A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Warner Bros. 'B' picture starring Ronald Reagan in his first film as a radio reporter who gets in trouble going after corrupt city officials. So he's demoted to hosting a kids' show. The radio station boss hopes it will make him quit, as they can't fire him due to his contract. Will it work? Doubt it.Reagan is fine, likable and charming. My only complaint was the constant yelling of his lines, but that was undoubtedly because of Warner Bros. Most of the lead actors in their 'B' films at the time did this, and even some in their 'A' films. The title makes no sense really. It implies the film is a romantic comedy and it's not. This is a watchable way to pass an hour. Remake of Paul Muni's "Hi, Nellie."

Love is on the Air (1937) ** (out of 4) The title has nothing to do with this "B" picture from Warner, which features Ronald Reagan in his debut. Reagan plays a hot shot radio broadcaster who decides to use the airways to bring down racketeers but this gets him into trouble with his boss and puts his life on the line by the bad guys. This 61-minute film goes by pretty fast but in the end it's pretty light on story, action and acting. Reagan is decent in his first film, although at times it seems like he's trying to do an impersonation of James Cagney. The supporting cast is mostly forgettable and there's really nothing that stands out here among the various other "B" films of its type.

When I saw the movie was entitled "Love is in the Air", I naturally assumed this was a romance, but there is really very little of that. Instead, it's much more of a suspense film with a touch of comedy and a tiny smidgen of romance! Ronald Reagan plays a hot-shot radio announcer--much like Walter Winchell. His specialty is talking about politics and exposing crime, but when the local mob sees he's poking his nose around a bit too close for comfort, they do what they can to de-rail his career. He is demoted to doing sappy children's programs and longs to return to his former job. Later, when Reagan gets a lead on the whereabouts of two people who might have been liquidated by the mob, he sets a pretty clever trap--leading to a dandy as well as violent little conclusion.While this is a very slight film and there isn't a lot to make it stand out from the crowd, LOVE IS IN THE AIR was a very good start for Reagan. This was his first film and he came off pretty well and less wooden than he did in a few of his later films. He was good as a fast-talking yet likable radio star--not much of a departure, as he had been a radio announcer before being discovered by Hollywood. Plus, as a "time passer", it's pretty watchable and interesting--especially considering it was pretty much a B-film with very low expectations from Warner Brothers Studio.

For a fellow who'd never acted before, Ronald Reagan carries this little programmer with panache. It bears little relation to the real world, but it's not a bad way to spend an hour. Reagan's skill as a radio announcer is exhibited, but he plays all the other required notes quite handily. The story gets a few unexpected twists, though most of it is hokum of the first degree. Ben Welden is always a welcome sight, here as a slightly more serious villain than he sometimes played. Most of the rest of the cast is pretty well B-level, competent but no great shakes. Reagan alone makes this worth viewing. He's likable, charming, energetic, and he handles dialogue better than just about anyone in the film. Quite an accomplishment for a newcomer.