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• A Must See Show

  • Donna L. Tolliver
  • 3/6/13

  Very impressive movie. It captured my attention the minute I saw it. If a movie does that in the first few minutes it has won me over.....Ida Lupino very beautiful....

• A Must See!!

  • muriel
  • 1/30/12

  Wow! Very impressive acting by all. Jack Carson's performance is very touching. Dennis Morgan makes his character very interesting and complex. Gladys George as the falling star who is ruined by Ida Lupino gives a real a tour de force performance. Worth watching the movies just for her! Ida Lupino is also very beautiful when she gets rich and wears stylish clothes. A fascinating melodrama.

• less than the sum of its parts

  • old movie buff
  • 1/29/12

  I used to have a rush on Joan Leslie when I was in high school. I can't figure out why now. Can't sing. Can't dance. And can't act. Oh, well. The movie is enjoyable thanks to the talents of Lupino, Carson and Morgan. Although Lupino dominates, I liked he latter two, especially Carson. I doubt he ever gave a bad performance, no matter the movie genre. Should be made available on DVD --- an interesting bit of movie history.

• A Must See!

  • Laura J
  • 7/15/10

  How did I ever not hear of this movie or see it before? A movie that should be shown more often so more viewers can enjoy it like I did. Queen Ida Lupino, almost every movie you are in is great, I adore thee.LOL Jack Carson who is usually in comedies is actually great as a dramatic actor, and Dennis Morgan is quite good also. The storyline is so good and then to find out that it is loosley based on Ginger Rogers life, it makes you want to go back and watch it again. Like I said A Must See!

• "The Hard Way" -nice movie

  • Richard Jerome
  • 10/7/08

  It's very heartening to see the reactions to this somewhat overlooked film and to notice how it has acquired a kind of "cult following" in recent-years. Charles Busch, who chose it as a "fav" pretty-much nailed it: A strange hybrid of film-noir and "woman's picture" ala "Mildred Pierce". It's particularly gratifying for me, as my grandfather, songwriter M.K.Jerome, worked on the film, composing "Youth Must Have It's Fling" -- which is somewhat the center-piece of the story. (He also appears briefly, as "rehearsal pianist" in the scene with Gladys George). Of the many films he worked-on at the studio, this was one of his personal-favorites, and one of the few I ever heard him talk about directly in later years. I was present at a screening of this in Hollywood, several-years ago, honoring Joan Leslie and director Vincent Sherman. Prior to the film, Leonard Maltin read a telegram he had received that morning from Ida Lupino, saying how much she loved this assignment and extending her congratulations to her colleagues who were present. She died about a week later. Afterward, I introduced myself to Miss Leslie, and she spoke very warmly about my grandfather, and the work they had done together at Warners'. I know M.K. would have been very-pleased at how fondly this film is remembered. Best, Richard Jerome

• Oh Fame, thou Cruel Mistress!

  • free rock city
  • 4/19/06

  Tough-as-nails, comedy in wartime - disguised as backstage Noir but actually is some kind of working-class hybrid in equal parts of "All About Eve" and "Mildred Pierce". Fantastic performances, and even though it's easy to see why Lupino won the prize, there's hardly a weak performance, from Dunkel & Collins (the vaudeville "couer simple"-tons) on down to the many showbiz casualties who are held in such high regard in the film (and I'll wager, their best lines left IN the studio cut). "Cut it out", Dunkel tells Frenchie, shortly before his death in a nightclub. Cut it out Frenchie, indeed. (Oops, I spoiled it. But NOT REALLY.) Also contains an excellent "Vorkapitch"-type section. Oh Fame, thou Cruel Mistress! THIS FILM DEMANDS TO BE RELEASED ON DVD!

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