blanche-2
Flirtation Walk is a 1934 musical starring Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Ross Alexander, Pat O'Brien, John Eldredge, and Henry O'Neill.Powell plays Dick Darcy, a private stationed in Hawaii. He meets the general's daughter Kit (Keeler). The two fall for one another, but she's engaged to another (Eldredge). They break up.A few years later, they meet again, this time at West Point. Kit is still engaged, but very happy to see Dick. Feeling used by her, Dick rebuffs her and hurts her feelings.Dick has to write and appear the annual show, and the other cadets want Kit to play the lead. Dick refuses as women are not allowed, but the cadets appeal to her father, who gives the okay. I love Dick Powell. I'm not such a fan of Ruby Keeler, who was certainly very pretty and did some good films with Powell. I did not find this a scintillating musical. The music was dull, and the story was flat.I actually watched this to see if I could do what no one else has been able to - find Tyrone Power, who was a cadet in this film.The only reason he is listed on IMDb is that he became famous as he was not a featured cadet. He was an extra, probably answering a call for young men to be extras at West Point. He cannot be spotted. By the way, he and Linda Christian lived directly across the street from Dick Powell and June Allyson on Copa D'Oro in LA.Dick Powell had such a beautiful voice, but it wasn't used a lot or to great advantage here. In short, this can't hold a candle to "42nd Street" or "Dames," or other musicals of the era.
dbdumonteil
With hindsight,"flirtation walk" appears as a blueprint for "shipmates forever"(and even ,so to speak for "Blue Hawai" in which Elvis played a discharged soldier mind you).Like the 1935 (shall we say "sequel"?)work,it features the same actors and it's the most distressingly mediocre movie by one of the greatest directors of the era."Flirtation walk " pales into insignificance when compared to "no greater glory" "little man what now?" "three comrades" "mortal storm" "young America" "stranded" "big city" .....and I don't even mention the masterpieces of the silent era !Borzage epitomized greatness ,and perhaps are we too demanding ?There is a good idea,the play a la "Hamlet" or how to get a message of love through.However,Borzage 's touch is nowhere to be seen in this umpteenth version of "I shall become an officer and a gentleman".If you want to see a good patriotic movie by Borzage,do choose " stage door canteen" in which the characters are made of flesh and blood.
gmboothe
Some good songs, good cast. Dick Powell handles most of the singing, sounding great as always, even in Hawaiian. Pat O'Brien is enjoyable in a familiar role as the tough guy with a heart of gold. Biggest disappointment of the whole movie is no dancing by the lovely Ruby Keeler. What were they thinking? The movie is very different from the 42nd Street-Footlight Parade-Golddiggers musicals that the Powell/Keeler team is most famous for, and if you expect to see that type of movie, you might be disappointed. I love them in those movies, but I also enjoyed this as something different. It would be nice to see this movie released as part of a DVD box set to complement the great Busby Berkley set released in early 2006.
MeYesMe
It's just not worth the hour and a half you have to give up to see this movie. The two leads fall predictably in love within the first 15 minutes and, for reasons unclear, decide to pretend not to love each other until the last 10 minutes.Not excruciatingly bad, but nowhere near good. Just kinda ambles across the screen and bores everyone in its path. I'm pretty sure it's a comedy, but don't hold me to that.
AD
