MADE ON BROADWAY (1933)

Dandy little Bright Lights dramedy from M-G-M, of all places, with Robert Montgomery in rare form as Manhattan’s go-to Pubic Relations guru, Mr. Fix-It for celebrities and politicians in a jam.  Monitoring the pulse-of-the-city from his swank apartment at afternoon ‘socials’ where the whole town comes daily to shmooze, booze and ask favors.  Everyone from the Jimmy Walker-like mayor to labor bosses with extended families sucking the public teat dry, they all find Montgomery’s happy to take charge for a sliding fee or percentage.  Congenially divorced from Madge Evans (still pals), he meets-cute with Sally Eilers’ classless girl-on-the-make one evening when she jumps off the ferry and he dives in to save her.  Soon, he’s acting as Pygmalion to her Galatea,  setting her up in all the social niceties (modeling, fancy digs, expenses, clothes, lessons in couth), too smitten to see that for once the player’s being played.  The rest of the story leans toward CHICAGO (1927 on B’way & filmed as a silent): secret lover shot dead/PR man to the rescue.  Lots of fun in spite of an oddly barren production for M-G-M (director Harry Beaumont behind the times & on the way out), with too many minor league supporting players to fill all the tasty bits, though Eugene Palette shines, murder victim in 1927, now playing valet.  The whole film worth a look simply to see him slip an undershirt over Montgomery’s head when he gets the emergency call from Eilers.  Loaded with Pre-Code double entendres and even a bit of Yiddish from Montgomery and his shark of a lawyer.  A modest find.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK:  Sally Eilers may be billed above the title, but she doesn’t have the moxie or style to pull off such an unsympathetic character.  Barbara Stanwyck or Jean Harlow needed.  The vacuum allows ex-wife Madge Evans to walk off with the honors.  And she’s even better in her next, another gossipy Manhattan item, now against Lee Tracy as THE NUISANCE/’33. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-nuisance-1933.html

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Next year, William Powell came to M-G-M and took over these roles.  Powell is, of course, supreme, but Montgomery more than holds his own with flair & youthful physicality.