Out of the Blue

This screwball comedy seemed kind of forced and less believable than those from a decade earlier, not sure why. But once I accepted it as such, found it pretty funny and enjoyed all the performances, even Dvorak's one note portrayal of a lush was entertaining.

Most notable is George Brent playing the milquetoast who can't rid himself of Dvorak looking for a drink before his wife comes home. I've never seen him attempting comedy and his Coke bottle glasses help the image. And there are several scenes we get to see his famous wide rear end as he attempts to hide Dvorak in a steamer trunk. (the mic boom makes a few appearances too)

Virginia Mayo is delightful as usual, and between Carole Landis & Ann Dvorak you see several gorgeous costumes.

I had never seen Turhan Bey in a movie before and he reminded me of Orson Welles a bit in looks & demeanor. The high point of Bey's appearance was seeing him in white shorts, socks & sandals looking as if cast from a Village People video as the "Tennis Player"

The story had a few cute running gags about spinster neighbors seeing Dvorak passed out in a drunken stupor and thinking she's been murdered and of course the Brent character trying to get rid of her any way possible.

This under 90 minute romp may be predictable, but because it's perfectly cast & acted and fun to watch.

A slight little film that showcases Ann Dvorak's incredible comic timing something I didnt know she had. Probably one of the best depictions of a drunk caught on film. Her physicality is poetic. And George Brent's silly voices are great even if his facial expressions veer into silent movie mugging. Just listen to his vocalizations the first night with Ann in the bar. Contrived plotline but not any worse than many older films. Really good acting from these two old pros is truely worth watching this for. I am surprised I had never heard of this film as I am an avid screwball comedy viewer.

This film stars George Brent, Turhan Bey, Virginia Mayo, Ann Dvorak and Carol Landis. The Earthleigh family (Brent and Landis) are a couple very annoying people. Mrs. Earthleigh is highly annoyed by everything and is as much fun as jock itch. Mr. Earthleigh is a wimp and puts up with his wife's bully behavior towards him as well as their neighbor, Mr Galleo (Bey). She insists that Galleo MUST get rid of his dog and sics her husband and their lawyer on the guy.

One day, Mrs. Earthleigh leaves to go on a trip. When she's gone, her husband meets a very strange alcoholic, Olive (Dvorak) and she follows him home and WON'T leave no matter how hard he tries. Eventually, she appears to have died and falls onto Galleo's property! Well, Earthleigh can't find this narcoleptic alcoholic...and later Galleo decides to pretend he found this lady DEAD on his terrace...and enlists Earthleigh to 'dump the body'. Galleo knows there is no body but figures this is a chance to blackmail Earthleigh into dropping his lawsuit and letting him keep his dog. What's next? Well, Olive appears to die several more times and suddenly lots of people are being accused of killing her!

This is a cute little comedy and I might have scored this very original film higher had Dvorak's performance been a bit less broad and silly. Subtle definitely would have worked better...but it still worked and is a cute little situation comedy. Worth seeing.

Wishy washy title but saw that it was billed as screwball comedy and had gotten some good reviews on IMDb so it ended up as my pick for 'movie night' in our home. I was not familiar with Ann Dvorak who was getting secondary billing in this movie but once she was introduced to the story the movie picked up... and she stole every scene. I want to see more of her in comedy films and hope that there are some. George Brent deserves some kudos also as the main foil in this screwball comedy. He did a nice job. If you have a chance to watch this film then do it. The opening scene is weak but it really picks up after that and does not stop until credits are ready to roll at the end.

Ann Dvorak (Olive) is one of those people you really must avoid in life. Not because she likes a drink – that bit is quite fun – but because she never goes away. Even when she is dead, it would seem.

This is a comedy that makes use of screwball comedy set pieces. It's all about misinterpretations. And it's pretty funny in parts. Some of artist Turhan Bey's (David) reactions are expertly dialogued, especially when a dead body turns up on his balcony and he discovers what has actually happened.

The director could have made more of singer Hadda Brooks. If she's going to appear in a film, then give her a full song. Ann Dvorak takes the attention away during Hadda's scene and we don't really want to hear Dvorak singing the title song "Out of the Blue".

You have to be in the mood for this type of comedy and if the mood takes you, it is quite a good example. I'll be keeping onto it for a future viewing when in the mood. It's got a pretty good cast and is one of Carole Landis's last films.