BLESSED EVENT
US, 1932, 80 minutes, Black-and-white.
Lee Tracy, Mary Bryant, Dick Powell, Allen Jenkins, Ruth Donnelly, Emma Dunn, Edwin Maxwell, Ned Sparks, Frank Mc Hugh.
Directed by Roy Dell Ruth.
Blessed Event is an entertaining film of the early 1930s, rather in the vein of classic, The Front Page.
This time the film is set in the office of a magazine, prone to have scandal articles, upping the sales, investigations into the life of celebrities – and especially suggesting pregnancies and blessed events.
Lee Tracy was famous for his rapid-fire delivery of his lines. This is to the fore in this film, he playing a reporter who capitalises on embarrassing events, is unscrupulous in using people, even when he has promised not to. This is a film to see Lee Tracy at his most characteristic and best.
Ruth Donnelly is very good, especially in her sardonic delivery, as his assistant at the magazine. Allen Jenkins is a rather dumb hitman, sent by an antagonistic gangster – but Tracy converts the hitman so that he becomes an informant for him. He also the discovers that the young woman who has come to plead mercy and her story not to be told and she is pregnant because of the gangster.
There are some amusing scenes when Allen Jenkins visits Tracy’s mother, gets into a conversation and she thinks he is most respectable. She is also a radio fan of the crooner who sings at the club and also on radio singing commercials – antagonistic towards Tracy who is out to get him, especially at the opening of a new club. The singer is played by Dick Powell.
The film is fast paced, builds up to a climax when Tracy infiltrates the club, the gangster is present, the crooner thinks that Tracy will not get in, and eventual the woman arrives and there is a shooting.
1. Film of the 1930s? Newspapers and magazines? Reporters? Quick Talking characters, the piece of the action?
2. Black-and-white photography, the American city, offices, homes and apartments, the world of the gangsters, restaurants and clubs?
3. The cast, Lee Tracy and pace of his delivery, screen presence? Did all and his songs? Ruth Donnelly and her chronic presence and patter?
4. The title, the column, the insinuations about pregnancy, gossip, People’s reputations secrecy? The journalist not hearing? The different cases, the revelations? The secretary and her support?
5. His assistant, the repartee, quick retorts, doing the job, his jobs? The bosses and their stances?
6. Gangsters, threats, Jenkins and here’s presence, confrontation,, municipal of information, winning the journalist? The visit with the journalists mother and friendly welcome?
7. The journalist, vehicle, the different promises, instantly breaking?
8. Ready of the period, the studios, the extensive commercials? The sooner and his role with the commercials? The songs? The women in the audience, their adoration? The reporters mother and her son? The threats, the challenge for the journalist and the club, the extreme security – and is getting a?
9. The young woman, coming to appeal to him, offering his help, lies, printing the story, her being upset, wanting to home, her parents, her show? Are’s treatment? The journalist discovering the gangster was the father? Getting help, the explosion, the confrontation?
10. The club, and Jenkins and the women, getting in, the owner not realising it, the journalist talking, the smooth talk, the similar, the express the and the shooting?
11. Brief, brash?
