Hide-Out (1934)

It's a modest movie. Not a big deal. But it's got some things in it I like. First, it stars Robert Montgomery, and Maureen O'Sullivan, which though not a guarantee of a good movie, sure is a sign of promise. And in this case it pays off. Montgomery plays a racketeer who has to lam it to the countryside to wait for some heat to die down. The odd thing is, I could not really figure out what his "racket" was. There he is injured and stays with a family to recover, meeting and chumming it with the daughter. That's where the dividing line is. In the first part you are in precode gangster land. Then Montgomery wakes up in a four poster bed with a gingham bedspread - he has arrived in production code land. The plot's flimsy, for sure, on both sides of the line, but it's there to provide the opportunity for Montgomery and O'Sullivan to meet and chatter. And that's the main attraction. The banter between the simple, ingenuous, yet clear-headed and no-nonsense country lass, and the sophisticated, jaded, out-of-his-element city feller, as they get to know each other, like each other, and fall in love. The style of their exchanges has an informal, conversational feel, as if they were talking, not reciting lines.Of course, the love story is accompanied by his character reformation into a good person, or one that looks to be in the future. But it's handled discretely, and if you ignore it, it doesn't spoil things. The supporting cast is a bunch of pros, so they know how not to step on things: Elizabeth Patterson and Whitford Kane as the ma and pa, Mickey Rooney-for once not insufferably irritating playing an insufferably irritating son, and Edward Arnold as the dogged cop. One other thing I like about the movie is that it achieves portraying a lively, energetic, spontaneous family scene without being noisy, discordant, and irritating. Something a lot of movies attempt, but fail miserably at doing.

Light and Breezy Depression Era Escapism. About as Inoffensive as a Movie can be. Everything is Pleasant and Pleasing to the Eye. Robert Montgomery and Maureen O' Sullivan are Pretty People in a Pretty Picture that Hardly Moves, it just sort of says OK Pretty People Do this and Do that and the Audience will Enjoy the Beauty.There is Never a Hint at Life on the Farm being Hard or Dirty ("We have more eggs than we know what to do with."). That seems like an Odd Line in a Depression where there were Food Lines and about a Quarter of the Population didn't know where their next Meal was coming from. But MGM would Argue that is the Point. This is Fantasy.So Folks Paid Their Money and were Transported to some kind of Otherland where Everyone was Sweet, Attractive, and Life was Easy. The Only Time this Fairy Tale broke its Spell and Showed Anything Resembling Real Life was at a Dinner where Everyone was Guessing what was on the Menu.

Ladies man and gangster Lucky Wilson (Robert Montgomery) is shot by the police but manages to escape, driving into the country before passing out. He's found and taken in by a kindly family. They nurse Lucky back to health thinking he was the innocent victim of a gangster shoot-out. Gradually Lucky starts to fall for the pretty daughter (Maureen O'Sullivan) and has second thoughts about his criminal ways.Montgomery is at his charming best here. Even when he's bad, you can't help but like him. Lovely O'Sullivan was no stranger to taming wild men in films, obviously. She's one of the most likable actresses from the '30s and movies like this show why. Whitford Kane and Elizabeth Patterson are terrific as Maureen's pure, salt-of-the-earth parents. Mickey Rooney is fun as their son. Edward Arnold is great as the tough detective out to get Lucky (ha!). Muriel Evans is extremely sexy in her small part as nightclub singer Baby. Va-va-va-voom! It's a funny, sentimental film with a little bit of edge and a great cast. Give it a shot.

I've become a big fan of Robert Montgomery since subscribing to TCM and hit the jackpot when he was Jan. star of the month. This is my favorite movie - the thirties had certain boiler plate plots (like every other decade) with the couple caught in the rain, the man realizes he loves her and doesn't take advantage, etc. but he was at his most charming in this movie and Maureen O'Sullivan is my favorite of his co stars. Even with the thirties hair styles and clothes she is a real beauty who would still be considered beautiful today, unlike some of the ladies of that time. I'll take the predictable romance with boy getting girl over so many current movies that are all digital effects, the couples are in bed by the second scene and there is nothing left to the imagination. I'm a little too young to have seen him in his prime and the few movies he made after the war didn't make him a romantic hero to me. But now I'm older and have more taste.