TheLittleSongbird 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

JohnHowardReid Although Colleen opens most promisingly when the players introduce themselves to the movie audience (why don't all movies do that? It should be the rule, rather than the exception), this musical comedy actually develops into a rather routine offering. In view of all the talent involved, both behind and in front of the camera, this outcome is rather disappointing. The cast list is enormous, and the behind-the-camera talent positively makes this movie an absolute must-see. For all that, it's a somewhat disappointing movie. Where did it go wrong? The photography, the sets and the players led by Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Jack Oakie, Joan Blondell and Hugh Herbert are all fine. It's with Bobby Connoly's weak dance direction that the movie really goes wrong. Dancer/choreographer Paul Draper plays himself and it's with his so-called "specialties" that the movie really takes a wrong or at least a very disappointing turn. For audiences weaned on Busby Berkeley, Draper's dance routines are absolutely nothing to write home about. The film's original cut ran 100 minutes, but it was mercifully shortened to 89 after preview audiences overwhelmingly gave the movie a low rating.

Neil Doyle Whether this featherweight entertainment is for you or not, depends entirely on whether you fancy the dancing talent of RUBY KEELER (not exactly the world's greatest dancer), DICK POWELL (not exactly the world's best crooner) and JOAN BLONDELL (not exactly the world's greatest musical talent). What they do have is charm, in spades, and aside from their bright personalities and some clowning by JACK OAKIE, there's really not much else here that you haven't seen a dozen times before.HUGH HERBERT is there for some eccentric laughs as a giddy millionaire that nephew DICK POWELL must save from the clutches of a gold digger (JOAN BLONDELL of course), while falling for office worker RUBY KEELER. Herbert's comic delivery is as broad and screwball as can be and becomes tiresome when so many of the early scenes are consumed by his brand of humor. In other words, a little bit of Hugh Herbert goes a long way.The screwball plot goes from silly to sillier in no time with most of the complications revolving around Herbert's eccentric ways with running a business. Blondell bats her eyes on cue, Ruby Keller takes a stab at being an unlikely bookkeeper, and Powell treats both of them with boyish charm, occasionally belting out a song without a song cue in sight.To be charitable, even for fans of Powell and Keeler, this one is pretty hard to take. Even a fashion show production number a half-hour into the film lacks the zip and distinction usually found in these sort of musicals, clumsily choreographed with a dance by Keeler and PAUL DRAPER.DICK POWELL manages to emerge with reputation intact--but no wonder he tired of these flimsily constructed musicals, this one suffering from low-budget production values and a bad script. Thankfully, he went on to better things in future roles with a switch from musicals to crime drama.As for RUBY KEELER, what can I say? She's charming and pleasant to look at--but that's about it and JOAN BLONDELL is seen to better advantage in dozens of other films.

garyjack5 Sorry to have to disagree with the "disaster" rating in the previous "user comments". Just for the record, Dick Powell/Ruby Keeler musical comedies aren't supposed to have thick plots.This film is supposed to be a light hearted musical comedy for the depression-era audience, and that is just what it is. I'll grant you that the musical numbers aren't as memorable as other Powell/Keeler films(by the way, they were never married - Powell married Joan Blondell that year). I'd also say that Paul Draper's tap dancing is a cut below the flowing moves of Fred Astaire.However, the film has some redeeming comedic value. Hugh Herbert is a gem of a bumbling business executive, and Joan Blondell was in her element as Jack Oakie's conniving sidekick.Overall, I found this film to be quite acceptable.