Flirtation Walk (1934)

Excellent but underrated film

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

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

Spoilers. Observations. Opinions. Ruby does not dance. I love dancing. Lose a point. Black and white. Lose another point. Balance eight out of ten possible points. This means that the film rates pretty high, however. Powell could sing. Ruby could also, better than I expected, but of course no famous warbler like Powell. I wanted Ruby to dance when she, as the general, has all the men gathered around her desk. No dice. She does not. Oh, well. Dick is pretty rude in much of this film. He needed his ears boxed by Scrapper. He keeps getting away with wrong things. He is Mr. Teflon. Lots of things bounce right off him. Wrongdoings just don't give him much comeuppance. Worse for me, yet, is when Powell went from musicals to dramas and gumshoe boring filmic outings. The Powell of 42nd Street fades from fun juvenile to wallflower aged oldster sexless senior citizen, it seems like. I saw Ross Alexander in Midsummer Night's Dream. Was Powell also in that? Anyway, in real life Alexander later calls an end to his own life. This is such a shame. Ross is a lot of fun in Flirtation Walk. This film was Great Depression era. Audiences needed cheering up. Besides all of the serious parts of this story, the cadets are tasked with putting on an annual show. Did I hear Ruby talk about The New Deal?The characters were in military training for some future war; 1941 and Pearl Harbor wouldn't be here for awhile. Powell early on is regular enlisted, trying to move up through the ranks the old- fashioned way. He then goes to West Point, however, and through hard work strives to become an officer and a gentleman. Scrapper has predicted Powell will eventually outrank him, and this is what happens. The show: I knew that the second I heard about the 100th Night Show, I remembered the 1950 film outing called West Point Story, starring James Cagney, Doris Day, Gordon MacRae, Virginia Mayo, Gene Nelson and Alan Hale, Jr. Jimmy, a volatile washed-up Broadway director and dancer, gets roped into traveling to West Point and training the students to do the annual 100th Night Show. Doris and MacRae sing about the Kissing Rock, and Gene Nelson does some great tap dancing. Hale is dressed up like a huge woman, and Jimmy does an awesome tap dance when Gene gets injured. Therefore, part of 1950 West Point Story I feel is some sort of remake of 1934 Flirtation Walk, 16 years earlier. One is pre-war, and one is post-World War Two, with a little of the Korean War Era thrown in. I am a degreed historian from the university, studies including military history and history of war. I am also an actress, dancer, singer, makeup artist, fashion designer, film critic and movie reviewer. I study the lives of actors and actresses. I have written almost 400 IMDb reviews since 2002.

Dick Powell plays a rather fresh enlisted man who is constantly at odds with his sergeant (Pat O'Brien). Powell's life takes an unexpected twist when he is asked to chaperon the General's daughter (Ruby Keeler) about Hawaii. In the process, they naturally fall in love--which is a bit of a problem since Keeler already has a steady boyfriend. And, this steady is an officer who would like nothing more than to bust Powell. However, because of Keeler's behind the scenes maneuvering, Powell is saved from court martial.Now Powell announces that he's tired of being bossed around by officers and wants to transfer to West Point! Talk about an interesting reason to go to the US Army's military academy! The rest of the film is like an entirely new film--with O'Brien and Powell's friends shipping off to China while Powell is sent from Oahu to upstate New York. In the real world, the chances for Cadet Powell to ever see Keeler, O'Brien and the rest ever again would be slim...but of course this is NOT the real world! And, speaking of unlike the real world, like most Hollywood films of the 1930s about the military academies, this one seems to NEVER have the students going to classes! An odd cliché, I know.Just before graduation, Powell is put in charge of an annual song and dance and comedy show at the academy. The guys on the committee with him want to put the Superintendent's daughter (Keeler) in the show--but Powell is against it as he's still angry at her. He thinks she set him up to get into trouble back in Hawaii--not knowing that she really helped to bail him out behind the scenes. During the production, they fall back in love, as they both truly care about each other--but they old back telling each other. However, after the show her engagement to her old boyfriend is announced! Well, finally Powell has had enough and bursts into her home--announcing his love. But, as it's after hours and he is caught, he's in big trouble. Will he STILL graduate and will he get the girl? And, what excuse can they provide for bringing O'Brien back from China to West Point by the end of the movie? This is a well made musical BUT it's hard to believe that it went on to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar! I see it as a silly and pleasant romp--but nothing more. I must admit, though, that I am not a huge fan of musicals though I am a huge classic Hollywood fan. It's nice but not enough to make this genre among my favorites! There was one cute dance sequence, however, that I did like. The dancing scene of the Hawaiians doing an almost Busby Berkeley-style dance number is ridiculous, it also is rather charming to watch. Plus, you really need to see it--it IS well done despite its shortcomings.

With hindsight,"flirtation walk" appears as a blueprint for "shipmates forever"(and even ,so to speak for "Blue Hawai" in which Elvis played a discharged soldier mind you).Like the 1935 (shall we say "sequel"?)work,it features the same actors and it's the most distressingly mediocre movie by one of the greatest directors of the era."Flirtation walk " pales into insignificance when compared to "no greater glory" "little man what now?" "three comrades" "mortal storm" "young America" "stranded" "big city" .....and I don't even mention the masterpieces of the silent era !Borzage epitomized greatness ,and perhaps are we too demanding ?There is a good idea,the play a la "Hamlet" or how to get a message of love through.However,Borzage 's touch is nowhere to be seen in this umpteenth version of "I shall become an officer and a gentleman".If you want to see a good patriotic movie by Borzage,do choose " stage door canteen" in which the characters are made of flesh and blood.

It's just not worth the hour and a half you have to give up to see this movie. The two leads fall predictably in love within the first 15 minutes and, for reasons unclear, decide to pretend not to love each other until the last 10 minutes.Not excruciatingly bad, but nowhere near good. Just kinda ambles across the screen and bores everyone in its path. I'm pretty sure it's a comedy, but don't hold me to that.