Dreadfully Boring

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

....and she really was beautiful. During the thirties she hadn't really got the glamour treatment, John Springer said "the studio worked her like a road company Lillian Gish". She was at her best portraying naive, idealistic young women ("Dr. Monica") or awkward adolescents ("Desirable") with much sincerity and when she did have a glamorous role (as Helen, the one who was beautiful) she rose to the occasion as well. Like Josephine Hutchinson she was at the wrong studio, anywhere else she may have been thought of as another Katherine Hepburn but Warners threw her into everything.When Helen Lattimer (Muir), the beautiful one, realises that Ridley Crane (Robert Cummings) millionaire man about town will not be at the party that night she pleads sick and tomboy sister Kate (Laraine Day) has to go in her place. But surprise!! surprise!! Ridley is there and is very taken with Kate and her freshness and charm - as she says "I'm not witty, can't wisecrack and can't flirt"!!! They share a mutual love of cars and their workings!!!Helen gets her act together enough to mesmerize Ridley with her beauty next time they meet which is the next night. Ridley gets drunk and while Helen is at the wheel she kills a cyclist. Frightened she runs home and it is very easy to convince everyone that Ridley was driving as there was a witnessed scene outside the club and the fact that the town is still talking about Ridley's scandalous hit and run which happened the year before. Only Kate has her doubts - Helen's dirty gloves have been mysteriously scrubbed clean and she also digs up a parcel Helen has buried to find it is Helen's heel-less shoe - a big clue to determining Ridley's innocence. Things aren't plain sailing though, rushing to her uncle with evidence, Helen then refutes Kate, saying she was in the car but when Ridley ran over the man she ran off, screaming. Her lies are so convincing that everyone sides with her against Kate!!!Being an MGM B means at any other studio the movie would have been promoted as an A - it's production, sets, direction and cast can't be faulted. Laraine Day was good as the determined Kate but even at this early stage of her career she had already appeared in two Dr. Kildare movies and the dye was cast. She was so popular as Nurse Molly Lamont that MGM didn't really consider her for anything else. When she was cast against type as the smiling psychopath in "The Locket", in my opinion she was not convincing.

Apparently a B movie ...B must stand for Better acting and a Better message than we get in big budget "A" pictures today. Modern-day movies aimed at young women, surely aren't designed to encourage depth of character over shallow self-serving behavior... or increase the self-esteem of young girls who don't conform to "feminine" standards. (After all, criticizing the fake and flashy, like this movie does, ain't gonna help sell more products that depend on girls *not* being satisfied with their natural attributes or inner beauty.) Laraine Day is lovable as a mechanically inclined tomboy who "bounds" into rooms and confesses to an inability to flirt. She bonds with Robert Cummings due to similar interests, a shared sense of humour, and her honesty, loyalty and good friendship, which he gradually comes to value over the superficial "charms" of her selfish glamour-girl sister (who only brings out his own selfish, reckless playboy tendencies).Although Laraine is outwardly beautiful as well, it's refreshing to see inner beauty valued more, and the depiction of true friendship leading to the most fulfilling romantic relationship. I wish young girls (and guys) were getting this kind of down-to-earth message today.Maybe if Hollywood returns to making "B" movies again, with modest budgets, and tries to be content with modest profits... what am I saying? Sacrificing the blockbuster mentality to create something sincere on a smaller-scale, would be like expecting a guy to give up the shallow sexpot for a sweet girl who really cares about him. That's crazy talk.Please, somebody invent a time machine already! I belong in 1940.I'd rate this movie higher, but the ending is a bit too abrupt, and perhaps lacked sufficient indication of Robert Cummings' change of heart. (I like the fact that B movies are short & snappy, not bloated & self-indulgent, but this one might've needed more than 70 minutes.) Also found it somewhat unrealistic that a widow and young children would be so unaffected by a sudden death in their family...or be so forgiving of the one who caused it. I mean, I guess it's *nice*, but a little more grieving or bitterness would've been only natural. Maybe a deliberate choice to make this family act lighthearted about their loss, to lessen the impact of the tragedy and make sure *we* forgive those involved in the death - since it's just a plot device anyway, not the real point of the film. Still strange though.

Had no idea what I was going to experience viewing this old film from 1940. However, I always enjoy viewing Laraine Day, (Katie Lattimer) who plays the role as a younger sister to Jean Muir, (Helen Lattimer) and also their mother, Billie Burke, (Mrs. Julia Lattimer). Thought I was going to be bored with the story of two sister's and a mother who is overly protective of her daughters until they meet up with Robert Cummings, (Ridley Crane) who has the reputation of being a millionaire playboy who has plenty of gals and is a heavy drinker who parties all the time. One night, Helen Lattimer goes on a date with Ridley and he proceeds to get bombed out of his mind and simply cannot drive his car. It is at this point in the film when this becomes a drama and changes the complete direction of this film which will definitely hold your attention right to the very end of the film.

This is a pretty decent 1940s B-movie--one with a lesser cast and lower production values. A very similar plot was used years later in the Italian film "Muerte de un ciclista" ("Death of a Cyclist"), but this later film was a bit more interesting and well made. So, many of you who have seen the Italian film will sure see a lot of similarities.Bob Cummings is a hard drinking playboy and two high-society sisters are in love with him. The older one is considered more "chic" but the younger one (played by Laraine Day) seems to be the one with much greater depth of personality and character.One night, Cummings is out with the older sister and he's stinking drunk. Against everyone's advice, he drives home but the older sister won't get in the car with him. Later, though, as she's walking home, he drives up and soon passes out in front of her. The sister then gets in the car to drive him home. Unfortunately, on the way home she accidentally hits and kills a bicylist but leaves the scene. No one knows she was driving and the next day Cummings is arrested for the crime. The sister, being a weasel, says nothing and is very happy to have him take the rap.While the concept was very interesting and kept my interest, what happened next was a bit hard to take--in particular, Cummings' reaction as well as the sister's. Both seemed very unreal in how they dealt with the crime and the final portion, instead of ending with a bang seemed to just fizzle. Overall, it's a good time passer that SHOULD have been a lot better given the concept.