BoardChiri
Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
ThedevilChoose
When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.
Isbel
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
lugonian
ME AND MY GAL (Fox, 1932), produced and directed by Raoul Walsh, not to be confused with the Judy Garland and Gene Kelly musical, FOR ME AND MY GAL (MGM, 1942), is a nifty little comedy/drama that teams Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett for the second time (following their initial pairing in SHE WANTED A MILLIONAIRE (Fox, 1932)). Although Tracy reportedly didn't have much regard for the movies he did over at Fox during his five years (1930-1935) at the studio, he was said to have been proud of this production, and it's easy to see why. Under the good direction of Walsh, ME AND MY GAL has both good story and sharp dialogue to keep the pace moving at a high degree.The story revolves around Danny Dolan (Spencer Tracy), a new Irish cop on the waterfront beat of New York City's Pier 13, going through his daily duties. After acquiring a dog and dealing with Joe Morgan (Will Stanton), a stumbling drunk, Dan comes to Ed's Chowder House Sea Food diner where he meets Helen Riley (Joan Bennett), a sassy, gum- chewing waitress/cashier with all the answers to Dan's questions. Helen has a sister, Katherine (Marion Burns), who's engaged to marry a nerdy buck-tooth, bespectacled Eddie Collins (George Chandler). Katherine has a shady past, having previously been involved with Duke Castenega (George Walsh), a gangster she cannot resist, especially when wanting her to go against her will by giving him a combination number list for safe deposit boxes. After saving a man's life from drowning, Dan is promoted detective working along with Al Allen (Adrian Morris), a fellow detective who earlier missed seeing Duke and his thugs departing the ship from South American on Pier 13. Duke gets arrested for a robbery and later breaks out of prison. As for Dan's courtship with Helen, he gets to meet the rest of her family, including Kate and their father, Pat (J. Farrell MacDonald). Situations become involved as Dan is assigned to locate Duke's whereabouts, unaware that he's hidden away in the attic of Kate's apartment as witnessed by Kate's war veteran father-in-law, John Collins, (Henry B. Walthall) paralyzed in a wheelchair with his only means of communication blinking code signals through his eyes. Others in the cast include of Noel Madison (Baby Face Castenega); with Eleanor Wesselhoeft, Russell Powell, Billy Bevan and Frank Moran in smaller roles. Be sure to stay tuned for J. Farrell MacDonald's full face close-up fade-out.A very fast-paced 79 minute production with Tracy and Bennett doing their best competing with one another. Their most memorable moment is their parody to Eugene O'Neill's stage production (and later 1932 MGM drama) to STRANGE INTERLUDE where the two speak out their thoughts through their minds heard only by the movie going audience. This may be a loss to contemporary viewers, but in 1932, many understood the humor of it all.Remade by 20th Century-Fox as PIER 13 (1940) starring Lloyd Nolan and Lynn Bari in the Tracy and Bennett roles, there's no doubt which version is better. Tracy and Bennett wouldn't work together again until many years later in the classic FATHER OF THE BRIDE (MGM, 1950) and its sequel, FATHER'S LITTLE DIVIDEND (MGM, 1951). Never distributed to home video, ME AND MY GAL did enjoy some rare showings in revival movie houses, public television in the early 1990s, before turning up on cable television's Fox Movie Channel, Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: October 2, 2012) and then availability onto DVD. Considering how movies from the old Fox Film library have been lost or lay forgotten in the studio vaults, at least this not only is still available for viewing, but also one that can still be seen and surprisingly appreciated today. Check! (***)
drednm
Fast-paced film filled with snappy dialog and star performances by Spencer Tracy as a not-too-swift cop and Joan Bennett as a hash-house waitress with plenty on the ball. Story centers on their unlikely romance and the colorful people around them, mostly her nitwit sister (Marion Burns) who's involved with a mobster.While Tracy pursue Bennett, the sister marries a sap (George Chandler) to escape a mobster boyfriend (George Walsh) who has escaped from jail. He and his gang try to pressure her into helping rob the bank she works in. The sister lives with her husband's paralyzed father (Henry B. Walthall) who plays in important part in the story.Tracy's beat is the waterfront, where he is plagued by a comically ever-drunk fisherman (Will Stanton) and a dopey partner (Adrian Morris). There's a funny scene where Tracy intervenes on a fight where Stanton is accused of smacking customers (Billy Bevan, Bert Hanlon) with a large fish. As the argument escalates with the men sniping over what kind of fish it is, Tracy is the one who ends up with the fish in his face.Co-stars include J. Farrell MacDonald as Bennett's father, Noel Madison as "Baby Face" the thug, Roger Imhof as the guy with the dog, Phil Tead as the radio salesman, Frank Moran as the spitter, Jesse De Vorska as the tall thug, and Russ Powell as the burper.Not to be missed.
JohnHowardReid
Raoul Walsh's direction is a bit jerky as far as film editing and continuity goes, but there is one marvelous bit of continuity business when the Joan Bennett character phones her sister. In fact, with its striking compositions, long takes and occasional fluid camera movements, the movie has some really good moments overall, despite some held-far-too-long slapstick scenes, such as that with the inebriated fisherman. Spencer Tracy and Miss Bennett have a grand time, the support cast is A-1, and production values are great. The Depression humor and philosophy comes across with force, and, despite its many topical allusions, the movie does not seem particularly dated. Even the running gag about flat feet is amusing in this context. Marion Burns (whatever happened to her? Maybe she got married and gave movies the flick?) makes an unforgettable impression as Bennett's sister. Incidentally, the plot device with the Morse code is wildly implausible, but who cares?
CCsito
This 1932 pre-code movie moved from being a comedy to a drama over the course of the movie. It has Spencer Tracy as a policeman who meets a waitress in a diner played by a very young Joan Bennett. The beginning of the movie appears to focus on a drunkard who keeps loitering in the diner and causing havoc there. The plot then changes to a former boyfriend of Joan Bennett's sister character who is arrested and imprisoned and then escapes. Joan's sister still harbors a torch for the bad guy even though she marries a somewhat nerdish man. Spencer tries to romance Joan and they have a date in her house which featured a scene where their internal thoughts in their minds are expressed when they are verbally talking to each other. Joan also "shakes" her bottom in a scene when she is listening to music from a phonograph. Joan's sister escaped convict guy later hides in a room in Joan's house and his whereabouts are exposed by a dog and a paralyzed mute veteran who lives in the house. Spencer and Joan are able to decipher the paralyzed mute veteran's Morse code message and Spencer shoots and kills the convict. Spencer decides not to press charges against Joan's sister for helping out the convict. There is a bit of a mating dance made between Spencer and Joan throughout the movie and they get married at the end. Not a great movie, but an interesting one to see how more liberal movies were before the Code was instituted.
