User Comments:
Maybe not in anyone's top 100, but what's not to like about Ginger and Ronald?, 1 April 2001
Author:
FISHER L. FORREST (fisherforrest@sprintmail.com) from Jacksonville, Oregon, USA
It was an article of faith among the more cynical critics during the
"golden
age" of Hollywood movies that most of what the industry turned out could
be
summed up as "boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl but gets her
back before the final fade". Well, here Lewis Milestone has directed just
such a formula tale. But he, more famous for such films as ALL QUIET ON
THE
WESTERN FRONT, has handled the genre with such a light touch that the
result
is delightful. Mind you, I don't say the film is top 100 quality, but
what's
not to like about a Sacha Guitry romantic comedy featuring Ronald Colman
and
Ginger Rogers and ending with a courtroom scene, common to this type of
film
in the 1930's and 1940's, presided over by Henry Davenport as Judge?
We start out with Colman as some sort of "mystery artist" accosted by
Rogers
with a hare-brained scheme to win the Irish sweepstakes, if only he will
go
halvers with her. He wished her "Good Luck" one morning, you see, and
immediately she was given a lovely dress by a complete stranger. So
naturally, she knew he was a sure token of good luck. She wants the money
for her honeymoon, but Ronald has an idea of his own--he wants her to go
with him on the honeymoon, strictly Platonic, of course. To make a long
story a bit shorter, Ginger doesn't like the idea but Ronnie persuades
her
fiance, Jack Carson, that it's O.K. (Don't ask how!), so she finally
agrees.
They draw a horse on their ticket (if you don't know how the Irish
Sweepstakes worked, there isn't room here to explain it all), but the
horse
doesn't win. However, Jack has sold one-half of the ticket for $6000 on
the
strength of the horse. He gives this to Ginger, who gives it to Ronnie,
who
arranges the trip and buys a car in Ginger's name. After considerable
pussyfooting around it becomes clearer by the minute that Plato is going
to
lose this one. Ronnie gets cold feet and beats it in the car bought in
Gingers's name. Naturally he is arrested for car theft, Ginger is
arrested
for possessing a stolen painting (I told you Ronnie as a "mystery
artist"),
Jack is arrested for breaking down Ginger's hotel room door (he got
jealous
after all), and they all end up in Henry Davenport's courtroom.
Now, don't read another word if you don't already know the outcome, but
if
you are of the female persuasion and had the choice of Ronald Colman or
Jack
Carson, whom would you choose. This courtroom scene is not the best of
this
sort, which I mentioned was common to the period, but it does serve to
sort
things out. It may be corn, but it is lovely, sweet corn, and not from
Iowa.
Light sparkling comedy was Sacha Guitry's stock in trade.
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