The Worst Film Ever

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

POT O'GOLD (United Artists, 1941), directed by George Marshall, is not exactly a luck of the Irish fantasy about a leprechaun and his pot of gold, but a forgotten yet unsuccessful musical with title derived from a popular radio program. POT O'GOLD also has the distinction of being both presented and produced for the only time by James Roosevelt, older son of the then current United States president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Independently made, it also has the distinction of starring not two newcomers on the rise but two major actors on loan-out assignment from their home base studios, James Stewart (from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) and Paulette Goddard (from Paramount). Other than being the movie debut of band-leader, Horace Heidt, it has little to offer except for the presence of recent Academy Award winner, James Stewart, in what he claimed to be his worst movie. Maybe not his very worst, except only when watching bad reproductive copies on video or DVD, but one of his lesser contributions with fine actors performing to second-rate script with third-rate songs to boot.The story revolves around James Hamilton Haskell (James Stewart), a harmonica player who has inherited his late father's music store. Because business is failing, his rich uncle, Charles J. Haskell (Charles Winninger), sponsor of the weekly radio program, "Haskell's Happiness Hour," offers Jimmy the opportunity of going into business with him. As much as Jimmy loves music, his uncle detests it, especially when his establishment happens to be across the alley of Mrs. McCorkle's (Mary Gordon) boardinghouse on 419 63rd Street where Horace Heidt and his band play their music on the rooftop. As Jimmy arrives to meet with his uncle, he encounters Mrs. McCorkle's daughter, Molly (Paulette Goddard), singer of the band, who, during a disruption between the McCorkles and the Haskills, unwittingly throws a tomato at his uncle's face, thus, becoming a hero to the McCorkles and tenants of the building. As Jimmy tries to hide his identity from Molly and her friends, he attempts on helping the music makers by having them appear on his uncle's radio program without his knowledge.Other members of the cast include: Frank Melton (Jasper); Dick Hogan (Willie McCorkle); Jed Prouty (J.K. Louderman); James Burke (Officer Grady); and Charles Arnt (Parks, the Butler). Notable performance goes to Mary Gordon in another one of many stereotypical strong-willed Irish mother/landlady; Charles Winninger playing a sort of role he's done hundreds of times before, with the only exception of not being an entertainer who feels vaudeville will be making a comeback; and future TV personality, Art Carney Ed Norton of "The Honeymooners") briefly playing an announcer during the radio giveaway segment.Though Stewart is not actually associated with musicals, interestingly POT O'GOLD happens to be his fourth, and second for which he sings a song or two. The motion picture soundtrack, with tunes by unfamiliar composers as Lou Forbes, Henry Sucher, Dave Franklin, Mark David and Vee Lawnhurst, is as follows "Hi Cy," "Pete, the Piper Man" (sung by Paulette Goddard); "By the Moonlight," "When Johnny Toots His Horn" (sung by James Stewart); "Hail, McCorkle," "A Knife, a Fork and a Spoon," "My Irish Stew," "Oh, Boarder House," "Do You Believe in Fairy Tales?" (sung by band members, later sung by James Stewart during dream sequence); and "The Caballero from Broadway." Of the songs, "The Cavallero from Broadway" gets the production number treatment, choreographed by Larry Ceballos. A lively tune and well staged, it's something best appreciated from the standpoint of the story for television as opposed to listening radio audience who couldn't very well see what they are hearing, otherwise the score is a far cry from being Irving Berlin, Cole Porter or a George Gershwin. I doubt is any one of these composers would ever consider such title songs as "A Knife, A Fork and a Spoon" and make a success of it.While POT O'GOLD reportedly began its broadcasting on television during its earliest years before disappearing by the mid 1950s, it wasn't until the advent of cable television and home video did POT O GOLD, having become a public domain movie title, began to find a new audience by the early 1980s, especially on public television. In later years, it's turned up on many cable channels, notably in recent years on Turner Classic Movies (TCM premiere: April 14, 2007).POT O GOLD may not win any jackpot as a sort-after movie musical classic, but a curiosity for those interested in the careers of its major leading players, especially that of Jimmy Stewart. (***)

James 'Jimmy' Stewart once, reportedly, said that he considered Pot o' Gold his worst film. Well it is certainly nowhere near among his best work (one of his weakest actually) and it is kind of easy to see why he would think that. But even lesser Stewart is worth seeing, even if it is only once, because Stewart was that good an actor.Pot o' Gold's biggest debit is the story. There is very little to it structurally and it does struggle to sustain the running time, which is not that long. It could also have done with some tightening up with some parts that felt creaky and forced. Stewart and Paulette Goddard I felt did lack romantic chemistry, apart from the odd charming moment it felt more clinical than natural and tender and it did seem like they weren't that fond of one another.Scripting-wise, Pot o' Gold has mixed results. A good deal of it is witty and quite funny, and there is a likeably feel-good honesty. Other parts however are a touch hokey and contrived, as if they were really to raise laughs but were struggling to do so, and crisper timing and more freshness might have helped.It is a good-looking film though. It is not exactly lavish and there are times where it looks like it was made quickly, but on the most part it does look pretty and like it was made with professionalism, so it hardly looks cheap. Also loved the film's quaint period charm. The music score has the appropriate amount of whimsy, and the songs, while not the most memorable for a musical, are tuneful, energetic and enough to leave the feet tapping. Do You Believe in Fairy Tales and With a Knife, a Fork and a Spoon (don't worry, the song is not as silly as the title sounds) are particularly fun. The choreography is spirited and doesn't try to do anything too complicated (neither does it get simplistic), also managing to keep within the lightweight feel of the rest of the film. The dream sequences are imaginatively surreal and colourful, without being too heavy-handed or inappropriate.George Marshall's direction is lively and does a good job keeping the film light and bouncy. While not always working, the humour is mostly feel-good, witty and honest, and the film does have a sweet charm regardless of the story's flaws. Stewart has a great easy-going charisma and a sparkling twinkle, and acquits himself reasonably well in the singing department, and Goddard, who is much better than she was in Second Chorus, is beautiful and fiery. Good amusing support too from Charles Winniger (particularly excellent) and Mary Gordon, and while there could have been a little less of him Horace Heidt does fine too and is in no way a liability.To summarise, Pot o' Gold passes the time more than amiably and is a decent enough film, but, considering Stewart's calibre as a personal favourite actor of mine and as a fan of musicals, this viewer was hoping for more. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Reportedly was Jimmy Stewart's least favorite film making experience. Don't know what his problems were, but I rate it as the most fun film he costarred in that I have seen, if not exactly the most sophisticated nor publicized. Oh well, sure didn't agree with his post-war politics either.Actually, was inspired by the very popular radio show of the same name, also featuring the Heidt band here featured. The main reason for the program's popularity: giving away $1000. to some random person with a telephone, is duplicated at film's end, albeit in a much more comical initial manner. Jimmy plays his stereotypical self as a young man: an easy going, 'aw shucks', small town bachelor yokel(Jimmy Haskell) who is continuing his father's small music store, barely making ends meet. One fine day, firebrand Uncle Charlie Haskell bursts in with an ultimatum that he needs Jimmy to help with his rapidly expanding health food business and his weekly radio show, offering to make him his successor if he makes good. Well, Jimmy is none too excited about this prospect until the banker comes by with news that his music store will soon be foreclosed. So, Jimmy reluctantly sets off for the big city to join Charlie. With Charlie's big building in sight, he finds various street people singing and dancing to the music of a band on a nearby tenement rooftop. But this music drives the busy Charlie up the wall. Thus, he sends a goon to threaten the band with jail for disturbing the(his) peace. But, Ma McCorkle, who hosts the band in her boarding house below, runs out and intimidates the goon and accompanying policeman, instigating Charlie to run out to counter Ma. Molly McCorkle(Paulette Goddard) picks up a tomato to throw at the goon. But,Jimmy volunteers to do the job himself, accidentally hitting Charlie in the face instead, becoming an instant neighborhood hero. Jimmy and Molly duck out before noticed, get acquainted, and Jimmy decides to accept her offer to room with the band, she being unaware that he is Charlie's nephew. This looks like a heavenly arrangement for Jimmy, so he accepts, despite the Haskels vs. McCorkle feud he will be in the center ring with.It's decided that Charlie needs an immediate vacation in some very remote corner of the globe so that 2 problems can be remedied in his absence 1)his boring radio program designed to promote his health food products. 2) the McCorkle band needs some gigs and could use exposure on radio to make itself widely known. Music-hating tightwad Charlie flies into a rage when he tunes his radio to his program, while in remotest Canada, to discover that it's being broadcast from a nightclub, featuring the McCorkle band, with Molly singing, and $1000. of his money being given to some random person on the other end of a telephone. At one point, looks like everyone is going to end up mad at each other. But, in the finale, Charlie suddenly changes his 'tune' when he's told how popular his new program format is, with sponsors lining up, providing the makings for a happy ending for all, with a wedding suggested. No doubt, the names Haskell and McCorkle were chosen as resembling the well known Hatfield vs. McCoy backwoods feud.White-haired, ex-vaudevillian, Charles Winninger, is a riot as Uncle Charlie. Interestingly, Winninger was cast as the chief supporting male actor in each of Stewart's last 3 films, made by 3 different companies, before the latter took a long break from Hollywood to participate in WWII. Although here he is cast as hating music, he was often included in musicals, where he sometimes sang and danced a bit as a secondary musical performer. Mary Gordon, as Ma McCorkle, plays her role as a feisty , yet motherly, Irish matron to the hilt. Actually, she was born a Scot, and native Irish can tell that in her pseudo-Irish accent. Jimmy and Paulette are good in their roles, but the two feuding senior family members primarily steal the show in the dramatic comedy aspects. The other key ingredient is Horace Heidt and his Musical Knights, who were involved in all the musical numbers, as the band, singers and/or dancers. Jimmy and Paulette also sometimes participated in the musical numbers as harmonica players, singers or dancers, although they were seldom cast in films in musical roles. Actually, Jimmy had some musical background, would later star in "The Glenn Miller Story", and was technically the male star of his last '41 film, "Ziegfeld Girls" : a much more lavish, but much less fun, musical. Paulette reportedly learned some dancing for her role with Fred Astaire in the prior very slight musical "Second Chorus". She's quite good as the star singer/dancer in the one elaborate stage production :"Broadway Caballero" , in which she postures as a Latino macho man, then changes into a frilly evening gown for the last portion, which included more dancing. Most of the other musical numbers are fun, little novelty numbers, done as a group, either in informal circumstances or for the radio show. The exception is the fairly elaborate "Do You Believe in Fairy Tales": a romantic ballad, relating to Paulette's nocturnal daydream. The boarding house musical production, with the gang around the huge dinner table, is divided into several distinct segments, including a glass harmonica segment. This is truly a unique, memorable scene.Director George Marshall was a veteran from the early silent era. His experience was mostly in comedies and westerns, rather than musicalsThis now public domain film is presently available on DVD, and at YouTube

Jimmy Stewart is Jimmy Stewart, in this film as much as in any. The hoofers, musicians, dancers and others are very typical and very good.Because of our impressions and biases, we expect something very different in a Jimmy Stewart film. This one is way beyond 'Philadelphia Story', on a scale that runs from that to, say, 'Rear Window'.This, however, is a very lightweight musical, to be considered closer to the 'Follies' films and shorts like the one about Catalina Island than such heavyweights as 'Carousel', 'L'il Abner' or 'Showboat'.It actually reads more like a cartoon script than any coherent, literary film such as 'Golden Caddillac', 'Animal Crackers' or 'Bringing Up Baby'. Speaking of the last, it is a pity that JS and KH did not work together more.The pace is frenetic ala Marx Brothers, the dance and musical numbers done very well and the emphasis is on having the minimum story necessary to string together the music.There is a subtle but very special scene, near the end, when Paulette Goddard goes to Jimmy's place to rouse him out and get him to the studio for the climactic radio show. It is not a musical number though there is a great deal of physical comedy in the scene. What makes it special special part is, without rhythm or music, that it is very clear that Paulette Goddard is dancing. The blocking, direction and her own talent shine. This one scene is worth the price of admission.With a story in the best tradition of American Musical Tradition, more talent per actor than many better known and better thought-of films, this is a very enjoyable diversion. I was constantly impressed with the tight writing and talent. Did I mention that the folks are good?It ain't 'Grapes of Wrath' but 'Pot 'O Gold' is well worth the watching.