XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

MartinHafer "Naughty But Nice" is a pleasant Dick Powell musical comedy--more enjoyable than many of his other 30s films. He plays Professor Hardwick, a very straight-laced guy who likes writing classical- style music. However, when he accidentally gets drunk, he becomes a bit of a wild man and ends up giving in to his hidden inner urge to write dreaded swing music! Later, after the Hudson Music company publishes one of his songs, they learn it might be plagiarized and sue him.This is a very slight movie that never takes itself seriously and has a nice sense of humor. My only complaint is that Ann Sheridan is featured first in the credits but it's more a Dick Powell film. In fact, Gale Page is more prominent in the film but comes third-- and this must be some sort of testament to the sudden star power of Sheridan. If you do watch, you'll also see Ronald Reagan in one of his earliest roles in support.

Maliejandra Kay Naughty But Nice is the story of a professor of music (Dick Powell) who wants his rhapsody to be published. His innocence and lack of taste buds rope him into a contract writing popular music with a female singer (Gale Page), a style that he hates. He becomes hugely popular, and another singer (Ann Sheridan) attempts to steal his talents for herself through shady means.It is very strange to see Powell in such a film as the character he is. He is an extreme intellectual at the expense of his charm and handsomeness. He does get to show off his beautiful voice, but it is quickly and not very memorable. Zasu Pitts, a former silent movie star, makes a favorable impression as an eccentric and funny aunt of Powell.There are some very enjoyable parts to the film, especially the bits about the lemonade, but it is rather predictable in places and somewhat dull in others.

tarpoff I don't place comments on most of the movies I watch (and I am a major film buff, particularly the classics of the late 30's, 40's and 50's, but I felt it necessary here as most of the comments are based on viewers with a Dick Powell focus. Powell's heyday was a little prior the timeframe of my expertise so I am not commenting upon those comments, however, Ann Sheridan is one of the most underrated actresses in film and she is outstanding in this, not to mention gorgeous. The movie is more entertaining than Powell's fans have let on with the final third of the movie quite entertaining for anyone. The increasing frustration of Powell's collegiate colleagues culminating in breaking a tree limb is well done. The scene prior to the court trial with Sheridan slapping everyone repeatedly in the producer's office is outstanding and a "must see" for film fans.

Ken Peters (wireshock) As a Dick Powell fan, the premise of this picture sounded great: a college music professor, despite his disapproval of "swing" music, ends up becoming the best-selling composer on the pop hit parade. The comic opportunities in this scenario, not to mention Powell's mellifluous singing voice, are needlessly squandered however--no doubt this movie disappointed Powell's fans back in '39 as much as it did this viewer in 2001.The story promises great things and delivers on none of them:Powell writes hit songs with a beautiful lyricist, but we never see them working together. Powell never even sings in this picture, despite 5 new songs by the same team (Johnny Mercer & Harry Warren) who gave us "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" which Powell crooned to Olivia de Havilland in the previous year's "Hard to Get".They don't even let Dick Powell BE Dick Powell: he plays a nerdy guy lacking in social grace and appeal--and two women vie for his attention. Granted, Powell plays a convincing, somewhat lovable "four-eyed" geek, but the plot keeps hinting that, with a few potent "lemonades", he's a dancing dynamo and the life of the party! But everytime he heads out to the dance floor to strut his stuff there's a fade out and we only find out what a blast he had the night before from an item in the newspaper.What great fun it might have been if the college prof learned to sing, swing and love. But he stays a nerd, writes hit tunes reluctantly and ends up with the girl formulaically without a spark between them. [Sigh...]