Ginger Rogers Film Review #11 - You Said a Mouthful

YOU SAID A MOUTHFUL
(December 8, 1932 - First National/Vitaphone)





Run Time (approximate): 70 minutes

Directed by: Lloyd Bacon.

Produced by: Raymond Griffith (uncredited).

Scenarists: Robert Lord & Bolton Mallory.

Based on a story by: William B. Dover.

Also Starring: Joe E. Brown (as Joe Holt), Preston Foster (as Ed Dover), Allen 'Farina' Hoskins (as Sam Wellington), Harry Gribbon (as Harry Daniels), Edwin Maxwell (as Dr. Vorse), Sheila Terry (as Cora Norton), Walter Walker (as Tom Brandon), Oscar Apfel (as Armstrong (uncredited)), Don Brodie (as Judge's Assistant (uncredited)), William Burress (as Roger Colby (uncredited)), A.S. 'Pop' Byron (as Elliot (uncredited)), Eddy Chandler (as Harbor Steward (uncredited)), James Eagles (as Messenger (uncredited)), Bess Flowers (as Race Fan on Boat (uncredited)), Frank Hagney (as Holt's Manager (uncredited)), Selmer Jackson (as Jones-Attorney (uncredited)), Anthony Lord (as Bookkeeper (uncredited)), Wilfred Lucas (as Official (uncredited)), Mia Marvin (as Armstrong's Secretary (uncredited)), Bert Moorhouse (as Office Manager (uncredited)), Harry Seymour (as Announcer (uncredited)), Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams (as the 'real' Joe Holt (uncredited)).

Ginger's Character: Alice Brandon.

Ginger 'Screen Time': Approximately 17 minutes and 30 seconds (24.7% of the film)

GingerTunes: None

Gingery Goodness Factor (GGF) (1-10): 7.5 - Although a pretty 'straight' role of 'love interest', Ginger starts to really bring out more and more of the 'Classic Ginger' we all love... not extremely 'sassy', but a good bit 'perky'.

Film Quality (1-10): 8.0 - No real issues with clarity or sound...just the typical dust and flecks that a 70-ish year old movie is prone to have.

Available From: TCM

Huey's Review for GINGEROLOGY: Ginger's second film with Joe E. Brown finds her again as JB's love interest, and she is every bit as awesome in that capacity as she was in "The Tenderfoot", although... not QUITE as 'sassy', but as much or more sweet.
Joe E. Brown plays Joe Holt, a dude who starts out in a 'rubber and swimsuit' manufacturing company (well, allrighty then). He has invented a 'unsinkable' swimsuit; trouble is, the bosses in the top office dismiss him as a buffoon. When he is 'pranked' by other jerky co-workers into thinking a fake request from the top brass to 'come discuss your invention with us' is real, his 'meeting' with them ends with more humiliation and the staff going off on him (if that stuff happened nowadays, chances are the dude would have come back with a firearm and sprayed the place...just sayin'...).
Well, Joe soon finds out that his old long-lost aunt has 'passed on', and for some reason left her fortune to him. So, he does the ol' "Take this job and..." to the boss, and heads out for wherever Aunt Moneybags lived, a train trip away. When he arrives, he meets with the executor of her will, and, well, with this being the Depression and all, turns out that the ol' girl's portfolio has more holes in it than a Beyonce dress...thus Joe is now stuck without a job, no money to speak of, and, oh yeah, Auntie also requested that Joe be the 'guardian' for a young fellow named Sam (Allen 'Farina' Hoskins of 'Our Gang' fame).
So, Joe has to scope out a job to survive, not to mention supporting Sam...he soon finds an opportunity in the want ads for 'dock hands' down on the shore. When Joe and Sam show up for the 'interview', Joe gets cold feet, as he is pretty dang scared of water in general... but before they can bolt, they hear someone calling out for a 'Joe Holt'...so they check it out. Ends up that the summoner is none other than Ginger, who plays Alice Brandon, the daughter of a fat Catalina Island cat.
Well, Alice is looking for Joe Holt the champion swimmer; our Joe Holt is not a swimmer, not a champion,but...not a fool, either, as Alice 'has him at hello'. So, our Joe the Schmoe morphs into Joe the big-time swimmer (of course, the REAL Joe Holt swimming dude is detained and really never shows up).
When they jump off the boat and onto Catalina Island, the crowd gathers as Alice has informed everyone that dude is on the way, and of course by then Joe and Sam are in it up to their eyeballs, as his reason for being there (swimmer Joe, not sinker Joe) is to compete in a wild swim meet around the island.
Like most Ginger characters, Alice has a 'current dude' hanging onto her, who is Ed Dover (Preston Foster); Ed is a jerky goofball as well, and happens to be a honkin' swimmer who will obviously be Joe's main competition in the big race. Alice is 'so over' Ed, and wants Joe to wax the dude in the race... Joe of course agrees, as soon as he learns how TO swim.
After a few 'fake injuries' by Joe (hey, dude TRIED to save face...and had GingerNurse, which is just insane, y'all...) - he ends up squarely in the race. Sam coaches him up to at least keep him from drowning...for the most part.
Well, I'll leave the finale for ya, but, it isn't too much of a 'twist', obviously.
Overall, a neat little movie, a good bit better than what I remember from my initial viewing of it...again, my first view of a GingerFilm is almost EXCLUSIVELY focusing in on GINGER, and not much else... so subsequent viewings result in the actual 'movie plot' comprehension for Huey.

Favorite Ginger Moments:

...Miss Brandon makes her first appearance, searching for some guy named Joe...

...I guess I'll take the job, then...

...so, THIS is the Joe Swimmer I've been hearing about? ...pop's name in real life is Walter Walker...hmmm, wonder if there's any relation to Huey...that would be pretty cool to have a relative who worked with Ginger...

Alice radiating at the dinner table...ya know, I'd probably starve...who worries about eating with Ginger around?

...this Ed dude is starting to get on Alice's LAST nerve, y'all...

...now see, THAT'S why I need to take up swimming! And ginger was right...the back of her head Is a pretty dang cute side!

...all kidding aside, this is just an awesome 'cap', IMHO, y'all... hmmm...wonder where that hat is now?

...owch! I've...er...got lumbago or something! Whatever the swimmers get that prevents them from swimming! I also plan on eating just before the race, hence I cannot compete...

GingerNurse... this brief sequence is awesome... her eyes are perfect here...the Joe E. Brown folks were great at getting awesome 'close-ups' of Ginger...

...a bit of 'sassiness' occurs, with eyebrows raising... so cool...

...yup yup yup... I'd be in full recovery mode by now...

..hey, y'all! Check it out! Joe is back in the 'goofy' mode he normally is in!!!

...whoops - I forgot... that lumbago of mine fades 'in and out'... or is that my diverticulitis?

back in business, facing Alice (awesome) and the swim meet (not as awesome...)

...Alice changes up Joe's swimsuit... a bit 'unusual', but part of the plot nevertheless...

...just how uber-cute is Ginger in this suit...she wasn't too fond of the outfits in this movie overall, but this one ROCKS, y'all... and how cool is that expression?

...practicing up on a little 'mouth-to-mouth'...you know, in case he drowns as a result of finding out his swimsuit isn't 'unsinkable'...

...the 'stuff' on Joe and Alice is grease...keeps the swimmers warm... but it kinda looks like Ginger just slaughtered a hawg here...weird image, huh?

Alice and Sam on the 'coaching boat'...trying to figure out what in blazes Joe is doing out there...

...all's well that ends well, as usual... this pic is Ginger at 'mid-dive'...it's a distance shot (unfortunately) - but Ginger's swimsuit looks to be quite...er... well, let's just say black and white sometimes blurs costumes such that...well, light colored outfits, maybe 'flesh-toned'...you see what I'm getting at here... hence the 'long-shot' of this scene...ok...

...hey, ya know what? Maybe we should hire a cabana boy or something...

Other Reviews:
"Ginger Rogers strikes just the right note in her supporting role, giving her ingenue the touch of sophistication and playful spoofing desirable." -New York Herald-Tribune
"Mr. Brown does quite well with this ludicrous role. Ginger Rogers is lively as Alice Brandon, the girl who is fully in sympathy with Joe." -New York Times
"And the heroine, Ginger Rogers, continues to be one of the most attractive young women on the screen." -World Telegram
"Ginger Rogers was made for a bathing suit." -Photoplay

From Ginger: My Story: "When (Joe E. Brown and I) made a second film together, You Said a Mouthful, he again expressed great interest and concern where I was involved. (Although I thought my clothes in that film were terrible, I was in no position to make a comment about them.) A star actor who was willing to coach his leading lady was very unusual. His great kindness to me is something I shall long remember. It didn't surprise me to learn that during World War II, he was the first actor to go to the front lines on a USO tour."

Miscellaneous Stuff: Not all that much in the way of 'goofs', and even 'interesting facts', save for...
- The film was shot 'on location' in Catalina.
- Allen 'Farina' Hoskins was a character in the 'Our Gang' series of movies; this film was one of his last roles - as an adult he became a counselor for troubled kids (a bit ironic for a child star, dontchathink?).

GingerFilm Ranking: #5

After 11 Reviews...

#01 - The Tenderfoot
#02 - The Tip-Off
#03 - Queen High
#04 - Young Man of Manhattan
#05 - You Said a Mouthful
#06 - Carnival Boat
#07 - The Thirteenth Guest
#08 - The Sap From Syracuse
#09 - Suicide Fleet
#10 - Follow The Leader
#11 - Honor Among Lovers
#12 - Hat Check Girl***

*** - Not viewed due to unavailability

Up Next: 42nd Street...will be interesting as to where this one ends up on the list...some awesome Ginger moments, at 'full-tilt' sassiness, but the 'face time' for her will not be as much...remember, the rankings are SOLELY in terms of 'Gingeryness' of a film.

KIG, Y'all!!!

VKMfanHuey
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