Colleen

A passable enough movie but all over the map, and while it was a vehicle for the Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler tandem, I liked it more for their supporting cast, featuring Hugh Herbert as a bumbling millionaire and Joan Blondell as a gold-digger. The musical numbers are mildly entertaining, but tap dancer Paul Draper lacks charisma and Ruby Keeler's singing is flat. I liked "Boulevardier from the Bronx" performed by Blondell and Jack Oakie more, as goofy as he was, and perhaps influenced by Blondells's décolleté. It's not horrible or anything, but you can do better. I suggest trying a movie like Footlight Parade from 1933 instead.

I was surprised to see how many IMDb contributors gave this movie a thumbs down. The story isn't any more substantial than a few dozen other romantic comedies of the time. But it moves along at a merry pace, especially when the cast takes over an ocean liner. And there are enough plot twists to keep it rolling. Dick Powell is his usual easygoing self. Ruby Keeler is surprisingly good --for an actress who had more than her share of detractors. Hugh Herbert dithers amusingly. And even Joan Blondell scores as a woman on the loose. Add some stylish production numbers-- with the usual bevy of toe-tapping chorus girls led by Keeler and Paul Draper -- and you've got a pleasant 90 minutes or so.

A fine cast outperforms the material that was given. Two of the dance numbers are worth the price of admission. The major number with Ruby Keeler and Paul Draper leads me to reevaluate Keeler's ability. I have seen a Dick Powell interview in which he stated that Ruby was only an average dancer. She certainly was not an Eleanor Powell or Ann Miller, but "The Stomper" was better than I had thought.

The Joan Blondell/Jack Oakie ballroom type segment was truly enjoyable. In fact, I'll call it delightful. Watched it four times before proceeding with the remainder of the movie.

Two of the reviewers of this movie have each made an incorrect statement. 1.)Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler were not married at the time this movie was made. They never were married to each other. Keeler was married at the time to Al Jolson. The reviewer might have been thinking thinking of Dick's marriage to co-star Joan Blondell. They were wed from September 19,1936 to July 14,1944. 2.)Cast member Hugh Herbert did not co-write the script for "Colleen". F. Hugh Herbert was the co-writer. These were two different persons.

Of Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell's collaborations together, 'Colleen' is, along with 'Shipmates Forever', their weakest. This is not in any way saying that it's bad, because it isn't.

It's just that the pair did make much stronger films, that had more memorable songs and much better choreographed dance numbers, especially '42nd Street', 'Footlight Parade' and 'Goldiggers of 1933'. 'Dames' is also great fun, and 'Flirtation Walk' has enough charm and likability to make up for the flawed story.

There are numerous pleasures here. Joan Blondell and Jack Oakie come very close to stealing the film. Blondell is a bundle of joy with a natural screen presence and irresistible charm and Oakie is a lot of fun. Their scene together is a sheer delight and for me the highlight of 'Colleen'.

Keeler and Powell themselves don't disappoint either. Powell sings beautifully and is very likable, and while singing is not a strong suit of hers (and that to be honest is putting it mildly) Keeler fares better at dancing than in a few of her previous films and also has the charm and likability factor. While none of the songs are hits, they are still very pleasant and more than listenable, certainly deserving of better dance direction.

Didn't care for Hugh Herbert personally. He does have some amusing moments, but it just felt too much of The Hugh Herbert Show and, while some parts are entertaining, his broad and effete style of comedy did get tiresome. The script has the odd nice moment, but overall it's pretty feeble. The story is both silly and flimsy, yes even for a musical comedy.

One always says that musicals shouldn't be judged for their stories but it does depend though on how well executed the rest of the elements are, and 'Colleen' was an example of one where some things were done well and others left wanting. Paul Draper is like agreed a minor Fred Astaire without the elegance or grace, and he shows severe limitations as an actor, even in his dance with Keeler Keeler outperforms him by a country mile.

Lastly, the choreography and dance direction were seriously uninspired and leaden, am aware that you can't have Busby Berkeley all the time but the dance direction and how things were choreographed had such a lack of imagination that they were crying out for his involvement.

All in all, pleasant if bland. Watchable, but this should have been a better swansong collaboration overall for Keeler and Powell. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Cedric Ames (Hugh Herbert) is an absent-minded wealthy businessman playboy. Most of the business is done by other people including his loyal nephew Donald Ames 3rd (Dick Powell). Cedric recklessly hires sneaky assistant Joe Cork (Jack Oakie). He falls for gold-digging chocolate dipper Minnie Hawkins (Joan Blondell). He even buys her a dress shop where Colleen Reilly (Ruby Keeler) is the bookkeeper. Donald works to save Cedric from himself.

This is a rom-com drama musical. I'm not really taken with the drama. The Donald Colleen romance comes and goes. I like the song and dance musical although nothing really stands out. There is one or two bigger production scenes. This is fine for the musical fans.