not be French at all, or maybe that this French pancake may not be a Count, while Evelyn begins to see the overall picture.

So, at the Beach Club restaurant one evening, the tide begins to turn for one and all, as Kit ponders Horace's unanticpated reactions to Pete, and Pete decides to try to turn the tables on Fred, before the schemes begin to spiral out of control. Patricia Wilder has a role as the wisecracking KARB Receptionist, advancing yet another plot twist.

This includes three songs performed at least twice each, consisting of "Cabin On The Hilltop," "My Heart Wants To Dance," and the show-stopping "Let's Make a Wish," as the lovely soprano Ann Sothern harmonizes with the smooth tenor Gene Raymond, accompanied by that docile but very capable group around the beach campfire in the Beach Club backdrop.

Walking on Air is a fortunate Musical Comedy of the 1930's. It is fortunate to have the lovely and talented Ann Sothern at her radiant best, Gene Raymond (real-life husband of musical great, Jeanette MacDonald) at his popularity peak, plus veteran character actors, Jessie Ralph and Henry Stephenson, having considerable fun with their roles. Fortunate also for the lilting tunes by Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby. Students of vintage dance music will recognize the musical director, Nathaniel Shilkret, from many recordings of the era. His work here adds a richness to the score that is often lacking in similar musical pictures. What this all adds up to is a fun way to spend 70 minutes. This viewer likes it well enough to keep a 16mm print on the shelf and has never tired of repeated screenings over the years. Walking on Air is not only a uniformly likable musical - never ponderous - always pleasing, it also looks good. The entire cast seems to be having fun working together. Certainly a cut above the average musical comedy of its period.

Gene Raymond & Ann Sothern in another of the "boy meets girl, silly identity mixups, arguments, boy tries to win back girl " stories. Raymond and Sothern made a whole bunch together. Raymond's occupation as on-air singer in Walking on Air allows him to sing the songs highlighted in the movie, which he does quite well. (among his other "occupations" in this movie.) Jessie Ralph (made David Copperfield and Bank Dick with W.C. Fields) is Auntie to Kit Bennett (Sothern), and plays referee between Kit, Horace, (Henry Stephenson) and Kits' boyfriends. Kit hires Pete Quinlan (Raymond) to hang around and annoy her father so her own boyfriend looks better and better. That boyfriend Fred (Alan Curtis) has his own tricks up his sleeve. George Meeker (plays Tom Quinlan) has a pretty impressive history himself, frequently playing cowboys & soldiers. Meeker also had parts in Gone with the Wind and Casablanca. Directed by Joseph Santley, who directed Raymond in five films in the 1930s. Fun flick. Some clever bits as we watch Pete (Raymond) try to insult the family, but has the tables turned on him. Does not seem to be at all related to the later movies made in 1946 & 1986 by the same name.

I think Walking on Air is a very refreshing movie with a humorous story-line and great singing! I thought Gene Raymond, Ann Sothern, Henry Stephenson and Jesse Ralph were superb in their performances.

I especially wanted to comment on the great singing of Ann Sothern and Gene Raymond in Let's Make a Wish. Also, there was a wonderful singing group that accompanied them in harmony at the nightclub.

The story concerns a rich girl who wants to marry a divorced man. When her father opposes the match, she hires a poor man (aspiring to be a radio singer) to impersonate a count with poor manners, to show her father than titles are not everything.

A merry mix-up ensues, and Ann finds herself falling for her count, played by Gene Raymond.