Blind Date (1934)

This is a disappointing drama about a hard-working model (Ann Sothern) supporting her lazy family and torn between two men: an honest mechanic (Paul Kelly) who works long hours yet seems to be intent on dominating her once they get married, and a rather lecherous wealthy playboy (Neil Hamilton) whose intentions do not seem at all honorable. The lack of likable characters, with the exception of Sothern and a very young Mickey Rooney as the younger brother who hasn't had the opportunity to become like his parents Jane Darwell and Spencer Charters yet, makes this difficult to tolerate at times. All this family seems to do is bicker over nothing and makes no effort to resolve any conflicts.While this is certainly a good looking film, there isn't enough to recommend it past that. Ann Sothern is certainly a lovely heroine, but even though she had been in films for several years (mainly as a chorus girl), she was still too green in her acting to hold together an entire movie when everything else around her was mediocre. While Kelly tries to add some softer dimensions to his character, he never fully hits the mark. Hamilton seems to be just stuck in the rut of playing less than noble wealthy men, sort of a poor man's Ralph Bellamy who never got the girl even though he used every dirty trick in the book. Sothern would have better luck when she went over to RKO for some frivolous comedies and of course much more success at MGM with the "Maisie" series and a string of musical successes.

This was a strange movie, but I did enjoy it. My Tivo billed it as a comedy, but there were some quite dramatic elements, too. (Most notably, the car falling on Bill.) I thought I had this movie figured out (Kitty would do the right thing and marry Bill and then realize that he was really the one she loved all along).I really liked the twists thrown in at the end. (Bob buying Bill's shop to give Bill and Kitty money and then Bill being a jerk in order to reveal Kitty's true feelings.) However, all of it kind of fell flat for me. Ann Sothern didn't have chemistry with either of her leading men. I just couldn't believe that she would date (let alone consider marrying) either one of them. One reason I love classic movies is seeing the fashion and cars of days gone by. Blind Date did not disappoint in this regard. Sothern's dresses were all quite stunning, although a bit fancy for a working girl (specifically the dresses worn before she met Bob). While I enjoyed this movie, it would have been much better with some chemistry between the leading lady and her leading men. The script and supporting actors were solid, it was just the leading roles that could have been better cast.

"Blind Date" is one of three stories-made-into-movie by author Vida Hurst. Lots of familiar faces in this oldie from 1934. Mickey Rooney as a mouthy little punk. He seems to be in the film for comedic and homey "family values". Jane Darwell again plays the strong-willed mother, just as she had in Grapes of Wrath and the Oxbow Incident. Ann Sothern is Kitty, who has been dating Bill (Paul Kelly), but meets up with rich Bob Hartwell, played by Neil Hamilton, who may or may not be better for her. You can certainly tell that this was made at the very beginning of the Hays production code -- at one point, Kitty says she can't be up there alone with him if there isn't anyone else in the house...what a change from just a year or two prior, when anything and everything was OK. Good solid plot, but a whole lot of conversation and mushy love talk. It raises the question over what a girl should be searching for in a man; should she hold out for a man with integrity who treats her nice, or just find a man with big bucks, as most of the movies from the previous 20 years had advocated...? and how do men change when their situation changes ? watch out for some violence in the strange dance marathon scene. TV viewers from the 1960s will recognize Hamilton as Commissioner Gordon from Batman..... Also some weird drama in the off-screen lives for some of the cast in this one --Paul Kelly had gone to jail for being accessory to murder in a love triangle. Mickey Rooney had an affair with Norma Shearer, who was 20 years older; Rooney ended up being married eight times. Tyler Brooke (Emory) and Spencer Charters (Pa) both knocked themselves off in real life. The title "Blind Date" has been reused many times, for films, TV series, and even cartoons, but none of them seem to have the same plot as this one.

A mild but decent low-class soaper, well directed by under-rated B director Roy William Neill -- best remembered, these days, for the Sherlock Holmes series starring Rathbone and Bruce that he directed a decade later. There is a spiffy cast in this piece and they give good performances.It is interesting to compare this Columbia Picture with its Pre-Code contemporaries from the majors and contrast its constant moral tone with the sexier stuff produced by, say, Lubitsch at Paramount. Part of the reason, doubtless, is that a minor studio like Columbia didn't have leverage against the increasingly powerful Production Code that would swamp the sex comedy even at the Majors by the end of the year. But the most of it, I don't doubt, is that the Majors had an eye on the big cities and European markets, while Columbia still was concentrating on the smaller US cities and rural markets.