GingerTennial Happenings...

Well, along with all the reviewing going on here, I need to catch up on some of the events going on around the nation - and globe, for that matter - regarding the occasion of Ginger's 100th birthday! I know y'all have seen the pic above quite a bit, but it is truly one of my fave 'full body shots' of her... she is so...yes, 'beguiling' in it! :-P But, I think it also serves as a pretty cool segue into one of the upcoming events I ran across whilst googling... see the link below: http://www.sohs.org/ginger.html ...now, HOW awesome would THIS be? It's like pretty much anything and everything I would like to see at a 'Celebration of all things Ginger' event... look, y'all, I know nothing from fashion, but I DO know Ginger wore the HECK out of anything she was garbed in... and to see the actual gowns from her personal collection...and then they will be auctioned off? Yeah, I'd try to snag one...bring your Visa card, right? Or perhaps a handful of them... AND, Roberta will be there...dang, that is incredible enough alone... I just REALLY would like to contact her somehow and have her as a 'guest blogger' or whatever... an interview, perhaps? Well, one day, maybe... ANYWAY, I REALLY would like to be at this shindig, but y'know, there's quite a few miles between Alabama and Oregon... but I figure a lot of folks there will be staunch Gingerologists, so... yeah, it's eating me up inside, y'all... DANG IT!!! :-] OK - well, back to things I DO have somewhat of a handle on - namely, the Gingerology blog. Hope the reviews are entertaining - I am having a blast setting them up, researching stuff, and just studying Ginger...after all, isn't that what a Gingerologist DOES? :-) And, it serves as a 'document' of reviews and all other info regarding the film... ...As for my 'goal' which I set at the first of the year, to somehow crank out reviews of ALL of the 70+ GingerFilms by the GingerTennial on 07/16/11, well, that's obviously NOT going to happen... I will most likely be into the 'GandF' era by summer, and that is pretty fitting, I reckon... but I'm not going to just plow thru these in order to get them done...that's not the point. In fact, I might 'slow down' the pace on the film reviews a BIT...but they WILL still be pretty frequent, y'all... and in order, of course. But the main issue is that I need to crank out the 'other' stuff that makes Gingerology tick, such as the info above... again, in the GingerTennial, there's going to be a LOT of stuff cranking up I suspect...therefore, I am going to TRY to keep up with everything... but, of course, that's where Y'ALL come in as well... So, if you find any 'GingerEvents' scheduled ANYWHERE, please inform us here... I might set up some kind of 'message board' type deal at the top of the page, to keep folks up to date - I at least could put upcoming film showings on TCM and FMC... OK - well, it's good to get all that out of my system... now, go out there and find those GingerBrations!!! KIG! VKMfanHuey ---

Ginger Rogers Film Review #8: Carnival Boat

"Carnival Boat" (March 19, 1932 - RKO-Pathe)

Run Time (approximate): 62 minutes.
Directed by: Albert S. Rogell.
Produced by: Charles R. Rogers.
Associate Producer: Harry Joe Brown.
Screenplay by: James Seymour.
Story by: Marion Jackson and Don Ryan.
Also Starring: Bill Boyd (as Buck Gannon), Fred Kohler (as Hack Logan), Hobart Bosworth (as Jim Gannon), Marie Prevost (as Babe), Edgar Kennedy (as Baldy), Harry Sweet (as Stubby), Charles Sellon (as Lane), Eddie Chandler (as Jordon), Walter Percival (as DeLacey), Jack Carlyle (as DeLacey's Assistant (uncredited)), Sam Harris (undetermined role (uncredited)), Joe Smith Marba (as Windy (uncredited)), Jim Mason (as Logger (uncredited)), Larry McGrath (as Second Bartender (uncredited)), Bob Perry (as Bartender Bob (uncredited)), Hal Price (as Observer (uncredited)), Charles Sullivan (as Logger (uncredited)).
Ginger's Character: "Honey"
Ginger 'Screen Time': Approx. 11 min, 40 sec. (18.8% of the film)
Ginger Tunes: "How I Could Go For You"
Gingery Goodness Factor (GGF) (1-10): (6.5) - Generally a bit more Gingery goodness than in "Suicide Fleet", although the same role of Ginger as love interest which pines for her man and of course lands on her feet in the end... the difference in rank here is due to the addition of a GingerTune in this one, and a good bit more 'Sassiness', in the 'getting her dander up' sense.
GingerFilm Ranking: #4 of (8) Reviewed
Film Quality (1-10): (8.0) - TCM copy viewed - Not bad, a few 'brief' rough spots.
Available From: TCM Huey's Review for Gingerology: Ginger's third and final effort at RKO-Pathe falls generally somewhere between the previous two roles, The Tip-Off and Suicide Fleet. She plays Honey (that's all the name she needs, right? :-] ), a singer-dancer on the... Carnival Boat! WHAT, you may ask, the heck is a Carnival Boat? Well, let's back up a bit... our story begins in the High Sierras, where there's gonzo amounts of timber to be felled... so a large corporation has set up camp there to confiscate all this lumber (I always wonder what happens to this wood they show being toted off...heck, it could be part of one of our houses, or an antique piece of furniture someone out there has...kinda neat to think about that...). The BIG boss informs the SORTA BIG boss Jim Gannon (Hobart Bosworth) that the camp that Jim's son Buck (Bill Boyd) is in charge of is under performing. Of course, Jim defends Buck, but when it is shown that the dudes at camp are goofing off in lieu of performing actual production work, Jim jumps into the site and wreaks havoc, and nearly keels over with a heart attack in the process. Buck knows he has to get everything in good shape to calm the old man down, so he gets to it...but not before moseying on down to the floating saloon (i.e., 'Carnival Boat') which has docked down at the river...upon which the desire of Buck's heart, Miss Honey, is found...he has been courting this little showgirl for awhile now, and is ready to pop the big question... he figures out a way to get his point across, and she accepts. Just about then, Daddy Jim barges onto the barge in a very barge-like manner, and runs all the men off of there, as he sees the boat as just bilking the dudes out of their bread, and giving them more ways to waste time, company or otherwise. Well, Buck flyes outta there with his pop, which obviously flies all over Honey...but dude only escorts his dad off the boat, then returns back to Honey...so there is hope for dude. However, the nuptials are at best in limbo at this point... Meanwhile, back at the camp, Hack Logan (Fred Kohler) has been eyeing Buck's job for quite awhile - and sees that if Buck marries Honey, Buck will quit the logging game, leaving the position for Hack to scoop up. However, when it appears that Buck and Honey isn't going to happen, he reverts to a scheme of generally 'taking Buck out' of the picture, as logging operations are quite conducive to 'accidents'... well, that sets the scene for y'all, and I'll leave the rest for your perusal. A pretty neat, if SHORT, movie...has to be the shortest 'non-short' film Ginger was involved in. VKMfanHuey ---
Favorite Ginger Line(s) / Moment(s): ...Ginger's tune is probably the most memorable scene for her, as she is all dolled up in a white chiffon number, pretty as the proverbial picture...although the pic below quite honestly doesn't even look like Ginger...but it is, honest... "DUDE...wake up! You've been snorting too much sawdust..." ...Honey in mid-verse...a cute song, even tho it is a BIT 'baby-voiced', it is really quite OK with Ginger doing the honors. ...she is pretty dang cute in this hat, y'all... ...dude asks for Honey's hand in marriage... ...and all is wickedawesome... ...until Pa Dude shows up... ...Let's call this pic "Ginger fixin' to get medieval"... ...Honey meets the ol' man... ...OK, yep, I think she is beautiful even when she's angry...but the 'lower' eye makeup or whatever almost, kinda, has somewhat of a 'GingerZombie'-like effect...of course even a GingerZombie is cute as all get-out...as a side note, her lips are just slap-dawg incredible...ok...just needed to add that. ...Honey after the smackdown, fearing Buck is gone... ...Well, this shot is pretty familiar to G-ologists...I've seen this pic a few times, but honestly didn't know the movie it was from...so there's your 'fact for the day'... ...Honey going to make amends with Pa Gannon... ...AWESOME eyes here... ...and, here we go again...these two just aren't on the same page... ...which leaves Honey again in a lurch (whatever THAT is...) regarding her ultimate status with Buck...
Other Reviews: "This fast-moving story of a life in a logging camp, the first of its type since talking pictures were introduced, is a splendid film offering Bill Boyd, Hobart Bosworth and Ginger Rogers, and an interesting sight of actual happenings in the land of the big trees. It is a picture well worth seeing... Ginger Rogers shows a new flair for dramatics." -Winnipeg Free-Press
"Boyd, no longer the insufferable smart-aleck, plays sincerely, with Ginger Rogers seen to better advantage as the girl from the boat than in her earlier screen efforts." -Variety
From Ginger: My Story: "The third film, to round out my deal with Pathe, was Carnival Boat, filmed on location in the Sierra Nevadas. It was an action-filled story of a logging operation and contained many thrilling stunts. I played a carnival boat entertainer and sang "How I Could Go For You." Again I worked with Bill Boyd, and Hobart Bosworth, that wonderful character actor, played his father. As director, Al Rogell gave his personal attention to all three of these films."
Miscellaneous Stuff: --- Original 'working' titles for the film were "Timber Beast" and "Bad Timber".
--- The 'runaway train' scene was printed in reverse in the final print, as indicated by the 'backwards' writing on the rail cars.
--- An alternate title for Ginger's tune is "How I Could Love You".
--- Filmed on location at Sugar Pine Hill in the High Sierras.
--- Another tune for the film, "Run Around" by Max Steiner, was cut from the final film - not specific as to who would have sung it, but most likely Ginger.
GingerFilm 'rankings' through EIGHT reviews:
#1: The Tip-Off;
#2: Queen High;
#3: Young Man of Manhattan;
#4: Carnival Boat;
#5: The Sap from Syracuse;
#6: Suicide Fleet;
#7: Follow The Leader;
#8: Honor Among Lovers.
Up Next: "The Tenderfoot" - Ginger jumps studios again, this time in a First National & Vitaphone feature, starring Joe E. Brown as a bumbling, yet sage, Texas rancher who drags his life savings to New York in order to 'invest' in show biz... not too bad, in fact, one of my fave 'Pre-Fred - Ginger as love interest' roles... Until then...
KIG, y'all!!!
VKMfanHuey
---

Ginger Rogers Film Review #7: Suicide Fleet

"Suicide Fleet"
(November 20, 1931 - RKO-Pathe)

Run Time (approximate): 87 minutes.

Directed by: Albert S. Rogell.

Produced by: Charles R. Rogers.

Associate Producer: Harry Joe Brown.

Screenplay by: Lew Lipton.

From the story "Mystery Ship" by: Commander Herbert A. Jones, U.S.N.

Also Starring: Bill Boyd (as Baltimore), Robert Armstrong (as Dutch), James Gleason (as Skeets), Harry Bannister (as the Commander), Frank Reicher (as Holtzmann), Ben Alexander (as Kid), Henry Victor (as Captain Von Schlettow), Hans Joby (as Schwartz), Richard Alexander (as Crew Member (uncredited)), George Berliner (as Man (uncredited - unconfirmed)), Eddie Borden (as Man with 'WAR' Headline (uncredited)), James P. Burtis (as Cookie - Sailor (uncredited)), Yola d'Avril (as French Girl at Tangiers (uncredited)), Charles Delaney (as Sailor at Sally's (uncredited)), Joe Dominguez (as Havana Merchant (uncredited)), Nanette Faro (as French Girl at Tangiers (uncredited)), Tom Keene (as Lieutenant James Keene (uncredited)), John Kelly (as Sailor at Sally's (uncredited)), Max Lucke (as German Commander (uncredited)), Frank Mills (as Angry Townsman (uncredited)), James Pierce (as Recruit (uncredited)), Harry Semels (as Havana Merchant (uncredited)), Harry Strang (as Havana Shore Patrolman (uncredited)), Charles Sullivan (as Charlie Sullivan - Sailor in Bunk (uncredited)), Harry Tenbrook (as Jim - Tangiers Shore Patrolman (uncredited)), Max Wagner (as Radio Operator (uncredited)) .

Ginger's Character: "Sally"

Ginger 'Screen Time': Approx. 12 min, 18 sec. (14.2% of the film)

Ginger Tunes: "Dream Kisses, Only a Dime"

Gingery Goodness Factor (GGF) (1-10): (5.0) - Not too much in the way of 'spunkiness' with Ginger's role here. Sally has dudes falling all over her, which is believable; but she exhibits a very 'normal', even-keeled demeanor - even when war is declared and the dudes bug out, she is concerned, but not desperately so. The film ending gave short shrift to the romantic side of things, thus to Sally's character. Ginger is very pretty in this one, as usual, which bumps up the somewhat 'average' role to '5.0' as the GGF.

GingerFilm Ranking: #5 of (7) Reviewed

Film Quality (1-10): (8.5) - Warner Archive copy viewed - Overall pretty good, ALSO shown on TCM.

Available From: WB Archives, TCM

Huey's Review for Gingerology: The second venture for Ginger at RKO-Pathe was not as prolific as "The Tip-Off"; although she plays the love interest, after the first 15 minutes or so the dudes are off to sea and Ginger is seldom seen again, until just prior to the closing tune.
The story itself begins pretty simply, as three dudes working in and about Coney Island are all pining (i.e., suffering) for the same girl, candy store diva Sally (we don't even get a last name...usually a 'red flag' as to the depth of the character). In fact, the dudes are 'one name' as well - bus driver Skeets (James Gleason) (who, BTW, was 49 when this was filmed... and dude honestly looks 69...WAY too old to be even LOOKING at Ginger, MUCH less courting her...just an observation...), photographer Dutch (Robert Armstrong), and shooting gallery overseer Baltimore (Bill Boyd). They are all trying to upstage the others to win the hand of Sally, who, wouldn't ya know it, is truly in love with the one dude (Baltimore), who thinks he doesn't have a chance with her, or in life in general, for that matter. We learn a few things here and there about the dudes, and Sally as well, but not TOO much... as war is declared, the dudes all go to sign up, leaving Sally behind.
Baltimore has had military experience, so he ends up being in charge of the other dudes, which obviously becomes a 'sticking point' in their friendships. Prior to shoving off, Baltimore tells the other two to go to Sally's and tell her goodbye for him, as he is stuck on the boat getting ready...they go to Sally, but they don't mention Baltimore much... but she figures out he can't break away, and she runs down to see the boat off. A pretty cute scene is when she says 'I Love You' to Baltimore in semaphore - of course, every gob on the boat responds to that... BTW, what exactly IS a 'gob'? That term was used quite a bit (including by Ginger) when describing the sailor dudes in this film...
Well, as they get to sea, the story turns into a tale of covert operations in order to sucker the German U-boats into a trap so they can take them out... it's not all that bad a story, but honestly, I'm not going to delve into it here, since it does not involve Sally, except for the fact these dudes are trying to get back to her in one piece. They do, and who ultimately wins Sally's hand? Well, you'll have to see for yourself.

VKMfanHuey
---

Favorite Ginger Line(s) / Moment(s): ...hmmm... an interesting scene is where they all order hamburgers, and Sally orders a beer (!) - probably a root beer, or perhaps a ...Ginger Ale? Otherwise, her singing the 'Dream Kisses' jingle is probably the cutest and most memorable moment for Ginger in this one, along with the semaphore scene.

...Ginger and the Three Gobs...

..."Ya know what I need to wash this burger down with, y'all?"...

...That's right, a little bubbly...non-alcoholic, of course...

...Baltimore breaks the news to Sally that the gobs (including himself) are in the Navy now, and shoving off ASAP...

...it's a downer for Sally, to be sure...

...Skeets (which is Chinese for 'old dude') proposes to Sally, which prompts her to say, "Well, I like you and all that, Skeets, but...wouldn't that be kind of like marrying my Grandfather? ...or at LEAST like marrying my older, balding uncle?"

..."Listen, I can't marry ANY of you dudes, until I get one thing straight...what in the Sam Hill is a 'gob'?"...

...Sally realizing that Baltimore is the big cheese on the boat, thus...

...she proceeds down to the dock to see him off...but has to throw some 'Gingerphore' at him to tell him how she feels about him...

...A pretty cool pic, although a bit fuzzy - when she is talking to the 'other sailor gob dudes', including the one dude that has candy crammed in his hat...

..."Hmmm...maybe 'gob' means 'candy stealing dudes'...

...Remember what you're fighting for, boys...

...Well, hopefully this won't spoil the ending, but...honestly, it's not too hard to deduct which gob gets Ging...good goobly goop...

Other Reviews: "Comedy-drama of surprisingly un-robust proportions... Bill Boyd maintains a wooden dignity in his part, giving a most uninspiring portrayal, while Ginger Rogers is cute enough in the few reels in which she appears." -Zit's Weekly

"Suicide Fleet tells a story of action at sea and love at home. The romantic element, while woven through the entire story, yet is incidental. Ginger Rogers was well received for her work." -Motion Picture Herald

"The story's about three gobs [there's that word again -Huey], who are all that way about the same girl, cute, pert little Ginger Rogers. While the film's not great, it fills in beautifully for an evening's entertainment." -Movie Mirror

From Ginger: My Story: "The second film for Pathe was Suicide Fleet, with Robert Armstrong again, James Gleason, and William Boyd, who was soon to be Hopalong Cassidy. It was a minor little film about ships at sea and three gobs [et tu, Ginger? - Huey] who like the same girl on shore. I provided the love interest - and the taffy. The song I sang was really like a commercial jingle, "Dream Kisses, Dream Kisses, Only a Dime." Musically, I was a long way from "Embraceable You."

Miscellaneous Stuff:
--- Three divisions of the Navy were involved in the film, and provided all of the 'Navy extras'.
--- Actual Navy vessels were employed in the film, including the submarine cruiser "Argonaut" and the destroyer "U.S.S. Preble (345)".
--- The old sailing ships in the film, "Indiana" and "Bohemia", were actually old merchant ships built in the late 19th Century; "Bohemia" was the one actually sunk at sea for the production.
--- The Coney Island scenes were shot on location in New York, while the 'sea' scenes were shot at San Pedro, California, at the Navy Docks.
--- The scene where Skeets and Dutch are painting the side of the boat has them hanging onto the port side, but after they fall in the water, they are on the starboard side.

GingerFilm 'rankings' through SEVEN reviews:

#1: The Tip-Off;
#2: Queen High;
#3: Young Man of Manhattan;
#4: The Sap from Syracuse;
#5: Suicide Fleet;
#6: Follow The Leader;
#7: Honor Among Lovers.

Up Next: "Carnival Boat" - Ginger's Third and final RKO-Pathe film.... If memory serves, it falls somewhere between 'The Tip-Off' and 'Suicide Fleet', in terms of Gingery goodness... Bill Boyd stars again, this time as a lumberjack who falls for Ginger, who sings on the Riverboat that drops by the logging camp every now and then... his dad runs the camp, and wants him to take over...but fears that Ginger will get in the way.

Until then...

KIG, y'all!!!
VKMfanHuey
---

Ginger Rogers Film Review #6: The Tip-Off

"The Tip-Off"
(October 16, 1931 - RKO-Pathe)

Run Time (approximate): 71 minutes.

Directed by: Albert S. Rogell.

Produced by: Charles R. Rogers.

Associate Producer: Harry Joe Brown.

Screenplay by: Earl Baldwin.

Based on a story by: George Kibbe Turner.

Also Starring: Eddie Quillan (as Tommy Jordan), Robert Armstrong (as Kayo McClure), Joan Peers (as Edna Moreno), Ralf Harolde (as Nick Vatelli), Mike Donlin (as Swanky Jones), Ernie Adams (as Slug McGee), Charles Sellon (as Pop Jackson), Helen (Cupid) Ainsworth (as Ethel Waddums), Luis Alberni (as Scarno (uncredited)), Harry Bowen (as Dude (Vatelli Henchman)(uncredited)), James P. Burtis (as Men's Room Patron (uncredited)), Frank Darien (as Edna's Uncle (uncredited)), Dorothy Granger (as Hatcheck Girl (uncredited)), Pat Harmon (as Vatelli Henchman (uncredited)), Jack Herrick (as Jack (Sparring Partner) (uncredited)), Ethan Laidlaw (as Henchman (uncredited)), John Quillan (as Scared Man at Scarno's (uncredited)), Charles Sullivan (as Chuck, Bouncer at Scarno's (uncredited)), and Harry Wilson (Hood at Scarno's (uncredited)).

Ginger's Character: "Baby Face"

Ginger 'Screen Time': approx. 16 min, 5 sec. (22.5% of the film)

Ginger Tunes: None

Gingery Goodness Factor (GGF) (1-10): (8.0) - ...NOW we're gettin' somewhere, baby! This is the first film that we can laud as allowing Ginger to be... well, GINGER, y'all! The role is quite 'feisty' as-is, and Ginger really begins to reveal some of her mannerisms, moves, and expressions which are the pure definition of 'Gingery Goodness'. She also uses her 'natural' voice, which was generally not the case in the Paramount films, save for "Queen High" and "The Sap from Syracuse", perhaps. The only thing missing was a tune from her, but otherwise a nice role for Ginger in her first RKO venture.

GingerFilm Ranking: #1 of (6) Reviewed

Film Quality (1-10): (8.5) - Overall pretty good, recorded from TCM.

Available From: TCM, eBay

Huey's Review for Gingerology: The Tip-Off is honestly Ginger's first role of 'substance', as she is given quite a few scenes to 'develop' her character, the awesomely feisty Baby Face.
The movie begins with radio store go-fer, Tommy (Eddie Quillan), getting tabbed for a 'house call' for radio repair. He shows up at the address, only to be herded into a sedan and driven to an undisclosed location. The house call ends up at the residence of a prizefighter, Kayo McClure (Robert Armstrong) - Kayo is out, but his main squeeze Baby Face isn't... she introduces herself in a MOST effective manner as Tommy is 'tracing lines' into her bedroom (that's what they ALL say, fella!). After barely escaping a dicey situation when Kayo arrives, he uses the wonders of technology to scare off some dudes who bust in and try to put the squeeze on Kayo - the goons are headed up by goodfella Nick Vatelli (Ralf Harolde). Kayo befriends Tommy for this feat, and gives him tix to some throw-down dancing shindig happening that evening... Well, Tommy shows up, as well as Baby Face, sans Kayo. Seems that Ms. Face is all hot and bothered due to Tommy, but he is pretty reluctant to hang with a prizefighter's girl...you know, the ol' "getting beat to an unrecognizable pulp if I catch ya with her" problem (folks, I'd have to think long and hard about this situation... wonder how fast the Kayo dude can run... it's like two folks in the woods when a bear charges them... one says, "We're dead! We can't outrun that bear!" The other says, "I don't HAVE to outrun the BEAR... I just have to outrun YOU!") OK - there's an old joke/rabbit trail for ya... MEANwhile, back at the ranch...
To elude Baby Face, Tommy grabs the closest female he can find unfettered... and wouldn't ya know it? It just happens to be Vatelli's Girl, Edna Moreno (Joan Peers) - of course, Tommy and Edna fall for each other, as she is looking to get away from Nick and Da Boys, but you just can't shake mobsters, ya know?
Tommy and Edna do make it back to Kayo's place, where he takes them in...but Babyface, seeing how the 'near miss' of Tommy's waxing went down at the Barn Dance, threatens to bail out on Kayo if they stay there... of course she doesn't, since the producer would be insane to remove Ginger from the proceedings at this point, right?
Well, Edna bails out instead, as she knows she is putting the others in danger by hanging with them... Tommy hunts her down after a few weeks, only to find she is marrying Nick that night... Tommy shows up at the joint where the nuptials are to go down, and Kayo follows behind as 'back-up', unbeknownst to Tommy... and, that is about as far as I'll get - save the rest for you to discover.
It is a neat little movie, although not too 'plot-twisting'... it clocks in at 70 minutes, which 90% of movies probably should, anyway. The cast works pretty well... in particular, Joan Peers, who played the role of the 'gangster's trapped moll' quite well... she did just a few movies, most of them silent, as a 'child actress'... not sure what happened to her, but she only made one more movie after this one. Sad - she was quite fetching.
As mentioned somewhere before, the 'cinematography' or whatever just works better here than in most of the Paramount films... RKO had the 'great white set' philosophy to enable sets to 'show up' crisper in black and white, and it seems pretty evident even in this film... lighter background, generally well-lit, etc... again, it probably stands out compared to the Paramount films since it has been restored...
Hopefully y'all can catch this one... TCM plays it once in a blue moon - GingerMarch had it... probably about time for it again - but not for the 'foreseeable future'. It's worth hunting down for the "GGF"!

VKMfanHuey
---
Favorite Ginger Line(s) / Moment(s): Well, Ginger is pretty spunky throughout this one, but perhaps my fav scene is her initial one, where Tommy gets caught in her bedroom whilst repairing the phone wires - her entry is her most memorable one to date. She basically warms up to this young fellow in short order, while detailing how her man-friend Kayo likes to discombobulate any dude who looks twice at her... no wonder the dude has trouble putting one foot in front of the other throughout the movie! Dude probably needs to settle his nerves, as Baby Face tries to remedy here...
...but Tom lallygags in Baby Face's bedroom, and she stashes Tommy under the bed while Kayo enters and flaps his yap...
"...So your ma really freaked when they lightened up your hair, eh?..."
"...umm-hmm..."
"...But ya know what? It's starting to grow on me...and Lelee isn't filing charges..."
...This is just a pretty cool 'cap', IMHO, during the 'bedroom' scene...just incredible eyes... 'bedroom eyes', perhaps? :-P
...Baby Face checking out Tommy - dude is in quite the conundrum... hang out with Ginger and get clocked, or...well, do nothing. I'd risk the clocking, as y'all have already guessed...
...Tommy running from Baby Face...there's just something inherently WRONG about a man running from Ginger... but this cap is interesting...for some weird reason, she reminds me of the lady from 'Sex and the City' here... Kim Kattrall - and I honestly know little or nothing about that show or person, other than for some reason, this reminds me of her... so there ya go.
...another note here - I dig the 'corsage' or whatever ya call the flower stuff on this dress - looks cool here, but it isn't 'overbearing' - OK, other than that, she is very cute here - I love her cute little rounded nose here (I am a big nose guy, as aforementioned...just one of those things) ...sigh...yupyupyup...
...dude comes to grips with his inevitable clocking, thus enjoys these few moments ...
...OK, I don't know much, but I DO know this...when Ginger a) has her hands on her hips, and b) has one eyebrow raised, someone is about to be toast...
...now BOTH eyebrows are raised...yup, DEFINITE toasting imminent...
...and there ya have it...she's beautiful when she's angry, at least while you are still conscious...
...But dude makes amends somehow, and makes it 'legal' with Ms. Face (BTW, are they in essence 'shacking up' in this movie? Not sure what the arrangements were, but hey, the Early 30's were a wild scene, man...if you remember it, you weren't there, y'know?)
...Baby Face and Kayo mourning Tommy... but in what sense? I'll leave that for y'all to figure out...
Other Reviews: "Eddie Quillan will crawl right under your skin like a pet habit... The feminine side is ably upheld by winsome Ginger Rogers and Joan Peers." -Motion Picture Herald

"The effervescent Mr. Quillan is completely amusing in this portrayal of starry-eyed innocence. Ginger Rogers makes a clever foil for the comedians in the role of Baby Face. Albert Rogell, the director, deserves a word for the smart pace of the story." -The New York Times

"Ginger Rogers is all that she should be as little spitfire 'Baby Face'." -Zit's Weekly

From Ginger: My Story: "In The Tip-Off, I was cast as the girlfriend of a prizefighter played by Robert Armstrong. I thought it was a pretty fair script for my initial appearance, and according to the New York Times, I made "a clever foil for the comedians in the role of Baby Face." Many reviews of The Tip-Off referred to me as a gangster's moll, but it was the other girl in the film, Joan Peers, who was the moll." (Kayo actually calls Baby Face the 'mouthpiece' of their 'gang').

Miscellaneous Stuff:
--- Ginger's first film for what would eventually become RKO Studios.
--- Ginger's first film in Hollywood.
--- Ginger's first film with 'lighter' hair color - not without some 'initial' objection...
--- Robert Armstrong would gain fame not long after this film, as the 'promoter' in RKO's "King Kong".
--- The name of the 'roadhouse' which Nick and Edna are to be married was noted in dialogue as "Sarno's", but the actual sign on the building had it spelled "Scarno's".
--- Working titles for the film included 'The Lady Killer' and 'Eddie Cuts in'; UK title - 'Looking For Trouble'.

GingerFilm 'rankings' through SIX reviews:

#1: The Tip-Off;
#2: Queen High;
#3: Young Man of Manhattan;
#4: The Sap from Syracuse;
#5: Follow The Leader;
#6: Honor Among Lovers.

Up Next: "Suicide Fleet" - Ginger's second RKO film, from my memory, didn't have nearly as much 'Gingery Goodness' as The Tip-Off, but we'll hash it out... Robert Armstrong appears again, along with James Gleason and Bill Boyd, as three sailor dudes who all fall for the same gal (Ginger, natch), but all end up on a secret and dangerous mission against Germany - who will survive to return to Sally?

Until then...

KIG, y'all!!!
VKMfanHuey
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