Hi Diddle Diddle (1943)

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

The names of Adolphe Menjou and Pola Negri in the cast might lead you to expect the date of this film to be 1923 rather than 1943 (and the two did in fact make a couple of films together that year), but this is actually a relatively late screwball comedy with an on-form once-in-a-lifetime cast (although Denis O'Keefe rather strains credibility as Menjou's son).Billed third, Negri, who was then 46 and hadn't made a film in Hollywood for over ten years (her next and final film was Disney's 'The Moonspinners' twenty years later) actually has a relatively small role as Menjou's wife, but looks great (along with Martha Scott and Billie Burke she sweeps about in a succession of fabulous creations by Adrian) and one gets a rare chance to hear what she actually sounded like. We first meet her singing the Ride of the Valkyries, and Wagner - whose music one character says "had some beautiful moments but some ugly half hours" - is later the victim of a priceless sight gag. The best performance as usual is by Menjou, but right down to the bit players the cast all seem to be enjoying themselves (including veteran composer & musical director Richard Hageman unexpectedly playing the small part of a company director).The same year as he made the all-black musical 'Stormy Weather' the always surprising independent producer-director Andrew L. Stone here shows early evidence of the good naturedness and flair for organising complicated story lines that found full flower in his later thrillers; and this may be his only film to receive an Oscar nomination (for Phil Boutelje's score). Frederick Jackson's screenplay crackles with saucy throwaways and there are some sublime breaches of the fourth wall, including a couple of animated inserts by Friz Freleng.

This film starts out differently, with an animated sequence before the opening credits. This is the first of several off-beat touches which makes Hi Diddle Diddle an enjoyable film. Pola Negri, former silent star from Valentino's day registers well here as a temperamental opera star. Not only is her voice understandable, but it is downright good here. She is also still quite beautiful in 1943, and it seems a pity that she did not have a bigger career in sound films. The rest of the cast, headed by Adolphe Menjou, Martha Scott, Dennis O'Keefe and Billie Burke are all in top form, and a special mention for a musical sequence featuring June Havoc singing along with herself on a soundie screen. There are some good belly laughs to be had and, all in all, this is a charming piece of forties fluff which will whizz by painlessly enough.

This film tries very, very hard trying about to be funny--perhaps a bit too hard. However, in spite of this it's still a pretty decent comedy and one that is a little better than just a time-passer.The film begins with Dennis O'Keefe arriving late at his wedding to Martha Scott. However, just before the ceremony, O'Keefe is told that his new ditsy mother-in-law (Billie Burke) has just lost her entire fortune. So, with the help of his rather larcenous father, O'Keefe spends most of his 48-hour leave racing about town to win back Burke's fortune. It's all very frantic and some of the comedy works well and some falls a bit flat. However, if you don't mind the occasional lulls, the overall film is lively and fun. I particularly was fascinated by the final scene--as it is both bad and wildly creative at the same time! As far as the acting goes, Adolph Menjou was nice as was O'Keefe. I do wish that Burke had tried something other than her usual ditz role, however, as after a lot of similar roles it was wearing a bit thin. Overall, it's worth a look.

A B film but a very funny comedy starring Martha Scott and Dennis O'Keefe as newlyweds who get caught up in the schemes of daddy (Adolphe Menjou) as he tries to win back mama's (Billie Burke) money at a crooked roulette wheel. Not much on plot but very funny with Menjou's opera singer wife (Pola Negri in her first American film in more than a decade)) singing Wagner at any given moment.The film rushes between standard comedy and weird comments to the camera. There's also a running gag about an actress who is only in the film because she's dating the director. And then there's that animated wallpaper.Co-Stars include June Havoc, who steals the film as a nightclub singer who at one point sings a duet with herself, Walter Kingsford, Bess Flowers, Barton Hepburn, Georges Metaxa, Paul Porcasi, Harry Tyler, Matt McHugh, and Bert Roach. as the flustered cab rider.The real interest here is of course Pola Negri in a talkie ... and she's very funny indeed and looks great.