Description

Mae West stars as beautiful Rose Carlton, a kept woman who escapes to Alaska and the Gold Rush of the 1890s after commiting a murder in self-defense. There, she is redeemed by becoming a missionary, saving souls in her own risque style. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Mae West, All Woman Despite The Censors
If ever there was a study conducted on the effects the Hays Code had on a flourishing Hollywood career they would need to go no further than Mae West to see a classic example of it's influence in action. At the time the censors began coming down the heavy on Hollywood for it's supposedly "loose" approach to morals and sexuality, Mae West was one of Hollywood's most glowing stars who made a speciality of sexually suggestive comedy that actually said little but implied lots in the eager movie goers minds. She had huge successes with pre code efforts such as "She Done Him Wrong", and "I'm No Angel", but by the time she got to film "Goin' to Town" (1935) and in particular this effort "Klondike Annie" (1936), she was sadly loosing the battle with the censors to get all her "risque" material on screen. "Klondike Annie", while a good story with high production values clearly shows the effects of stronger censorship that succeeded in blunting alot of Mae's unique comedy delivery.

Mae West wrote most of the script for "Klondike Annie", herself and she plays Rose Carlton-The Frisco Doll who as the story begins is a night club performer in San Francisco in the gay nineties. Being kept both financially and emotionally by her Chinese Lover Chan Lo (Harold Huber) Rose is feeling literally imprisoned in the gilded life she is forced to lead where she is watched and threatened by her lover if she looks at another man. Hatching her escape on a boat bound for the Klondike Rose in self defense kills Chan Lo and then finds herself on the lam from the authorities even though it was self defence. Boarding the boat she makes the acquaintance of the rough but good natured Captain Bull Brackett (Victor McLaglen in a great performance). The two begin a shipboard liasion and along the way pick up another passenger in Seattle, Sister Annie Alden who is going to the Klondike to work as a missionary . Rose and Annie strike up an unlikely friendship and when Annie falls ill on board Rose nurses her until she dies. Just as this occurs the ship is searched by Mounties who have been alerted about the possibility of the notorius Rose Carlton being on board. Rose quickly assumes Annie's identity and when she lands in the Klondike does not find it easy to disentangle herself from the missionary group that believe she is the real Annie Alden. Seeing the good work the missionaries do Rose/Annie decides to really liven things up in the town and before long with the help of the still besotted Brackett, Annie is packing them in at the groups meetings with a bit of her own unique philosophy and some of her modified night club act. Seeing she cannot continue the deception any longer however and despite the advances of equally besotted mountie Inspector Jack Forrest (Philip Reed) who is willing to ruin his whole career to go away with Rose once he discovers her real identity, Rose decides to go off with Bull Brackett who is of her world but only after the missionary centre is named in honour of the great influence on her own life, Annie Alden.

While alot of the strong sentiment in this story with Mae/Rose wanting to do the right and honourable thing is not typical Mae West material she does the best under the circumstances. Quite abit of the original story was cut to please the censors with the effect that Mae's character comes across as a bit too quick to change her ways and become an "honourable" person. It is a great testament to her talent that Mae still makes it a memorable performance with a couple of terrific scenes in the funny breakfast scene on the boat with Victor McLaglen and her dealings with the missionaries on arriving in the Klondike being two comic standouts in the story. While Victor McLaglen at first glance might not appear your typical Mae West costar with his craggy looks and rough speech, the two combine well together here and are responsible for some of the best laughs that the edited script has to offer. Although starting to get shaky about Mae's clashes with the censors by 1936 Paramount spent lavishly on this production and gave Mae two elaborate musical numbers and a first class production in every department. The klondike scenes are first rate in their detail and her terrific opening number set in her Chinese lover's gambling den "I'm an Occidental Woman in an Oriental Mood for love", is a real eye opener with its lavish oriental theme and costumes. That is one of Mae's finest hours out of all her Paramount movies.

"Klondike Annie", is enjoyable viewing and essential for any fan of Mae West's unique sexual comedy style. I always wonder how much better this potentially great story could have been had it been made without the censor's interference. That we will never know but it is still an entertaining on it's own level as long as it isn't compared with Mae's earlier efforts. The censorship did spell the death blow to Mae West's great career with Paramount Studios and within two years of this effort this great star had left the studio to return to the stage where she was able to see her material produced in it's entirety. Mae West is always enjoyable and "Klondike Annie", still shows us what made this unique woman such a popular star.

"I'm an Occidental Woman in an Oriental Mood for Love"
Yep, that's the title of the opening song sung by Mae in her San Francisco revue. But the oriental mood must've been before the cameras starting rolling, because now Mae's tired of being kept by her Chinese lover--hey, no wonder this thing had to be censored, that's far too disturbing for 1930s Middle America. Well before long, Mae's weighing anchor on a ship bound for the Klondike and captained by lovesick Victor McLaglen. Certain circumstances cause Mae to have to pass herself off as a missionary once she lands in the Klondike, with the result being one heck of a sermon before the drunken miners and dance hall gals. She's something else again, that Mae!

The Censors Triumph
This is the movie in which Mae West finally lost her battle with the censors. Constantly pushing the envelope, she wrote a script about a whore disguised as a missionary. They cut it to ribbons, and this rather pointless melodrama is the result. Throughout the film, Mae rolls her eyes in silent frustration, and is finally forced to utter some pathetic shopworn sentiment at the end. It was 34 years before she could be herself on screen again -- as the lusty talent agent in "Myra Breckenridge," sashaying into her office with the words "all right boys, get out your resumes."

Clearly Mae on DVD
West stars as a woman on the lam for a murder (self-defence) who heads out for the Yukon on McLaglen's ship. He falls in love with her, finds out her problems and helps to pass her off as the missionary Annie Alden (who died on board ).Some find West as a missionary (saving souls in her risque way) as tasteless; others find her hilarious-it all depends on what tickles your fancy. The story is refreshing yet unfortunately, the script was laundered to please the censors and there was much cut from the original shooting script. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

'Zactly
The Strawberry Blonde has elements of comedy, drama, music, and romance all tossed into one entertaining film. Set at the turn of the century, James Cagney stars as a man studying to be a dentist who falls in love with a strawberry blonde stunner that every man is after, Rita Hayworth. Although she finds him attractive, she is more attracted to the prospects of his ambitious pal, Jack Carson. Caught up in the mix is Hayworth's friend, the forward thinking Olivia de Havilland. Cagney finds himself getting stuck with de Havilland, and it takes him a while to figure out what the audience already knows ... he really got the winner. Although Hayworth and the supporting cast of character actor veterans (Alan Hale, George Tobias, Una O'Connor, and Carson) are all fine, as a fan of Cagney and de Havilland I have to say the film belongs to them. Cagney gets to play his tough guy with a lighter touch here, getting knocked down more often than the other way around, and he displays a humorous romantic side that should have been used more often by Warner Bros. de Havilland has some of the film's best moments as the straightforward working girl who Cagney comes to discover has a lot more depth. Their three scenes in the park are classics, played with humour, charm, and honesty. Fans of Cagney and de Havilland should make this film a must for viewing!

1940's Nostalgia for the Turn of the Century
Set in turn of the century NYC, "The Strawberry Blonde" has Jimmy Cagney playing "Biff Grimes," a tough, street-bred young man who is studying to be dentist. Biff, however, for all his outer toughness is constantly being suckered by his best "friend," "Hugo Barnstead" (Jack Carson.) Hugo is always thinking of schemes to advance himself and Biff, but time after time Hugo gets the benefit of the scheme and Biff gets stuck holding the bag for all the bad things. Yet Biff remains friends with Hugo because Hugo keeps promising him that "he'll take care of him."

Then along comes the "strawberry blonde"- a gorgeous, society girl called "Virginia" (Rita Hayworth.) Biff is instantly smitten and proclaims Virginia to be his "ideal." He and Hugo go out on double date with Virginia and her friend- an ordinary, working girl named "Amy" (Olivia De Haviland.) Yet once again Hugo gets a jump on Biff by walking off alone with Virginia and leaving a very disappointed Biff with Amy. Amy, of course, is very sweet and charming, but Biff is blinded to this by his infatuation with Virginia. Biff will eventually learn the hard way about what kind of a "friend" Hugo truly is and what kind of an "ideal" Virginia is.

"The Strawberry Blonde" is about happiness and we all know darn well who is going to be happily married and content at movie's end, but getting there is the fun part. This is just a really nicely made and entertaining movie. Cagney is very believable as a sweet, gullible guy, who is constantly being burned by his loyalties. However, fans of Cagney's trademark tough guy persona won't be completly disappointed because Biff is also a scrapper, who doesn't turn his cheek to insults. Rita Hayworth is very captivating as the object of desire, but is Olivia De Haviland really such a step down as a consolation prize? De Haviland is supposed to be playing the "plain," ordinary girl-next-door type. But as another reviewer has stated Ms. De Haviland is anything but plain. (In fact, if I had a choice between the two I would take Olivia anyday over Rita. I guess I'm just a sucker for the girl-next-door type, who also happens to be Hollywood actress gorgeous.)

This movie is not perfect. Alan Hale Sr. (the skipper's dad) playing Biff's Irish father just seems superfluous to the movie. The weakest point, though, is Jack Carson as Hugo. Jack Carson was a terrific supporting actor who made a career out of playing affable best friends in numerous Warner Bros. movies. Here Carson is playing a best friend, but he really can't pull off the conniving, selfish elements of this character because Carson plays him just too affably. Even when you're supposed to hate Hugo, Carson makes him likeable.

RAOUL WALSH'S PURE PORTRAYAL OF SOCIETY AND HUMANITY
THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE is a forgotten masterpiece of the Hollywood of yesteryear. Through subtle,dreamy narrative and photography that reminds one of a long gone summer afternoon turning to autumn, Walsh follows Biff Grimes(Cagney in a nicely nuanced performance) and his journey from the spitoon to the clink to the altar. Haunting and unforgettable, a gentle,broadminded stunner about the games called society and marriage, and it's effects on the players who are fated to follow the rules of the game.

One of my favorites -- it'll be yours too!
James Cagney is often overlooked as an action star who played gangsters. True enough.

But if you are looking for a Cagney flick that shows him in great breadth and depth in comedy and romance -- you must see The Strawberry Blonde.

I adore Cagney -- and will even watch a bad Cag flick because he is just so awesome. In the gangster flicks he is imcomparable. But catch me in the right mood, and I'll say that The Strawberry Blonde is just about the best film he ever made.

First of all, you have a great cast -- Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Jack Carson, Alan Hale Sr., George Tobias -- who all play wonderful characters, flirts and scoundrels.

Then you have a fantastic, engaging screenplay by the famous Epstein brothers (who wrote clever dialogue for such classics as Casablanca) about turn-of-the-century life in New York.

Then, there is Cagney who will make you laugh, fall in love, and cry. The scenario is perhaps overused -- a man falls in love with a society girl (Hayworth) whom he can never have, and rebounds in a marriage with a "plain" girl, played by de Havilland (who is anything but plain). Only after many trials and tribulations does he truly see the love and goodness in his marriage.

Sounds pretty serious, but it's a hilarious piece, with Cagney as the would-be suitor. A scene in a park where he is stuck with de Havilland when he would rather be with Hayworth, shows him at his best comedic flair, as a rude, pouting heartsick fellow. While Hayworth is giggling and flirting with another fellow behind some rocks in a silly, shallow exchange, de Havilland (with more substance than Cagney sees at the time) tries to engage him in conversations he will have no part of, then baits him with "advanced ideas" about women's rights. Needless to say, he is unimpressed, and the reactions are side splitting.

This film also is interesting because it shows the romance of which he was capable but rarely showed in his films. Cagney rarely kissed onscreen for more than a peck, finding mush embarrassing and counter to his screen image.

Here, he doesn't go much further, but finds other ways to express the romance and love in his heart to de Havilland. After a melodramatic turn, where he winds up in prison, he meets de Havilland in the park after his stint is up, and clutches her to him with a hug full of passion, desperation, love and sadness. It's the kind of embrace that happens between people in real life, and not often shown on film.

Finally, the music is wonderful, with songs like "Bill Bailey," "Let the Rest of the World Go By", "Meet Me in St. Louis, Louie," and "And the Band Played On." In fact, you get a few seconds of Cagney waltzing with Hayworth to "And the Band Played On." Not enough of Cagney's footwork is shown, but Lordy, could he dance!

Well, needless to say, you should see this The Strawberry Blonde.

A turely captivating motion picture
This is a movie that doesn't age. The emotions that it shares are still the same today for all couples who are turely in love. It will make you laugh and make you cry, but it teaches you a lesson. I like this movie so much that I hope that they release it in DVD format sometime in the near future. It is worth paying the extra money for it. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

A missed gentleman
I was so looking forward to seeing this film on the new collection and disheartened not to see it included. The cast of Warner regulars are a scream to watch, and then there's our hero. What can anyone say about Errol Flynn that hasn't already been said? I have admired the man and actor for so many years. In the past decade, his name has dropped from the limelight, but just twenty years ago, there was an infamous book and television show that portrayed the actor in a bad light. Flynn then became unfashionable. I'm so grateful Warner Home Video is coming out, at long last, with a collection of his work. Now if you'd only release "Gentleman Jim," then I'll die a happy man... but then, there are those other movies I've been waiting for!

One of Flynns best
This is one Errol Flynns best movies and probably his most overlooked. He gives one of his best preformances in this film and never looked better. He played Jim Corbett with a wink and a smile and seemed to really be enjoying himself in this role.
Truly one of his best!

Flynn At His Best
Errol Flynn is largely forgotten today by the average movie goer which is a shame since he was a genuine superstar of his time.His dazzling good looks and charm combined with a rakish off screen behavior catipulted him to quick success and gave fuel to detractors who claimed there was little talent behind the perfectly chisled facade.
In reality Flynn was a largely underrated actor shackled to many less than stellar productions by the studio's type casting.His talent for light comedy shows through brilliantly in Gentleman Jim this early forties biopic of Heavyweight Champion James J. Corbett.The movie is factual fluff when it comes to Corbett's personal life, but largely true to history concering his pugilistic efforts.Corbett did fight on barges and in rich sporting clubs to circumvent the public ban on the sport at the end of the nineteenth century.
Flynn's considerable atheticism adds further creedence to his excellent portrayl of the turn of the century fighter.An accomplished amateur boxer in his youth, Fylnn was widely regarded as the best tennis player in Hollywood and his fluid ring movmenents are a welcome relief to the bumbling screen fight efforts of Gable, Tracy and Cagney.The reserved post fight meeting of the defeated Sullivan, well
played by Ward Bond, and a restrained Flynn as his conquerer is quite touching and serves a further evidence of Flynn's acting skills.
Watching Gentleman Jim is great and entertaining fun and can only make one wish Flynn was given more oppurtunities to display a largely untapped talent.

Rousing boxing movie
Despite several departures from historical accuracy this biography of world heavyweight champion Gentleman Jim Corbett is enjoyable and colourful entertainment with a performance from Errol Flynn that ranks alongside theliveliest he ever gave.
He is ideally cast as Corbett ,a San Francisco bank clerk ,who defeated John L Sullivan in 1892 ,in New Orleans ,to become world heavyweight champion.Success ,we are told .brought a swollen head ,an over indulgence in liquour and a tendency to braggadocio.This is plain wrong-Corbett was a modest and self effacing man throughout his life ,and it was this which earned him the soubriquet "Gentleman Jim "

Raoul Walsh -a splendid action director-directs with typical vigour and keeps thinks moving briskly with the fight scenes in particular being fine,although ,for my taste the scenes of comic relif are too broad and unsubtle.Neither does the love interst tacked on to the movie ,with Alexis Smith's society woman who becomes entangled with Corbett, work too well.The actual Corbett-Sullivan bout is well staged and Flynn accurately catches the man's revolutionary ,scientific pugilistic style.

Ignore its departures from the facts and this is enjoyable big studio film making from the golden era of the studio system with a charismatic performance from the star and some solid period detail.

well worth seeing!
This is a must see for any fan of Errol Flyn and Jack Carson.It has a great storyline, and is a very entertainng and well sone film. ... Read more