marcslope
A hit Broadway farce, by the estimable playwright Joseph Fields, gets annoyingly Hollywood-ized in this Warners product, unsubtly written and loudly directed by James V. Kern. Its stage origins are obvious, as it's nearly all set in a Washington bridal suite, where doors slam. Boy, do they slam. Ann Sheridan (the disagreeable one), Alexis Smith (the glamorous one), and Jane Wyman (the stupid one--no one is particularly well cast) all find out they're not really married to their bridegrooms, while Eve Arden, who's pretty funny given substandard material, totes a rifle and a Russian accent. The men have less to do, but you get early glimpses of Craig Stevens and Jack Carson, and Charlie Ruggles does what he can with the unappetizing part of a lecherous old bureaucrat. Irene Manning, Alan Mowbray, and Regis Toomey are on the sidelines, and a cast like this is worth watching. But gosh, this one is shrill.
lcalabraro
planktonrules makes some points that may or may NOT be valid. The one in particular concerns Eve Arden's portrayal of a Russian soldier. plankton defines it as NOT subtle. Please tell me why any portrayal of female Russian soldier would be anything remotely subtle. I watched this movie as a young child and was LOL. My favorite part was Eve. I would point out that this was a Major breakthrough for her in movies, radio and TV. She perfected and honed the part of a wisecracking female hell bent on getting a man but failing miserably as no man could hold a candle to her, except on rare occasions. If you do not like this film two things will occur. One: You will get your money back. Two: You will prove that anything old and funny and in black & white is not your cup of tea. Stick with Sean Penn and Will Ferrell. They will suit you to a nub.
David (Handlinghandel)
Jane Wyman, Alexis Smith, and Ann Sheridan start this with good chemistry among themselves. It seems to be "The Women," with a few men and some genuine kind feelings among the participants. Some of the men could be done without but Charlie Ruggles is always a joy.They continue to work together but things bog down. It's hard to believe that Wyman is as dumb as she's meant to be. And talk about wastes: What in the world made anyone cast Eve Arden as a Russian military officer, uniform, dark wig and all? Her sparklingly dry humor would have fit in perfectly with the situation but she is hidden under layers of camouflage. The Russian she's given is pretty questionable, too.Irene Manning is fun as a viperous ex-wife of one of the three leads' husband and/or husband-to-be.Wartime Washington was crowded but so is this movie. Too much going on sinks this vessel. Give us"The More The Merrier"?
dougandwin
When I saw "The Doughgirls" was coming on TV, I re-read the comments of the critics, and somehow could not believe that they could find anything comical or clever about it. Let me start with the dialogue, without a shadow of a doubt, it had to be the worst heard in any , supposedly, A movie for years. For stars such as Ann Sheridan and Alexis Smith to have to utter the crap served up to them must have been repulsive to them - while Ann overacts as she has never done before or after. Everything Jane Wyman said was typical of the kind of roles that Warners served up to her in many movies for years, and Jack Carson was his usual goof. As for the role played by one of my Favourites, Eve Arden - I felt embarrassed watching it. Truly, most of the cast deserved so much better. This film was a stinkeroo of the worst kind!
AD
