I agree with most of the other critics' comments. A good script by Hecht. Some over-acting by Thomas Mitchell, or maybe his part was over-written. But Doug Fairbanks Jr. very miscast, completely unbelievable as a fast-talking Broadway heel. Would have been a perfect part for the Bogart of that time.
And what happened at the end? The sudden turnaround of the Fairbanks character and his decision to stick with Rita Hayworth in, literally, the last five seconds of the movie rang totally false. I had to look at the scene again because I wondered if perhaps I had missed something: like, did he win the lottery or what? No. He simply put down his coffee cup, changed his mind, and chased after Rita in the pouring rain.
Maybe Harry Cohen told Hecht he wanted a happy ending. So old Ben gave him one that didn't involve him having to spend one more day on the set. What really happened? Should Fairbanks have wound up in the gutter with a bunch of bullets in his back, with Rita cradling him in her arms?
Who knows? And in the long haul, who cares?
And what happened at the end? The sudden turnaround of the Fairbanks character and his decision to stick with Rita Hayworth in, literally, the last five seconds of the movie rang totally false. I had to look at the scene again because I wondered if perhaps I had missed something: like, did he win the lottery or what? No. He simply put down his coffee cup, changed his mind, and chased after Rita in the pouring rain.
Maybe Harry Cohen told Hecht he wanted a happy ending. So old Ben gave him one that didn't involve him having to spend one more day on the set. What really happened? Should Fairbanks have wound up in the gutter with a bunch of bullets in his back, with Rita cradling him in her arms?
Who knows? And in the long haul, who cares?