...VERY brief, but VERY important post...

...PLEASE keep my town of Pleasant Grove, Alabama in your thoughts and prayers... we were one of the cities that were decimated by the tornadoes which came through Wednesday night (4/27).
Amazingly, my house is fine, my mom's house is fine, but the mile or so between them is in utter devastation - the F5 went right between them. We have no power, of course, so I may not be posting much in the next few weeks (I am at work now, which I really try to avoid posting here - but it IS my lunch break...).
There are loads of stuff on the internet about it (google 'pleasant grove alabama tornado') - but here is just one video link I ran across - this church (First Assembly of God) is right across the street from mine (First Baptist) - in fact, the video shows FB at the one-minute mark - it was relatively unharmed, other than losing the steeple and a few holes in the roof.


http://www.wkrg.com/alabama/article/pleasant-grove-picking-up-the-pieces/1206527/Apr-28-2011_8-17-pm/


It came through about 5-5:30 on Wednesday night... we all got in the low floor of my house, and waited it out. We heard the 'chug-a-lug' sound everybody always tells you about, all too clear - although it was like 'that's not REALLY a tornado, is it?'
It passed through, and about 10 minutes later, we went outside to see if any trees were down anywhere... nope - my little 'cul-de-sac' area was fine, sans power...but I noticed there was about a four-foot piece of wood with a few nails in it near my doorstep...I wondered, "now where did THAT come from?"
A few minutes later, when we were talking to neighbors, one of their teenagers came down the street yelling "It's all gone! Everything's destroyed!"...yeah, right. My thought was, "If our street is ok, everybody else is ok, right?" not quite...not at all.
We started walking over towards the center of town, which is over a few 'ridges and valleys'...and just a block over, some big trees were down.
Another block, some roof coverings peeled off, a few walls broken on houses, bigger trees felled...
The third block, no roofs, no trees... and at the end of that block, up a hill, is where Assembly of God sits (in the video). Once we got over the top of the hill... it was indeed mass and utter destruction...houses were completely obliterated, for a width of roughly one mile. You could see clear across town, for blocks, where trees used to be everywhere.
We kept on walking towards my old neighborhood, which was in dead center of the path of this thing...where we lived in a little'starter' house back seven years ago... on the way down the street, where you make the 'last turn' onto the street my old house was on, I honestly did NOT know where I was...got totally disoriented...no landmarks to reference...but we got our bearings somehow and trudged on.
We got to my old house, and the two walls that made the corner of our bedroom were all that were left... THAT'S an eerie, sick feeling, y'all...in some way, I would have preferred to have seen it totaly flattened - not sure why, tho...I DO know the folks that bought our old house only stayed in it a day or two a week (his wife had kids around the corner, and she went to see them every now and then...) - a very rich fellow with multiple houses - so hopefully they weren't there Wednesday.
We climbed over and through trees, in the relative dark - although it's pretty weird how 'light' it was at 9:00 or so, with no power for miles around - we jumped a hundred power lines (ALL were very dead, BTW), and got hit by another 'squall line' of rain blowing through, which just added to the overwhelming feeling of despair.
We went on around the area (although we probably shouldn't have, we just were checking to see if there was anything we could do...and yes, to see the impossible scene with our own eyes...) and finally heading back home, I was wondering if my current house would still be there, even though I left it fine just a few hours before... it was, praise the Lord, along with my family... just incredible that we came out so untouched, while the bulk of the city is gone.
Again, please keep this area in your thoughts and prayers... Huey's crew is fine, but we need to figure out how to help folks out...we are in a unique position to be able to have a 'home base' and walk over 4-5 blocks to help with recovery efforts...so that is our calling at this point.

So, I know this is NOT your typical Gingery post, but it HAD to be posted... thanks for the opportunity to 'get this all out'...

AND, thanks to all of you who support G-ology...y'all are the BEST!

Sincerely,

Jeff Walker
a.k.a. VKMfanHuey
---

Ginger left us sixteen years ago...

...April 25, 1995. For the newer folks, and anyone else for that matter, it may be best to just link to last year's post, which I can't really add upon - and again, it's hard to even figure out a 'proper' picture to tack onto this post, so I won't try:

http://jwhueyblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/in-rememberance.html

Of course, this day is always a rough one for Gingerologists... but with this being the Gingertennial year, it's nice to know there have been and will be quite a few 'retrospectives' of her life, and that more new Gingerologists are being made each day.

The best way to spend today would be to watch a few of your fav GingerFilms... and that is what I am going to try my best to do... and maybe eat a bowl of ice cream in her honor... :- }

As always, y'all...

...KIG!

VKMfanHuey
---

...A few 'quick hits'...

Hi, all - just a few things...first - not really sure where the pic above is from, but it's always been a fave... and I just can't post without at least ONE GingerPic...so...there ya go.

FIRST - The Warner Archives are having a sale for 'Mother's Day' themed movies...of course, "Bachelor Mother" is among them - and they are knocking off 25% on them, making them $14.95 each...pretty good deal if you haven't gotten this one yet - there are quite a few others on the 'list'... see the link (She is on the last row of the first page of the 'Mom Movies'):

http://www.wbshop.com/Movies-For-Moms/WAMOMS,default,sc.html?promo=bMOMwachome

SECOND - The new movie "Water for Elephants", with Reese Witherspoon, has really got me thinking that she would be a pretty dang good candidate to play Ginger in that movie about Ginger's life that we all REALLY would like to see happen, but won't because the Astaire Estate won't let Fred be depicted in any new movies...but maybe one day... ANYWAY, Reese is in a lot of what looks like 20's-30's era costumes in this movie, and her hairstyles definitely conjure up Miss Rogers, to me, anyway...and it's a bit ironic that Reese would probably be tapped as 'most-Ginger-like' amongst today's actresses, anyway, in terms of her relative lack of 'issues (as far as I can tell, anyway...). I figure lots of y'all will probably see this movie, so tell me what you think.

THIRD - For those of you who have FOX Movie Channel (hey - I just discovered I have it on my digital box...pretty cool...), they are airing "Roxie Hart" on Monday, April 25, which is, of course, the day Ginger left us 16 years ago... this will be a good one to watch to 'celebrate' her life...of course, we pretty much do that all the time anyway, right? :-)

OK, well, that's about it for now - I will post 'info' (cause that's all I got...) on 'Hat Check Girl' in a day or two.

I hope everyone out there is having a Great Good Friday...and yes, a nice Earth Day as well.. :-]

Keep It Gingery!

VKMfanHuey
---

Ginger Rogers Film Review #10: The Thirteenth Guest

The Thirteenth Guest
(August 9, 1932 - Monogram Pictures)


Run Time (approximate): 68 minutes.
Directed by: Albert Ray.
Produced by: M. H. Hoffman.
Scenarists: Frances Hyland and Arthur Hoeri. Dialogue: Armitage Trail.
Based on the novel by: Armitage Trail.
Also Starring: Lyle Talbot (as Phil Winston), J. Farrell McDonald (as Captain Ryan), Paul Hurst (as Detective Grump), Erville Alderson (as Uncle John Adams), Ethel Wales (as Aunt Jane Thornton), Harold Eagles (as Harold 'Bud' Morgan), Crauford Kent (as Dr. Sherwood), Eddie Phillips (as Thor Jensen), Francis Rich (as Marjorie Thornton), Phillips Smalley (as Uncle Dick Thornton), Lynton Brent (as Prisoner (uncredited)), Al Bridge (as Policeman (uncredited)), Bobby Burns (as Photographer (uncredited)), Allan Cavan (as Uncle Wayne Seymour (uncredited)), Adrienne Dore (as Winston's Date (uncredited)), Kit Guard (as Prisoner (uncredited)), Henry Hall (as Police Sergeant-Jailer (uncredited)), John Ince (as Uncle John Morgan (uncredited)), Robert Klein (as John Barksdale (uncredited)), Isabel La Mal (as Marie's Mother (uncredited)), Tom London (as Detective Carter (uncredited)), Charles Meecham (as Marie's Father (uncredited)), Tiny Sandford (as Mike the Jailer (uncredited)), and Harry Tenbrook (as Cabbie (uncredited)).
Ginger's Character(s): Marie Morgan AND Lela
Ginger 'Screen Time: Approximately 14 minutes and 14 seconds (21.0% of the movie)
GingerTunes: None
Gingery Goodness Factor (GGF) (1-10): (7.0) - Ginger has a pretty substantial role, but a somewhat 'pedestrian' one... at no point does she really get her dander up, although there are obviously a few tense moments...in which she does a pretty nice job as the 'Damsel in Distress'.
Film Quality (1-10): (5.0) - This might be a bit generous... some quite noticeable 'skips', audio not too great - to the point of the track being 'muted' when no dialogue is occurring... and just lots of 'junk' you see on a 70+ year old film that has at best been wiped off, but NOT restored...it would be nice to see it done...a good enough movie to warrant it, Ginger's presence aside...
Available From: DVD (Alpha Video)
Huey's Review for GINGEROLOGY: Ginger's first 'suspense' movie is a low-budget affair, but does have some fair points. First off, it is Ginger's first 'top billing', so there's something... and, the supporting cast is solid. The tale itself, while a bit hard to figure at first, settles into a typical 'whodunnit', although a bit unorthodox. The yarn begins at the old Morgan Mansion (I GUESS that is what it is called...), where a dinner / inheritance party took place thirteen years ago, with (you guessed it) thirteen guests attending, primarily relatives. Miss Marie Morgan, who was present at the original party, is summoned to appear there at present day. The joint has been vacant since that night, as her father died suddenly during the dinner he was presiding over, and her mom immediately packed her kids up after pop's funeral and left the place 'as-is'...so of course it is pretty creepy...BTW, why do 'haunted/vacated houses' in movies always seem to put white sheets all over the furniture? Just askin'...
ANYWAY... Marie settles into her dining room chair (with all the rats hopping around the centerpiece...which seems a bit odd that she would sit down there after her initial shriek at the initial rodent sighting...) and opens up the envelope that directed her there on her 21st birthday - and although she is there to collect her dowry her pop left her, she begins to get the heebie-jeebies in this vacant joint, as she hears footsteps - and, sure enough, she walks into another room and whoomp! There it is... she is murdered...or is she? This is where it gets a bit weird, as it turns out there was a 'double' (named Lela...hmmmm...) that was also there, who was trying to scoop up the anticipated inheritance before the REAL Marie got there - so Marie must have entered the other room in time to see Lela get waxed..and she somehow found a place to hide until the murder dude left out. SO, all that to say that Marie is OK (good thing...the loss of Ginger would have been a bad thing in this film, of course... it was a bit weird when I saw this the first time a good while back, and she is 'apparently' waxed five minutes in....it's like, well, that's that! But she thankfully shows up again about 10 minutes later) - but the cops are all freaked out when she shows up after hiding out in the house for a few hours...see, they thought she was dead and all... yup.
Well, SOMEBODY (Lela) was waxed, so police Captain Ryan (J. Farrell MacDonald) rings up a 'private eye' who evidently is pretty good, since he is hard to contact and even harder to contract - Phil Winston (Lyle Talbot). Cap eventually gets him to the scene, and when Marie shows up, more questions than answers result. Meanwhile, The family lawyer, Mr Barksdale (Robert Klein) is also zapped...oh yes, as to the 'method' of murder...it's a phone deal, y'all... anyway, the body count is now two, each of whom were dinner guests 13 years ago... Winston deduces from speaking with Marie's brother that the pattern the murderer appears to be following is to line them all up one by one, in the order they were sitting thirteen years ago.
Winston decides to tote Marie with him to his apartment (good move, dude...) - to protect her, of course... :-] He also begins to round up the other folks who were guests that fateful evening, and promptly throws them all in the cooler, primarily to protect them... at least for one night. Well, from there, it all sources back to the house, which of course they all seem to be drawn to...another chump gets the juice, and of course Marie gets nabbed, but not murdered, of course (see the 'note' a few paragraphs back regarding Ginger's importance in the film...) ...and that's where I'll leave it, although, as usual, it's pretty dang predictable as to the final arrangements...
Not a bad film...would benefit from a cleansing and improvement to its soundtrack... but hey, we could ALL benefit from that, right? :-]

KIG, y'all!
VKMfanHuey
---

Favorite Ginger Moments: Well, Ginger does not have a 'Classic Gingery' moment in this one, but overall turns in a pretty solid performance, as usual...the overriding 'theme', which I really didn't notice until I started doing screen caps, is the inordinate amount of time Ginger spends on the phone...which in this movie is a risky preposition...
...Marie's (or is this Lela?) first visit back to the old homestead... ...Ginger looking quite 'sleuthy', albeit with a VERY pronounced varmint draped around her gorgeous little neck... "...hmmm - when did they put this tele in? It wasn't here when we vamoosed thirteen years ago... wonder what kind of coverage they have out here..." ...The letter is opened...is this a safe combination? Most likely...although it COULD represent the number of phones used in this production, as you shall soon see... ...Marie realizes she may be in peril...or at least one of her impostors could be... ...OK...Marie meets Winston, who is quite gruff with her... a good dose of SassyGinger would have been nice here...BTW, not that I really notice the dudes much in ANY of these movies, but...this cat would be a dead ringer for Warren Beatty in Dick Tracy... would that make Ginger 'Madonna'? Well, the Material Girl DOES mention Ginger in 'Vogue', so that's something, I guess... not that I know ANYTHING about what 'Voguing' is, or whatever... OK, back to the review, y'all... :-] ...Barksdale has been zapped and placed at his chair...funny, dude looks NOTHING like Beatty here...forget I mentioned it, y'all... ...and here we go with the phone again...Girl, you better put that puppy down before the dude in the wall gets cranked up... "...So, if I go with the unlimited package, where do my rollover minutes go?" "...really? Does that include weekends and holidays?" "...and it's all on one billing, right? No matter how many lines I have?" "...Yes, I want to get the unlimited minutes plan with the electrocution protection package, please..." "...hope they don't have any roaming charges here..." "...Wait until you hear this...there's at least THREE phones in this shack...we need to find out who their carrier is here..." "...What's that? Some additional fees may be incurred?" "...hmmm... what's this 45 minute charge from Hoboken about? I don't even KNOW anyone in Hoboken..." "...Listen, I'm telling you people for the LAST TIME... I'm on the National 'Do-Not-Call' List!!!

Other Reviews:
"Armitage Trail, the author of Scarface, wrote this mystery thriller, which, though far-fetched, is fairly well worked out on 'creepy creepy' lines. Ginger Rogers and J. Farrell MacDonald head the cast. Fair Entertainment." -Film Weekly
"Ginger Rogers is the girl and looks very cute." -Los Angeles Times
From "Ginger: My Story": "I made The Thirteenth Guest, a suspenseful little murder mystery co-starring Lyle Talbot, for Monogram Studios; it was good experience, but it didn't seem to be leading anywhere."
Miscellaneous Stuff:
...The English title was "Lady Beware".
...This is the first film that Ginger has 'Top Billing' on the credits - pretty good one for a future GingerTrivia Round.
...So, Ginger plays two characters, one of which is named 'Lela'...hmmm...coincidence?
...Winston wears a wedding band throughout, although he is unmarried.
...According to IMDb, this movie is one of only five from Ginger's catalogue that did not get a 'proper' review by the New York Times. The others? Well...OK - Rafter Romance, Beautiful Stranger (Twist of Fate), The First Traveling Saleslady, and The Confession (Quick, Let's Get Married!) - seems like those movies with multiple titles are not as well-received...well, along with other 'issues' with them, unfortunately...
GingerFilm Ranking:
#6 of TEN Reviewed to date...
GingerFilm Rankings through TEN Reviews:
#1: The Tenderfoot;
#2: The Tip-off;
#3: Queen High;
#4: Young Man of Manhattan;
#5: Carnival Boat;
#6: The Thirteenth Guest;
#7: The Sap from Syracuse;
#8: Suicide Fleet;
#9: Follow The Leader;
#10: Honor Among Lovers.

Up Next: "Hat Check Girl"...um...yeah. Well, I'll gather what we have on it, and at least set up a 'placeholder' for it, when it is finally brought back home to us Gingerologists... or is it 'we' Gingerologists? Kori? :-]

KIG, Y'all!!!
VKMfanHuey
---

...a BIG Gingerology THANKS to...

...Camille AND Anna!!! They have awarded Gingerology with the 'Stylish Blogger Award'...Thanks so much, y'all! Of course, the 'Stylish' part is probably just a BIT more due to Ginger than Huey... if I can get the same color socks on each foot in the morning, I'm at the top of my 'Style' game... :-] BTW - I have ALWAYS loved that Ginger pic above... 'middle aged Ginger', as many of y'all know, is REAL big on Huey's list... what, with Huey being 'middle-aged' and all... :-]

Anyway, I have to reveal seven big facts about me...Huey, that is...

Well, here we go...
1. My favorite actress is Ginger Rogers
2. My favorite dancer is Ginger Rogers
3. My favorite singer is Ginger Rogers
4. My favorite stage performer is Ginger Rogers
5. My favorite TV personality is Ginger Rogers
6. My favorite author is Ginger Rogers
7. My favorite tennis player is Ginger Rogers

...is that enough? :-]
...ok, ok... facts about Huey, sans Ginger (this is gonna be pretty tuff, y'all...):

1. I used to be able to put my foot behind my head...'HueyYoga'...
2. Fav color - Green
3. Fav food - Mexican - hot sauce
4. Speaking of hot sauce, I collect it - have over 600 bottles...yep.
5. I am hopelessly addicted to Diet Mountain Dew
6. I am 'quazi-ambidextrious' - hold a fork with my left hand, but write and throw with my right hand
7. I had an extra set of molars (4), and also an extra 'canine' tooth lodged behind my 'two front teeth' growing up, thus mucho oral surgery and orthodontics for the H-man...

ok - well, I am ALSO supposed to pick out 7 blogs to send the award to... but honestly, I just can't play favorites, y'all... so let's do this... if any of y'all out there do NOT have this award, consider it awarded to you from Huey and Gingerology... y'all just pick it up below...CONGRATS!!! :-)

OK - well, hope y'all have a nice, Gingery weekend!!! The Thirteenth Guest will be posted sometime this weekend, hopefully... until then...

KIG, y'all!!!

(and thanks again, Anna and Camille!!!)

VKMfanHuey
---

Ginger Film Fest Pics...

Well, my wife's Aunt and Uncle in Maryland have done it again! The same folks who informed me of the 'Ginger' restaurant in NY... http://jwhueyblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/while-in-new-york.html ...have now sent pics from the Ginger Rogers Film Festival which took place in Silver Springs, Maryland - at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. I did find out about this on a 'GingerGoogle' a bit back, but it's awesome to have pics from it...it's over now, but was for at least a few months.
They didn't actually see a GingerFilm, but they did take pics of this pretty awesome 'windowbox display' in the lobby... I REALLY need that Roxie poster, y'all... and the poster for the festival itself is great, too...if that was in color, it would be a PERFECT complement to Gingerology Central...hmmm...wonder if they could go back there and try to haggle the owner for it... Pam, if you're reading this... :-)





Well, as mentioned, the festival is over - kinda weird it wasn't a bit closer to her birthday...but no big whoop - just awesome they did one! For what it's worth, here is (was) the schedule from March and April - GingerFilms are in purple: http://www.afi.com/silver/new/nowplaying/calendar.aspx
...well, I am going to keep on searching for GingerEvents around the globe, and hopefully be able to update y'all on them... AND, if ANYONE out there is fortunate enough to attend any festivities, PLEASE feel free to report it here...I'll DEFINITELY give you the floor!!!

KIG, y'all!!!

VKMfanHuey
---

Ginger Rogers Film Review #9: The Tenderfoot

"The Tenderfoot" (May 23, 1932 - First National / Vitaphone)

Run Time (approximate): 70 minutes.

Directed by: Ray Enright.

Adaptation: Arthur Caesar, Monty Banks, Earl Baldwin.

Story by: Richard Carle.

Based on the play "The Butter and Egg Man" by: George S. Kaufman.

Also Starring: Joe E. Brown (as Calvin Jones), Lew Cody (as Joe Lehman), Vivan Oakland (as Miss Martin), Robert Krieg (as Mack), Ralph Ince (as Dolan), Marion Byron (as Kitty), Douglas Gerrard (as Stage Director), Spencer Charters (as Oscar), Douglas Gerrard (as Stage Director), Edith Allen (as A Tart at the Depot (uncredited)), Joe Barton (as The Hebrew (uncredited)), Herman Bing (as The Chef (uncredited)),George Chandler (as Depot Bum (uncredited)), Richard Cramer (as Lefty Duran - Racketeer (uncredited)), George Davis (as Waiter (uncredited)), Jill Dennett (as Cafe Cashier (uncredited)), Harrison Greene (as Dining Extra (uncredited)), Ben Hall (as Bellhop (uncredited)), Al Hill (as Spud - A Thug (uncredited)), Eddie Kane (as Hat Salesman (uncredited)), Lee Kohlmar (as Waiter (uncredited)), Allan Lane (as An Actor (uncredited)), John Larkin (as Depot Porter (uncredited)), Gus Leonard (as Grizzled Man Viewing Triplets (uncredited)), Theodore Lorch (as An Actor (uncredited)), Wilfred Lucas (as Patterson (uncredited)), Mae Madison (as Cafe Maid (uncredited)), Charlotte Merriam (as An Actress (uncredited)), Zita Moulton (as An Actress (uncredited)), Nat Pendleton (as Joe - Jealous Husband (uncredited)), Walter Percival (as Depot Slicker (uncredited)), Bob Perry (as A Thug (uncredited)), Harry Seymour (as Newsstand Proprietor (uncredited)), Charles Sullivan (as Spike - A Thug (uncredited)), Dorothy Vernon (as Maid (uncredited)).

Ginger's Character: "Ruth Weston"

Ginger 'Screen Time': Approx. 14 min, 45 sec. (20.6% of the film)

Ginger Tunes: None, although she plays the piano quite a bit...or so it appears, anyway...

Gingery Goodness Factor (GGF) (1-10): (8.5) - Pretty spunky, but generally a 'normal' role as the love intrest of hipster doofus Joe E. Brown. No singing, but some pretty good sassiness throughout for Ginger, although she doesn't even appear until about 15 minutes in. However, as far as the 'shooting' of Ginger, she is VERY well represented in this one - her first movie which really uses close-ups throughout - hence, it's number one to date, y'all...

Film Quality (1-10): (8.5) - WB Archives copy viewed - Pretty good - no major issues.

Available From: WB Archives, TCM

Huey's Review for Gingerology: Ginger's first film for First National / Vitaphone (which eventually became Warner Brothers) found her in a somewhat familiar role as the 'love interest' of the lead character...and what a character we find in Calvin (Peter) Jones, played deftly by Joe E. Brown. The character of Calvin can best be described as Barney Fife meets Goofy, with just enough Hopalong Cassidy thrown in to save the day in the end...which somehow makes for a pretty funny character, IMHO. Calvin barges into New York City from Texas, bringing all his yippy-ki-yi-ay-ness along with him. He finds a place to rustle up vittles (sorry...I'll try to refrain from tired western cliches henceforth...), which is a pretty funny scene, as he orders a 'light breakfast' which takes five minutes to recite.
Witnessing the bizzare request from Calvin are Joe Lehman (Lew Cody) and "Mack" McClure (Robert Krieg), who run a floundering Broadway production company. After catching wind that Calvin has a cool $20 G's on his person, they decide to butter him up and persuade him to become a partner...and it just so happens that is why Calvin is in town - to get into show biz, one way or another. Probably the funnist scene is Calvin watching the rehersal of the play...I was laughing out loud, seriously.
Of course, Calvin is the quintessential sucker here, but is blissfully unaware of it...until the secretary for the outfit, Ruth Weston (Ginger Rogers) knocks some sense into him after the show flops in Syracuse in its 'trial run'...of course, Calvin fell for Ruth when he first laid eyes on her (duh...), so he has designs on courting her to the endgame of marriage... but first he has to figure out how to make his $$$ back... so he reels in a dude who works in the Syracuse hotel they are in, who also has the 'wanna get into show biz' jones... and also a wad of money to boot. Calvin pays off Lehman and Mack, and he and the hotel dude take over the production, along with Ruth, of course.
Calvin throws the production together just in time for the Broadway debut, but, after the original costumes are lost or confiscated, they resort to delving into the theatre wardrobe department, which yields Shakespearian costumes...for the show set in the wild west. Of course, the show is a hit as an offbeat comedy, and brings in $$$.
With money, however, comes problems... and Calvin's comes in the form of the local 'gang' offering a deal for 'protection'...of course, Calvin dismisses this offer, which results in the kidnapping of Ruth by the thugs. So, Calvin has to go into Wild West mode to bring things to a quite predictable, yet pretty funny, conclusion.
Although the general storyline above does not really mention Ginger that much, she really is peppered throughout the film quite well... she is the 'voice of reason' for all parties involved, and thus has to put the hammer down at times...which results in some SassyGinger goodness, albeit in a 'senseable' manner...but pretty cool, nevertheless... and of course, as awesomely beautiful as ever...
In conclusion, Huey recommends this one...Of course, a screwbally one, but still the MOST Gingery in terms of 'face time' and dialouge... although no GingerTunes...would have been nice to see Ginger perform a tune, as she 'takes over' for the leading lady when she balks at wearing Shakespearean garb... I bet Ginger would have rocked it, y'all...

VKMfanHuey
---

Favorite Ginger Line(s) / Moment(s): ...In lieu of musical numbers, Ginger's peak moments in this one are where she gets her dander up, on at least a few occasions...perhaps the best scene is where she 'clues in' Calvin on the fact that he has been suckered out of his money by Lehman, and shouldn't let them push him around...he isn't too worried, tho, as he 'thinks on his feet'...

...Ginger's intro finds her on the tele with the leading lady of the play, who, like Ruth, is waiting for the $$$ to show up...

...A good 'sassy/downright angry' Ginger cap, with eyebrow in 'full tilt' mode...awesome...

...The boss pleading with Ruth to hang on, as he has just landed a sucker...er, 'new associate' to bolster the fundage for the company...

...the star of the show, warbling on about various and sundry issues, whilst boss man is literally cowering under the desk inside his office, and Ruth left to run interference for him - that girl needs a raise!

...Ruth first sets eyes on Calvin, which of course sets him reeling...

...Ginger seems to be actually cooking on the ivories here, or at least REALLY doing a good job of going thru the motions...check out the finger positioning - looks real to me...

...this pic is UBER-Gingery, and foreshadows future Ginger - may be the expression - how she is grinning, eyes, whatever...for some weird reason, I'm thinking 'Roxie Hart'...

...Well, we all knew Calvin was a sucker, but boss man officially verifies it for Ruth, which does not sit too well...

...glad to see I'm not the only one who speaks goofily to photos of Ginger :-]...

...Well, guess Ruth is destined to be a cowgirl...

...but I think she'll be OK with that - she seems like she has a little bit of 'ranch girl' in her...

...This is when the 'partners' are going off on Calvin - again, the 'beautiful when angry' phenomenon occurs - her eyes just light up and are incredible here!

...More Ginger jammin'... when Calvin is 'pitching' the play to another rube...

...Shakespeare? Sounds pretty high-falutin' to me, sweetheart!

...sigh...just......sigh...

...Well, the only way this thing would remotely qualify as a western would be if Calvin had to ultimately don his six-shooters, rescue the damsel in distress, and tussle with some no-good varmints...

...said damsel in much less distress...well, unless this is a NYC cab...

...All's well that ends well...thus spoketh Billy Shakespeare... WHOOP----PEEEEE!

Other Reviews:
"Chiefly aiding Brown is Ginger Rogers, attractive, always appealing, doing well, although her role calls for but little real effort." -Motion Picture Herald
"Mr. Brown gives quite a humorous showing in some of the sequences. Ginger Rogers impersonates the loyal and loving stenographer in an acceptable fashion -The New York Times
"Ginger Rogers is the heart appeal. Her work is outstanding; she takes acting honors next to Brown." -Hollywood Herald

From Ginger: My Story: "I was signed by Warner Brothers to appear in The Tenderfoot with Joe E. Brown, directed by Ray Enright. Brown, a deservedly popular comedian, couldn't have been nicer. Considerate, friendly, kind, and thoughtful, he was everything you could wish for in a colleague. Though he was the star, he took the time to make sure I was okay and kept thinking of ways to turn my face to the camera."

Miscellaneous Stuff:
--- Based on a musical play from 1903, of the same name, written by Richard Carle, who also starred in the play.
--- Also based on the stage play "The Butter and Egg Man" by George S. Kaufman, which ran from September 1925 to April 1926 in New York.
--- First National released a silent film in 1928 entitled "The Butter and Egg Man", based on the Kaufman play; William Demarest (who ultimately became Uncle Charlie on the TV sitom "My Three Sons") was among the cast.
--- Calvin has swastikas on his hat band, which are to this day a symbol used by American Indians (the source here), along with quite a few other cultures; it was ironic that this film was released just before the Nazi Party began its full takeover of Germany in the early 30's with its use of the symbol for hatred.
--- In the scene where Calvin and Ruth are on stage dicussing using the Shakespearian garb, an elderly gent enters with a telegram for Calvin - Calvin says 'Thanks, Dad', and then gives a 'hmmm' look...could this have been Joe E. Brown's real dad? No credits indicate it, but the old fellow seemed very 'real', and not as an actor would have done it...

GingerFilm Ranking: #1 of (9) Reviewed

GingerFilm 'rankings' through NINE reviews:
#1: The Tenderfoot;
#2: The Tip-Off;
#3: Queen High;
#4: Young Man of Manhattan;
#5: Carnival Boat;
#6: The Sap from Syracuse;
#7: Suicide Fleet;
#8: Follow The Leader;
#9: Honor Among Lovers.

Up Next: "The Thirteenth Guest" - Ginger tries her hand at a murder mystery in a low budget, but decent, if memory serves, offering from long-defunct Monogram Studios...Lyle Talbot co-stars. Until then...

KIG, y'all!!!

VKMfanHuey
---

HAT CHECK GIRL FOUND...

...to be a VERY hard film to find a copy of... ...Y'all have a snarky, yet beguiling April Fools Day, y'all! Could you imagine what Ginger pulled on April 1st? She was quite the prankster, ya know! The pic above looks like she was up to something... BTW - I would be pretty mad at myself now if I had just read this post... :-P ...where's your holiday spirit? Hope to get the Tenderfoot review up by tomorrow... until then... KIG, y'all!!! VKMfanHuey ---