A little romance, a little light comedy, a little song and/or dance - and that's a wrap! I guess the world needed something small and frivolous in 1945, and Republic Pictures was happy to provide. It's rather rough in its construction, with instances of choppy editing, brusque cinematography, and meager pacing in addition to some decided ham-handedness. Still, I'd be lying if I said this weren't clever and funny at its best. László Vadnay and Richard Weil poured some fine wit into their screenplay, and between director Howard Brethreton and the cast the proceedings maintain just enough energy to keep the mirth aloft and the audience engaged as pianist Sandy tries to woo singer June, and the "help" of his friend Joe causes makes matters complicated. 'The big show-off' earns some genuine laughs along the way, and the cast is pretty swell themselves, with Arthur Lake, Dale Evans, and Lionel Stander all gladly embracing the silliness; given only a small supporting part, Emmett Lynn is nonetheless highly memorable.
Setting aside some rough edges in a more general sense, I do think this stumbles right at the end where the writing is concerned. Right when the convolutions of romance and ruffles are at their most knotted, the movie makes an enormous leap and blithely informs "and everything ended just so." This is to say that instead of resolving the plot, we're effectively given an unspoken line that says "well, anyway, that all got cleared up," and then a curt final scene. Maybe this is a matter not of Vadnay and Weil's script but some manner in which the work got mangled after the fact, but one way or another it's not a good luck. Still, I've seen much bigger films go much more poorly, and just as this only wanted to have a good time, so does it succeed. The sets and costume design are splendid, the music is suitably enjoyable, and this is aptly entertaining for such a fairly small feature. Even if you're a diehard fan of someone involved or contemporary fare I don't think there's any need to go out of your way for this, but if you do have the chance to watch, 'The big show-off' is a pleasant diversion for a lazy day and worth checking out.
Setting aside some rough edges in a more general sense, I do think this stumbles right at the end where the writing is concerned. Right when the convolutions of romance and ruffles are at their most knotted, the movie makes an enormous leap and blithely informs "and everything ended just so." This is to say that instead of resolving the plot, we're effectively given an unspoken line that says "well, anyway, that all got cleared up," and then a curt final scene. Maybe this is a matter not of Vadnay and Weil's script but some manner in which the work got mangled after the fact, but one way or another it's not a good luck. Still, I've seen much bigger films go much more poorly, and just as this only wanted to have a good time, so does it succeed. The sets and costume design are splendid, the music is suitably enjoyable, and this is aptly entertaining for such a fairly small feature. Even if you're a diehard fan of someone involved or contemporary fare I don't think there's any need to go out of your way for this, but if you do have the chance to watch, 'The big show-off' is a pleasant diversion for a lazy day and worth checking out.