Slightly Dangerous (1943)

Lana Turner, young and nubile, is a soda jerk who is fed up with her job. When she whimsically demonstrates how undemanding her work is, she prepared banana splits and chocolate sodas wearing a blindfold. Everyone in the store applauds, except her boss, manager Robert Young, who fires her.Turner decides to leave the hick town in the Hudson Valley, move to New York City, and begin a new life as -- well, as somebody else. She spends all her money constructing her new identity. She sheds her name, her cheerless garments, and her brunette hair, which was actually rather attractive. That is, when she spun around and her comely do flared I could feel my toes tingle slightly.Alas, she leaves Bunkum Falls without telling anyone, and the note of departure she sends to her friend behind the counter is misinterpreted as a suicide note. Young, learning of this, believes he was responsible for her death and is filled with remorse,.Meanwhile, down in New York, now virtually broke and without any ID, Turner is hit on the head and knocked out by a falling paint can while passing a boutique. That's right. A falling paint can. The proprietor, Eugene Palette, is terrified that this well-dressed and expensively groomed woman, obviously some kind of socialite, will sue the pants off his company.When Turner comes too, stretched out on a lounge in Palette's office, she quickly sizes up the situation and pretends to be amnesic. Somehow, Palette and his worried staff, conclude that she's the long lost daughter of the curmudgeon of a tycoon played by Walter Brennan. He's suspicious. Too many young girls have tried to claim the title of princess before, but by using her wits in an interior monologue, she manages to catch the brass ring.Then she accidentally bumps into Robert Young, who gawks at her new, glossier presence, and can't decide whether she's really pitiful little Peggy Evans or the glossy patrician he's now stalking. Confusion ensues, followed by happiness.It's hard to tell how original the story is. There were at the time rumors that Anastasia, the daughter of the murdered Czar of All the Russias, had somehow managed to escape the slaughter and was now traveling incognito. That may have been one inspiration. Another might have been the success of Preston Sturges' "The Lady Eve," a few years earlier, which used some of the same players.It's amusing without being exceptional, and Lana Turner is very attractive indeed, her little-girl voice notwithstanding. You probably won't regret watching it.

Shapely small town "soda jerk" Lana Turner (as Peggy Evans) can serve jumbo banana splits blindfolded, but gets in trouble for doing it with general manager Robert Young (as Robert "Bob" Stuart). When he sees Ms. Turner without the blindfold, Mr. Young falls in love. And, she is a very beautiful young woman. Still hurting from the reprimand, Turner considers her boring life, and decides to give herself a complete makeover. When her farewell is mistaken for a suicide note, Young is blamed for Turner's disappearance.Turner takes off for New York City, where she dyes her dark hair platinum blonde. There, a mishap lands her in the care of Eugene Palette (as Durstin), who suggests she may be a missing heiress. Turner decides to adopt one's identity ("Carol Burden"), then moves in on wealthy Walter Brennan (as Cornelius) and grandmotherly May Witty (as Baba). Although initially suspicious, Mr. Brennan accepts Turner as his daughter, after she identifies a childhood toy. But, Young needs to find Turner in order to clear his name, and make it a happily ever after ending for everyone.Veteran Wesley Ruggles contributes some fine comic direction, especially for Young. According to "Turner Classic Movies" (TCM) host Robert Osborne, Mr. Ruggles' old friend Buster Keaton directed Lana's nicely played "blindfold" sequence, early in the running time. It also looks, to this viewer, like the "concert balcony" and "coming out party" could be Ruggles / Keaton collaborations. Despite their efforts, the movie seems too long, and doesn't make too much story sense.Several actresses have tried, but it looks like Lana was one of the few who could have played the lead in a biography of Marilyn Monroe, who probably saw the 1940s Turner in the flickering darkness. MGM made "Slightly Dangerous" a well-produced "Cinderella" story for their new starlet; probably, they expected more mileage out of the picture, but Turner would prove a big pay off in due time. The "lingerie scene" shows off an obvious pair of assets. You also get to see rascally Robert Blake (as Sonny) hit Young on the foot with a hammer, and Florence Bates is always fun at the party.****** Slightly Dangerous (4/1/43) Wesley Ruggles ~ Lana Turner, Robert Young, Walter Brennan, May Witty

The scene in which our heroine is forced to choose the most beloved toy in a room absolutely crammed with goodies, surely rates as one of the greatest moments in the cinema. As you know, I'm not a keen fan of Lana Turner, but here is a vehicle in which the blonde siren excels. Not only does she enjoy a highly sympathetic character to work on the audience with, but in Wesley Ruggles she has obviously found a sensitive director with the ability to help her exploit every dramatic and comedic opportunity the clever screenplay provides. True, poor old Robert Young does get jostled out of the picture for a while, but he does return with a couple of hilarious solo routines, including his famous toppling-over-the-balcony bit at the opera."Slightly Dangerous" not only revels in first-rate entertainment, but it's produced with Leo's customary flair and impeccable polish—including a wonderful roster of Hollywood bit players and cameo artists. Just look at that cast! In fact Wesley Ruggles was a director who paid particular attention to the minor character players and was always concerned that a scene be milked for its maximum effect. He'd quickly replace an actor who could not give him precisely the impact he wanted. For instance, Mickey Rooney's dad, Joe Yule, was originally cast as the painter, but the director thought he was too old and lacked the flair that this little bit needed. Yule was replaced by Joe Devlin.

This little picture, a fine Wesley Ruggles comedy, struts along with great pace, and has a great cast with Lana Turner, Robert Young, Dame May Witty, and Walter Brennan. The acting is excellent, the antics unusual,and the comedy delightful. But the thing that is way beyond compare in this picture is the bubbling beauty of Lana Turner at her absolute peak. She carries the day with a sublime sort of sparkling charm as she changes personalities several times just to break her tedium with life. No, she never HAD amnesia, and no, she never wanted to commit suicide! But people will talk. Her beautiful sparkle and comedic charm actually made me weak in the knees. Robert Young does a decent job chasing her down the entire film, but it is Turner's film all the way.