Going Places (1938)

Powell is a sporting goods salesman who goes out to the track using a well known jockey's name trying to drum up business for their sporting goods by using and wearing those goods. But the imitation is too good. Anita Louise is the niece of a rich uncle who owns a stable of racehorses, and at first wants Powell to ride the wild horse, "Jeepers Creepers" in the Steeple chase, but then changes her mind and wants him to ride her own fast but tame horse, Lady Ellen. Powell's problem is that he takes a shine to the girl and just can't say no, but he is NOT a jockey! For the girl's sake he doesn't want to lose the race nor does he want to make a fool of himself and get trampled in the process. Louis Armstrong is the groom who can only calm the wild horse by playing "Jeepers Creepers" on his trumpet. Allan Jenkins is a gangster-type who has this inside information on the horse and is leaning on Powell to throw the race AND ride the wild horse, NOT the tamer fast horse Anita Louise wants Powell to ride. How will this turn out? Watch and find out, but first make a pot of coffee. It's a snoozer folks.On the positive side, there are some great tunes and Powell's charm and voice are usually enough to carry almost any film through. Plus there is the great Satchmo singing "Jeepers Creepers". However, the plot, point by point, is just so inane yet boring. Ray Enright directed this film, and I've noticed that he directed more than his share of dogs over at WB. I'm not sure if Warner Brothers gave Ray the dogs to direct because he was Ray Enright, or if the films were dogs because of the way he directed them. Let's just say that Ray Enright as director in the credit is usually not the mark of quality.My recommendation - if you are a Dick Powell completist and can keep your attention focused on Powell, his antics, and his singing, this is probably going to at least keep you awake. Otherwise, have it on hand if you ever have a severe case of insomnia, because "Going Places" is a film that goes nowhere.

This is a very forgettable though enjoyable little film that has a lot going for it as well as a lot to hate. It's a very mixed bag, that's for sure! First, what to like. Dick Powell plays a nice likable guy (as usual) and there is some decent comedy in the film. It's the sort of nice time-passer they made so well during the era--a mindless but fun little bit of escapism. Plus, you do get to see a very early performance by Ronald Reagan as well as Louis Armstrong. Of the two, Armstrong definitely comes off best, as his singing is great and you are left wondering why he didn't make more films during the 1930s. Reagan is there mostly as window dressing and has little to do. He's not bad, but also not particularly noticeable.Now for the bad. If you are looking for a film to show your politically correct friends or to show to a local chapter of the NAACP, keep looking! Most of the Black people in the film are the typical stereotypical happy singing idiots that Hollywood loved during the 30s and 40s. It's sad to see Louis Armstrong, for instance, forced to play such a demeaning part--he was better than this. Also, the plot itself was majorly lame--really, really lame! Many films back then loved the idea of an animal or athlete responding magically to music. Most often it's a particular tune that makes the animal/athlete respond. In this case, the horse 'Jeepers Peepers' responds when he hears the song named for him. In the case of the Three Stooges, it was 'Pop Goes the Weasel' that made Curly box like a madman. There are countless other examples, but regardless this is a terribly contrived and stupid story element. Finally, although it's not as big a concern, it was awfully dumb to have Dick Powell playing an Aussie--especially since he sounded less Australian than Louis Armstrong or the horse!! Still, despite these many bad parts of the film, there are many genuinely good moments and you can't help but like Powell--no matter how contrived it all is.

Sporting goods salesman Peter Mason (Dick Powell) is tired of getting customers that don't buy anything. He hatches an idea to advertise, and his co-worker thinks it'd be a bright idea for him to pose as Peter Randall, a famous jockey. He does so, but finds himself wrapped up in a scheme to win big by riding Jeepers Creepers, a strong but unruly horse. Anita Louise appears as the love interest, Ronald Reagan as the horse's owner, and Louis Armstrong as a stable hand who tames the horse with song. Nothing in this movie is really important; it is just something fun to watch to pass the time.The music is fun, especially the big dance number close to the end of the film. It seemingly has no place in the film, but it showcases Armstrong well. Powell carries the film along, but do not expect anything unusual in his performance. This is yet another musical that he was at this time tired of making.

GOING PLACES is a slight comedy about horse racing that features a terrific cast of supporting players, many of them like Walter Catlett and Thurston Hall some of the best characters actors ever seen on screen. Powell, in his pre-hardboiled detective days, plays a store clerk who poses as a jockey for promotional reasons among the horse set in Maryland. Catlett is his co-worker who poses as his valet. Much identify confusion and merriment ensue, with several musical interludes, the most memorable being Mr. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong debuting the classic number, JEEPERS CREEPERS, which in the movie is the name of a cantankerous race horse the horse-shy Powell ends up riding. This sort of film and in some cases the exact same plot had been done before and would be done again many times, with better known names like Bob Hope, Abbott and Costello and The Marx Brothers. Horse racing was at its most popular in the 1930s and '40s, only to quickly decline in the TV era. The highlight of the movie is an amusing musical number called "Charlie the Horse" sung in four-part harmony by Powell, Catlett and two silly thugs who are pushing the horse-hating Powell to race. It may remind some of something out of GUYS AND DOLLS.