Matrixston
Wow! Such a good movie.
TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
FirstWitch
A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Portia Hilton
Blistering performances.
coulsonsam
They don't make em like they used to. Just discovered Mae West. She's now become one of my all time favourite movie actors. Imagine if she was able to link up with Tarantino. Wish there was more actors like her. Gonna watch more of her stuff. This has been a great place to start. Some of her one liners are the best I've ever seen in the movies.
Highly recommend.
bigverybadtom
This movie is known for Mae West having said the (often-misquoted) line, "Why don't you come up sometime and see me? I'm home every evening." It even won the award known as "Outstanding Production" for 1933, and it supposedly prompted the Hays Commission to crack down on movie standards.Based on the stage play "Diamond Lil", West plays the girlfriend of a criminal bar owner who has bought her expensive diamonds, but she has cheated on him with a variety of other men. One of them is none other than an undercover policeman who is after said bar owner.The movie had good potential for comedy or drama, but realizes neither. It is instead dull, and Mae West proved to be a weak performer and an even worse singer. Presumably she was more famous for being rebellious than for her talent.
vincentlynch-moonoi
Other than pure sex appeal (at least the sex appeal of the 1930s), I've never understood the hubbub over Mae West. And, as a result, I've avoided watching this film my whole life (and I'm 65 now), despite it including my favorite actor -- Cary Grant. But, finally time to watch the film, and what I found was a rather well done film, although quite short at only 66 minutes. Interestingly, Mae West is given credit for writing the play on which the film was based.Mae West is interesting for her manner of speaking and quick retorts, but as a singer...well, no thank you. "Hot Saturday" (1932) is often credited as Cary Grant's first starring role, but I thought he was rather still there. Here he does nicely, though he doesn't get a lot of screen time...even though his character is key to the plot (he plays the head of a mission for the poor who is tempted by West...or is he?). You will notice a few other famous or semi-famous names in the film, though none are outstanding. Interestingly, a very young Chuck Connors has a role here.What impressed me about the film was the detail. It really gives one a pretty good idea of at least one version of the late 1890s in the Bowery in New York City.At just over an hour, I recommend it, if for no other reason than the history of it. If it had stretched to 90 minutes, I might reconsider. So, go up and see it sometime, big boy!
Jackson Booth-Millard
This film was a title featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, it was one that I remembered well, but I didn't know anything about the plot, but the two leading stars were appealing and the critics were generous about it, so I was intrigued. Basically , set in New York in the 1890's, in the Bowery bar room saloon works bawdy singer Lady Lou (Mae West), besides her boss and benefactor Gus Jordan (Noah Beery) who showers her diamonds, she has many men friends, she does not realise Gus prostitutes women, is in a counterfeiting ring, and gets women in San Francisco to pickpocket, and he has been working alongside Russian Rita (Rafaela Ottiano) and her lover Sergei Stanieff (Gilbert Roland). Dan Flynn (David Landau) spends a lot of his time hinting that Gus is up to no good, she meanwhile has been leading the boss on and only hints at possibly returning to him, but he loses his patience and says he'd rather see her put in jail if she doesn't submit to him, and meanwhile next door a thinly disguised city mission, looking like a Salvation Army, sees young director Captain Cummings (Cary Grant), an undercover Federal agent trying to expose the crime of Guy. Lou is warned that her former vicious criminal boyfriend Chick Clark (Owen Moore) thinks that she has been disloyal to him since he was imprisoned, he threatens her that if she has double-crossed or two-timed her he will kill her, but she insists that she has not done anything, but he later escapes the prison and goes to the bar to strangle, but cannot come to harm her, and she promises to leave him later in the evening. A fight breaks out between Lou and Rita, which ends up with the criminal woman being killed by her, the body is supposedly disposed, and after a series of events during a song the police expose themselves to shut down the criminal activities, Cummings comes to the rescue of Lou during the gunfire and fighting, and although she has done some wrong herself she is not taken in a police vehicle, but in a horse and carriage, he tells she doesn't belong in jail, when he says "You bad girl", she replies "You'll find out". Also starring Gilbert Roland as Serge Stanieff and Dewey Robinson as Spider Kane. West is in the modern world perhaps considered a camp icon, but with roles like she plays in this, being "no angel" with some elegance and perhaps misguided sex appeal, young Grant proves himself capable of playing second fiddle to her, and this certainly boosted his career much more and led to the many more well known collaborations and titles. I will admit that I found some of the film plot and story hard to follow, and it did seem a bit of an odd length, just over one hour long, but most of what I can remember was amusing enough, and with the likable leading stars and their characters it is certainly a watchable comedy film. It was nominated the Oscar for Best Picture. "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" was number 26 on 100 Years, 100 Quotes, and Mae West was number 15 on 100 Years, 100 Stars - Women, and it was number 75 on 100 Years, 100 Laughs. Good!