Swing Your Lady (1938)

Quite a few reviewers used the word "cute" and that's the first word that came to my mind, too. The Turner folks on TV only gave it 1 1/2 stars and I think that's unfair. It definitely deserves more than that. There are some snappy songs from Penny Singleton of Blondie fame, there is some acting from Humphrey Bogart in a very unusual role (and that's the humor, seeing him out of character and saying silly stuff when thrown on the ground by a female Blacksmith). and the rest of the cast hold their own. No, it's not the funniest movie you'll ever see. But this isn't brain surgery we're talking about here (though some of the characters seem to have had brain surgery or to be in need of it!)The leads manage to actually make you interested in what happens to them, even though you know it will all come out right in the end. You're still rooting for the good guys and for love to conquer all, perhaps in a half-nelson.A fast, funny film with some snappy though dated tunes and even some "rug cutting" here and there. It's not an Oscar contender, but for what it is, it's funny and, well...cute.

I loved it...awesome! Nice example of "hillbilly" films, never condescending. The music is excellent and Ms Fazenda is great! Did others not like Bogart in this movie? I thought he was well-cast as the conniving city-slicker "wrasslin" promoter.Nat Pendleton as the Greek "wrassler" in love with the local "big gal" blacksmith is adorable (I think this is a "spoiler" but it was obvious from the beginning). He always plays the dim, yet big-hearted guy in movies (as an orderly in "Harvey" particularly memorable). Lots of other Warner's character players: Allen Jenkins and Frank McHugh, two of my favorites.Lots of good-natured laughs. Altogether a great 78 minutes...I'll watch it again!

When some of these old films bob up on Late night TV, there is often a great sense of nostalgia as you get to see stars in their very early days, mostly serving their apprenticeships in B movies - well I am here to tell you this one was not a B, more likely an X or a Z. It is hard to understand how Warners would be throwing someone like Bogart into this rubbish when they have already seen him perform in movies as outstanding as "The Petrified Forest". He was certainly made to do lots of poor stuff playing second fiddle to James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson in his early days, but this must have really hurt (even more than "The Return of Dr.X). It is hard to find anything redeeming in this, but I gave it a 2 just for Penny Singleton, who was not quite as bad as the rest of the cast.

"Swing Your Lady" may not offer Humphrey Bogart his strangest role (for that, try 1939's "The Return of Doctor X"), but it sure is his goofiest. Bogey is wrestling promoter Ed Hatch, heading up an entourage that includes his protégé Joe Skopapoulos (Nat Pendleton), trainers Popeye Bronson (Frank McHugh) and Shiner Ward (Allen Jenkins), and patient fiancée Cookie Shannon (Penny Singleton). The wrestling circuit brings the team to the Ozark Mountains, where Ed attempts to find a suitable opponent for his boy so he can build his reputation on a climb to the world championship. When Ed's car gets stuck in a ditch, female blacksmith Sadie Horn (Louise Fazenda) singlehandedly gets him free, and a match made in heaven is born. Only trouble is, when Joe sets his eyes on Sadie, it's love at first sight and the match is over before it's begun.Not to worry though, Sadie's suitor for the past ten years (Sadie's husband went 'possum hunting eleven years ago and never came back), is hillbilly Noah (Daniel Boone Savage), and he's not about to give up Sadie without a fight. The match is signed, and Plunkett City is about to get a show.Ronald Reagan makes an unlikely appearance in the film as a newspaper sports reporter, which he actually was early in his career. It's a minor part with only a bit of screen time. The wrestling match itself between Joe and Noah goes for quite a while, and is fairly well staged. With the incentive to headline a card at Madison Square Garden for the winner, Ed encourages his boy to win after a series of head stomps and an airplane spin. But Joe turns the tables when he decides to stay behind and marry his blacksmith sweetheart Sadie."Swing Your Lady" defies genre classification, although musical comedy comes close. There are four or five tunes sprinkled throughout the film, all done in a hoe down hillbilly style including a square dance number. For his part, Bogey does a credible job, given the offbeat nature of his role. But he's a lot more comfortable in a comedy role as the convict Joseph in one of his last film appearances - "We're No Angels".