Slightly Dangerous

Soda-jerk Lana Turner (Peggy) wins $2.50 for punctual attendance over 1,000 consecutive days and she has the privilege of spending this gift within the store that she works for. What a lucky break! She is horrified at this pointless achievement and so quits for better things. Quote right, Lana. What she does next is pretty dodgy, though. Watch and find out in this romantic comedy which also stars Robert Young (Bob) as the man pursuing her in more ways than one.

This film has a good cast with Turner very good in the lead role. I wasn't too keen on Young, he's a bit drippy in this but he does get some amusing dialogue. Turner gets some clever scenes, eg, serving customers whilst blindfolded and when she is given a test to identify a treasured toy in a roomful of options. Her logic can't be faulted. She is both strong, calculatingly clever and funny in this film and she looks just like Marilyn Monroe. I wonder if Monroe copied her look? There is a convincing supporting cast although the story is based on a pretty dodgy idea! Doesn't matter, it's all fantasy. And it leaves the viewer feeling happy.

Slightly Dangerous finds Lana Turner bored with life in small town Hotchkiss Falls and bored with her job as a soda jerk in a department store. She even does her job making a banana split blindfolded to the amusement of the customer, but new general manager Robert Young finds he's not amused. She's fired, but then so is he after she leaves a fake suicide note saying she's throwing herself in the river.

Instead she goes to New York and when she's hit by a falling ladder after she's heard talking to herself when she comes to, everyone thinks she's got amnesia. Instead using that she decides to become the long lost daughter of millionaire Walter Brennan who was lost at the age of 2 by nanny Dame May Witty while going to the circus.

It's interesting that none of the previous reviewers noted that this a reworking of the Anastasia legend. But that's a serious story involving a plot to deliberately defraud the exiled Romanovs.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but I find a comedy based on a premise of fraud and extortion not all that funny. Yet even with a lousy starting point, Slightly Dangerous does holdup somewhat because of the incredible cast of name performers in this film like Ray Collins, Ward Bond, Eugene Palette, and Alan Mowbray besides those already mentioned.

And there's Lana Turner who just has to be Lana Turner to get me viewing a film. She's got that winsome quality throughout her films in the Forties that men and women found so appealing.

Anyway with a cast like this, chances are you'll find something enjoyable about Slightly Dangerous.

Lana Turner is young and gorgeous in this light comedy about a waitress with a lucky penny and the dream of getting out of her humdrum life. The penny works wonders. After escaping her small town, a ladder falls on her in New York City - when she comes to, it's assumed she has amnesia (she was deciding on her new name when the ladder came crashing down). After a trip to the library, she decides to become a long-lost heiress who disappeared as a child in 1925.

Robert Young plays her ex-boss who looks to expose her lie; Walter Brennan is her welcoming, wealthy father; Ward Bond is his security guy; Dame May Witty the heiress' former nanny. Ray Collins of "Perry Mason" fame also makes an appearance, as does Eugene Palette as the newspaper editor who prints the amnesiac's story. It's a terrific cast, with Young's role being a departure for him. He does it well. Lana is simply adorable.

The movie leaves an open question, which is kind of fun, too. All in all, very enjoyable.

I didn't find this film to be a let down in any way - I found it very funny. I didn't take my eyes from it; the gorgeous sets and beautiful Lana Turner were mesmerizing. There is a hilarious scene in which Peggy Evans (Turner) is trying to decide what her new name will be: Walking down a city street, she sees ads and signs of retailers and tries out the names to see if they suit her (Abercrombie & Fitch, Suzanne Hats, etc...). She's debating with herself, trying out new names - and it's just hilarious. There are a few scenes where we hear her talking to herself, and I find these scenes some of the most fun. She's clever and serious, but her logic is unfounded. This is a fun movie, and I don't believe the cast took it too seriously. The cast seemed to make it a light comedy-drama, with a few madcap laughs.

I've seen this a hundred times, at least. Lana is at her best..absolutely adorable-before the hard edge sets in. Robert Young is good, as always, and you can't beat the old-time character actors for rounding out a good cast. Pure escapist entertainment...no filthy language or situations. I wish it were available on video- it's a ke