Government Girl (1943)

Thanks for the memories!

Awesome Movie

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Olivia deHavilland plays a wacky woman with good intentions. The foundation of this comedy has to do with people that don't listen to one another. If things had been allowed to calm down for a moment, there wouldn't be all this trouble. They also make speeches, ignoring the situation. It is filled with sight gags and lost documents and deadlines missed and rooms unavailable. Of course, we know that those who become the most combative are bound to eventually hook up. But the path to this is filled with pratfalls and silly dialogue that isn't particular funny. DeHavilland does lots of screeching and accusing and everything is totally predictable. I suppose in 1943, a vacuous comedy would have been met positively. Not horrible but nothing to write home about.

Olivia de Havilland is Smokey, a "Government Girl" in this 1943 look at wartime Washington. We clearly see the role of the working woman, the housing crisis, the problems getting a hotel room, and the bureaucracy. de Havilland plays a young woman with no plans to get married, because she has her career - a prevailing attitude in those days.While at a wedding of her friend/roommate May (Ann Shirley) and her soon to be husband (James Dunn) in the lobby of a Washington hotel because their suite was given away, she encounters one Mr. Ed Browne (Sonny Tufts). He has the aforementioned suite, and Smokey can't get it away from him. Later she finds out that he's her new boss. As unpleasantly as their relationship started, she sees that he knows how to cut corners to get bombers built and get things done.This is a forced comedy which proves that even the remarkable acting and presence of Olivia de Havilland can't save the sinking ship named Sonny Tufts. If it hadn't been for the war, this man would never have landed in front of a camera, but let's face it, Hollywood was desperate! And he's proof of it.The rest of the cast is very good, and "Government Girl" certainly gives us an interesting look of the U.S. in wartime. De Havilland works hard, perhaps too hard, overcoming the deficiencies in the production. Or perhaps I should say, the deficiency.

Dudley Nichols, the director of "Government Girl", working with Budd Schulberg on the script, gave us this look of America during the years of WWII. This is a move of how every department in Washington was taken over by thousands of women who descended on the capital to help with the war effort.The housing problem of the times is clearly shown as we watch the opening sequence when Ed Browne arrives in Washington without a reservation for a hotel. Because his name is in the newspaper, he is given the honeymoon suite that young Sgt. Blake and May, were going to use for that purpose.Smokey Allard comes to the rescue as she tries to give the couple a place where they can be together, but makes the mistake of taking them into the "only women" rooming house where she and May share a tiny apartment.This comedy shows us a slice of life in Washington in those years. Even though there was a war going on, there is always optimism, as that conflict was a just one, in the minds of all Americans of that era. We are shown how Ed Browne is instrumental in setting up the factories that will produce the bombers that were key in winning the war in Europe and in the Pacific.Olivia de Havilland makes a sunny "Smokey" Allard. Even when playing roles that didn't demand much of her acting abilities, this actress makes us like her because of the charisma she projected. Sunny Tufts is good as this unsophisticated Ed Browne who is mired in the bureaucracy he encounters in Washington. Ann Shirley, James Dunn, Paul Stewart, and Agnes Moorehead complete the excellent cast.While the movie doesn't break new ground, it's pleasant enough for a few laughs and a nostalgic look at that period.

For over a decade, I have been favorably impressed by the work of Olivia de Havilland. That said, I had no high hopes for this film; I wanted to watch this film just to say I had, and to see de Havilland in a comedic role. I was pleasantly surprised, and I found myself rather taken in by the humor. Having seen Miss de Havilland in her Academy Award winning performances and many other dramatic roles, I was impressed by her comedic timing, facial expressions, and sharp sarcasm, which is also very prominent in her portrayal of Amy Lind in THE STRAWBERRY BLONDE. I by no means consider this film one of Hollywood's best, but it isn't all that bad and is definitely worth a watch - particularly if you want to see de Havilland in a different kind of role.