Y'all have a Gingery Halloween!!!

...well, not too many pics out there of Ginger in Halloween costumes... so, I'll give ya a little 'rabid squirrel impression' action from our fair lady... that little sequence ALWAYS cracks me up...
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In other Ginger news, Thanks to Whitney VLH for her report from the Ginger Rogers Century exhibition in Boston!  She posted a comment on the 'just a few pics' post from a few weeks back... for those who missed it, here is the report:

"I was blessed to be able to attend the opening of the "Ginger Rogers Century" archive and the show in Boston on Oct. 24th. and wanted to tell you all about it:
The archive is chock-full of moving correspondence between Ginger and the many people who loved her, including her mother and her friends such as Lucille Ball and Jimmy Stewart. It also features lots of photographs, renderings of her artwork, and items like her Oscar, her Kennedy Center Honor medallion and ribbon (which I'm grateful I got to see her receive in 1992), and even one of her old tennis rackets! Roberta Olden, Ginger's longtime assistant, selected items with much loving care for Boston University to display.
Angela Lansbury spoke poignantly about how Ginger and Lew Ayres (a neighbor of hers in Brentwood for many years) had a great love for each other that endured in friendship despite the tragedy of their marriage ending. I SO wish that those two had gotten back together!!! The archive included a letter and telegram from Lew to Ginger, and reading those, it was evident how much he loved her. I think he was a great man, just as Ginger was a great lady, despite the mistakes they made -- and in the end, love still prevailed.
It was awesome to hear a song that Ginger composed herself in 1936 (the year they separated) in the show. The song was called "I Don't Understand" (a love song, that was probably referring to Lew). Jazz singer Karen Oberlin did a pitch-perfect job of performing the many songs that Ginger made famous from composers like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Jerome Kern.
The archive will stay on display for several months at Boston U., I was told, so if any of you are in Boston, hope you can check it out!"
Whitney

Awesome stuff, Whitney! Would have LOVED to hear the Ginger tune... ya didn't happen to sneak in a recorder of some type, eh? :-)
It's also good to hear Ginger and Lew remained buds... y'know, if I were somehow able to do the 'back in time' stuff, and be able to be anyone (yeah, that's pretty weird and far-fetched, but hey...), I think it would be Lew... I mean, DANG...Ginger called him her 'dream man'... how insane is THAT?
...AND, it's cool to know that the exhibit will be there for awhile... just wish it would get a LITTLE closer to 'South Gingerville', such as Atlanta, Nashville, etc... here's hoping!
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ALSO, a few awesome Gingery features from fellow Gingerologist, arrowfoxi!!!
First, a photo of Ginger from photographer James Doolittle, who captured Ginger (during her 'In Person' days - the gown is the one she has in the final scene) quite well, to the extent that she said it was one of her favorite photos of herself from anyone... no arguement from this here Gingerologist...

...the original photo sold in 2002 for 2,445 euros, which is roughly, oh...about $1,000,000 U.S. dollars (jk...for the time being, anyway... seriously, it's about $3,500.00). If only I could score a lottery, y'all...it would be scary how much Gingerbilia would accumulate in the Huey domicile...
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AND, here is a link to a VERY neat site, which generally is a compilation of MANY quotes and passages from books and reviews regarding Ginger... I've thought about doing something like this, but...well, heck, here it ALREADY is!

Ginger Rogers Appreciations

...this site is overseen by arrowfoxi (a.k.a. todflet@sonic.net ) - and, notice that any new-found Gingery text is of great interest, so drop an e-mail over there if ya have any new stuff! 
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Well, next up here is the 'Don't Bet on Love' review... Thanks to Ron for a cool 'lobby card' shot of this film:

Whitney's conclusion of Ayres may 'temper' my review a bit... but he's still (somewhat) of a gooberhead, y'all...I mean, come ON...'Dream Man'... how do you screw THAT up, y'all?

KIG!

VKMfanHuey
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Ginger Rogers Film Review #16 - A Shriek in the Night

A SHRIEK IN THE NIGHT

(July 22, 1933 - Allied Pictures Corporation)

Run Time (approximate): 66 Minutes 
Directed by: Albert Ray. 
Producer: M. H. Hoffman. 
Scenarist: Frances Hyland.
Based on a Story by: Kurt Kempler.
Photography by: Harry Newman and Tom Galligan.
Art Director: Gene Hornbistel.
Edited by: Leete Renick Brown. 
Sound Recorder: Homer C. Ellmaker.
Music Supervisor: Abe Meyer.
Costume Design: Alfreda.
Production Management: Sidney Algier. 
Assistant Director: Wilbur McGaugh. 
Also Starring: Lyle Talbot (as Ted Rand), Harvey Clark (as Peterson, the Janitor), Purnell Pratt (as Police Inspector Russell), Lillian Harmer (as Augusta, the Housekeeper), Arthur Hoyt (as Wilfred), Louise Beavers (as Maid), Clarence Wilson (as Editor Perkins).
UNCREDITED CAST: Maurice Black (as Josephus Martini), Jim Farley (as Detective Jim Brown), Cyril Ring (as Eddie the Morgue Attendant), Dick Rush (as Policeman in Hallway), and Tiny Sandford (as Detective Eddie).
Ginger's Character: Pat Morgan. 
Ginger's 'Screen Time': Approximately 35 Minutes and 57 Seconds (54.5% of the film).
GingerTunes: None
Gingery Goodness Factor (GGF) - (1-10): 7.0 - Although heaps of 'face time' for Ginger, the role just doesn't lend itself to a lot of 'sassy' input, save for a few nice spots here and there...Ginger's character is pretty 'straightforward', and is ultimately 'corralled' by the leading man, in pretty nondescript fashion - I mean, he doesn't actually even REALLY save her from the endgame peril.
Film Quality (1-10): 6.5 - That may be generous for the copy I have...there are multiple 'editions' of this one out there, but not sure if they are all from the same 'source film'... but there are a few scenes cut short (where you hear dialogue but the screen is black) - not enough to really affect anything, but...it DOES earn negative points for the overall film condition. The 'caps' I made did end up pretty fair, but those were in-betwixt a lot of dust-spots-fuzz on certain frames. Also, the sound is not the best...dialogue is OK, but in 'lull' areas, there is a constant 'crinkling' sound, like it's raining...the first scene you think, 'well, maybe it's supposed to be raining, as it is at night and you really can't tell... but the next scene in the penthouse clarifies, as typically rain does not occur within a penthouse (unless the fire sprinklers go off...which they most likely did not even have back then...) 
Available From: Various DVDs available..
Huey's Review for GINGEROLOGY:   Ginger's fifth film of 1933 finds her back in the 'murder/mystery/suspense' genre, this time as an undercover newspaper reporter (...actually, in 1933, I believe that's the only type of reporter there was...but I digress...) by the name of Patricia Morgan. She has been 'planted' as the secretary of a financial big dawg that goes by the name of Mr. Harker... who is on screen about 3 seconds, in the form of a mannequin tossed down from his penthouse. In other words, whoever played Harker most likely didn't make union scale for his acting efforts.  
ANYWAY, Pat was investigating Harker's possible link with mob member Joe Martini (yes, there's at least one 'dry martini' joke during the proceedings...) She has gathered enough info to piece together possible reasoning behind Harker's demise, and calls it in to her paper...except the call is 'intercepted' by a rival reporter on the scene, Ted Rand (Lyle Talbot), who takes the info and runs with it...to HIS newspaper.
When Pat's editor discovers all the info about the case (which only she could have known by her 'inside' position) sprawled on the front page of the competitor, he promptly fires Pat.
Well, when Pat figures out Ted was the one who stole the info, she was JUST a bit miffed (not to the point of throwing things, however....) ...and confronts him on the matter. This is where we learn these two have a 'past', which eliminates the need for developing a relationship from scratch on the screen (this one clocks in at just over an hour, y'all...). Well, Ted does pretty fair damage control, and soon the relatively happy couple, along with Inspector Russell (Purnell Pratt) are in concert regarding the investigation. Along the way, a few more folks get snuffed out, one of which was a 'prime suspect' (ain't that ALWAYS the case?). Pat does a bit of 'snooping' in Martini's apartment, with no tangible results. Before long, however, Pat receives a letter with a card enclosed...reading 'You Will Hear It', with a coiled snake on it...a la 'Don't Tread On Me'... this was found on each of the previous victims, which, of course, labels Pat as a future victim!  Well, that's about all I'll go over here, in order to let you discover the end of this 'whodunnit'... but it's not that big a mystery that Pat and Ted have a happy ever after, y'all.  
Ginger and Talbot have a better overall chemistry in this one than in Thirteenth Guest, which is a natural progression upon subsequent 'pairings' with each other.
Some folks have suggested that this very movie was the 'inspiration' for 'The Thin Man' series...not sure about THAT, but there are some similarities in the interactions between the couples... but the plot, while a murder mystery, isn't nearly as 'complex' as any of the Thin Man films. 
Favorite Ginger Moments: Ginger is pretty much 'straight role' in this one, so her 'trademark' moves are all in this one...it's fun to pick up on all the different ones developing, such as the eyebrow raise, becoming close to perfected in this one... among others, as shown in the many caps to follow...

 ...First look at Pat, just after the nose dive by Harker...BTW, how cool is that lamp? I would LUV to have that one as a 'Gingerbilia' item...

...With Inspector Russell, who has a fairly dry sense of humor...

"...Hello, Mother?..."

"...yes...it's a murder/mystery film...you know, kinda like that one I did a few months ago over at Monogram..."

"...Well, no, there's no singing or dancing in it...it's a DRAMA, Ma..."

"...why aren't you over at RKO, dear? I've heard they have a few nice musicals coming up..."

"MAAA, listen! I'll do enough musicals down the road! For now, I'm trying to add some diversification to my resume!"

"...Hopefully I can get thru to QVC and tell them to take back this weird 'cat-vs.-boy' statuette thingie that Lelee ordered..."

 ...OK, back to the actual 'plot'... well, this is just the scene where Pat figures out Ted has used her info for his story...but DANG...newspapers used to be pretty honkin' back then..I mean you could float a Mini Cooper on that thing if it were folded completely out...

...OK, personal Huey injection...Ginger is just cute as ALL-get-out in this picture...I mean, that's just PAINFULLY cute...

...somewhat somber here, but still awesome...

...she is conversing with the inspector in this scene, basically sweet-talking her way out of a potential 'withholding information' rap with little or no trouble...

...and then it's on to the...well, morgue, to check out the dude who they thought was the killer, but is now the 'killee'...this is rare, to see Ginger in the back seat alone...well, that doesn't sound proper...the intent is that it's rare to see Ginger alone ANYWHERE...

...this is an interesting little sequence, as the inspector gives Pat the slip by jumping out, then back in the car...what's interesting is that Ginger was purt near (there's that phrase again, y'all...) tossed head over heels when the car came to a screeching halt... Ralph Nader would have had a field day back then, y'all...

 ...I think these two make a pretty fair 'on-screen' couple...would have been interesting to see them in a 'big-budget' together...

 ...and she's alone again...and seems a bit peeved...

 ...ah, that's better...

"...I can't believe this bill for that cat-dog-boy-child statue thing...grrrr..."

"...Look, I'm not even sure we ORDERED that... I'm thinking now that it was some type of prank...yes, a PRANK..."

"...and you just tell Ms. Hepburn that in the future, we will purchase our OWN gauche figurines! Good DAY!"

"...uh-oh...I just remembered that Lelee DID buy that statue...it shows up on her American Express Gold Card Statement here... she's been a member since 1897..."

 "...so, you see, Kate, it was all a big misunderstanding...we'll have a good laugh about this somewhere down the road... probably in a knitting circle or something... and thanks for returning it in one piece - Lelee would NEVER forgive me if something were to happen to it..."

 ...pow...right in the kisser...

"...that's funny...I don't remember THAT part of the script..."

 "...show me in this script where you are supposed to smooch me at the door..."

 "...listen, you can't just come in here and 'ad lib' stuff like that...I've got to get over to Universal by 4...or is it Paramount? I'll have to call mother again..."

 "...but overall, you're doing fine, kid...stick em' up!"

 ...so when's lunch?...

 "...so was it Paramount?"

 "...nope...Universal...they are teaming me up with some gooberhead I'm sure I'll end up falling for..."

...the 'warning' of impending doom for Pat...which gets me to thinking....if you DID want to 'snuff' someone out, WHY would you send them a 'warning'? Especially thru the U.S. Postal Service? Wouldn't that take, like, a week? And yes, that is a cigarette in Ginger's cute little fingers... I am not a fan of smoking, and Ginger quit it in the late 30's... I TRULY hope y'all don't smoke, or can quit... OK rant over.

"...we may could sell that thing on my etsy site..."

"...HEYYYY...wait a minute...this is the part when the dude shows up and hauls me off!"

" And there he is...wouldn't you know it...still 15 minutes before lunch...this scene is gonna take at LEAST an hour to run-thru..."

"...so I just head-butted that dude a few times, and he collapsed like the S&P 500..."

"...oh, I'm fine, Ma...just glad this little story is over with...yes, I'll get rolling on a musical somewhere soon..."

"...now, who in the WORLD would want to be in a musical with women hoofing on the wings of planes, Ma?"




Other Reviews:  
"Chief among the attractions of this diversion is the Rogers-Talbot characterizations of newspaper persons. They come very close to being life-like, and that is pretty miraculous for Hollywood...All in all, considering the title, an agreeable surprise." - New York Times
"It holds you all the way. Cast is far above average." -Hollywood Filmograph
"Ginger Rogers is exceptionally well-cast as the girl reporter." - Hollywood Screen World  
From GINGER: My Story: This is the only film I am aware of that Ginger does not mention in her bio...probably because of the impending collaboration with gooberhead Lew that is soon to follow, as she has a LOT to write about that timeframe... 
Miscellaneous Stuff:  
--- Although the production was from Allied Studios, the movie was actually shot on the RKO lot (well, ONE source notes this, so don't quote me on it...).
--- The black maid, portrayed by Louise Beavers, was erroneously noted in the opening credits as 'Louise Beaver".
--- Ginger's second teaming with Lyle Talbot, the first being The Thirteenth Guest, another 'low-budget' murder mystery. 
--- Ginger's character in both this one and The Thirteenth Guest are named 'Morgan'.
--- And, a pretty COOL feature from IMDb... the entire movie free for download! Check it out at this link:
A Shriek in the Night video feed

GingerFilm Ranking: #09 of 17...At the end, this one is just a bit better than 'The Thirteenth Guest', in terms of sheer Ginger 'face time', so it's just over that one in the rankings... her role is solid, but...'pedestrian' (i.e., minimal Sassyness). 
After Fourteen Reviews: 
#01 - Professional Sweetheart 
#02 - 42nd Street
#03 - The Tenderfoot
#04 - The Tip-Off
#05 - Queen High
#06 - Young Man of Manhattan
#07 - You Said A Mouthful
#08 - Carnival Boat
#09 - A Shriek in the Night
#10 - The Thirteenth Guest
#11 - Broadway Bad
#12 - Gold Diggers of 1933 
#13 - The Sap From Syracuse
#14 - Suicide Fleet
#15 - Follow The Leader
#16 - Honor Among Lovers
#17 - Hat Check Girl***
*** - Not viewed due to unavailability.

Up Next: Don't Bet on Love..Ginger stars with future gooberhead hubby Lew Ayres in a 'basic' rom-com about a dude who can't stop gambling...while trying to hang onto Ginger. Of course, this one is of interest to G-ologists, if only to observe how these two hit it off...

Until then, as always...

KIG, Y'all!!!

VKMfanHuey
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...Just a few pics...

...actually, I have jumped back on eBay (pray for my moderation in purchasing, please... :-]  ) - and found a few cool items - probably my fave of which is the following picture, of Ginger and Fred in later days...I just slap LUV this pic, y'all!

...I think if anyone had 'reservations' that these two didn't get along, this pic should quash that notion in short order.

Well, It's been a few, y'all...not sure why, guess I have been a bit busier than I thought... but I am raring to jump back into it here, and should have the next review up in a few days...I already have the 'bones' to it set up... it does take a few days to do the review, do 'caps', and sort out everything for the final post... not that I'm complaining or anything - it's really a perfect way to get 'max info' from each movie, and hopefully become that much closer to the title, 'Supreme-super-duper-grand-poo-bah-uber-Gingerologist' (yeah, that's gonna be tough to get on one of those little trophy nameplates).

Speaking of 'uber-G-ologists', here's hoping we get a few to attend the Ginger Century Exhibition in Boston on 10/24 and 10/25 (yeah, that's a huge sigh of despair emanating from the Hu-ster, knowing the impossibility of his attendance chances...)  Well, here's a link to it again, in case you missed it:

Ginger Rogers Century Exhibition - Boston 10-24 and 25

And, lastly, hope all of you are well out there! Hope to hear from y'all... jump on the replies for this post...we'll yak about whatever!

And, a sincere and heartfelt thanks to all who follow!

KIG!

VKMfanHuey
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...more GingerReviews on Movies Unlimited!

 ...this time it is for 'Monkey Business'... a nice review overall, even though it does point out some of the overt 'silliness' involved...but hey, it's a screwball comedy, right? Good to see folks out there checking out GingerFilms...Here's the link:

 Monkey Business Review from Movies Unlimited

Well, I hope everyone out there is getting geared up for autumn...it's really my favorite time of year, even though I get a bit melancholy for whatever reason... here's a 'autumn' painting Ginger did, which I don't know the exact name of, so let's just call it "GingeryAutumn" ...and yes, of course I would give my eye teeth to have one of her original paintings...

As for upcoming postings, the next will most likely be the "Shriek in the Night" review, hopefully out by the end of the weekend... there are a few more ideas rattling around in my head...and I am starting to get the 'itch' for eBay again...'tis the season, right? But realistically, I need to 'catalog' the Gingerbilia I have already... AND, potentially a new Huey computer may be on the horizon, as this box is almost 4 years old, so getting a bit temperamental...  so, 'transferal' proceedings will also be in order...

---------------------------------------

And finally, just wanted to inform those who didn't know that a fellow classic films blogger, Gerald Stewart, better known as Gordon Pasha, passed away recently... here is a link to his blog, Laszlos on Lex:

http://laszlosonlex.blogspot.com/

And, fellow blogger Matthew Coniam posted this very appropriate and moving tribute to him on his site, Movietone News:

http://www.movietone-news.com/

Gerald's blog was quite unique, as the posts were 'sparse' at times, but gave enough to pique your interest on a topic or actor/actress, and somehow always got his point across very succinctly. Gerald will be missed in the classic blogosphere, to be sure... Rest in Peace.

VKMfanHuey
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Ginger Rogers Film Review #15 - Professional Sweetheart

PROFESSIONAL SWEETHEART

(June 9, 1933 - An RKO-Radio Picture)

Run Time (approximate): 73 Minutes 
Directed by: William A. Seiter. 
Producer: H.N. Swanson. 
Executive Producer: Merian C. Cooper.
Scenarists: Maurine Watkins.

Based on a Story by: Maurine Watkins.
Photography by: Edward Cronjager.
Art Directors: Van Nest Polglase and Carroll Clark.
Edited by: James Morley. 
Sound Recorder: Clem Portman.
Musical Director: Max Steiner.
Makeup Artist: Mel Burns.
Still Photographer: John Miehle. 
Also Starring: Norman Foster (as Jim Davey), Zasu Pitts (as Elmerada de Leon), Frank McHugh (as Speed Dennis), Allen Jenkins (as O'Connor), Gregory Ratoff (as Samuel 'Sam' Ipswich), Franklin Pangborn (as Herbert Childress), Lucien Littlefield (as Ed, the Announcer), Edgar Kennedy (as Tim Kelsey), Frank Darien (as Appleby), Sterling Holloway (as Stu).
UNCREDITED CAST: June Brewster (as Telephone Operator), Betty Furness (as Blonde Reporter), Theresa Harris (as Vera, Glory's Maid), Grace Hayle (as Fat Reporter), Edward Everett Horton (as Reporter), Mike Lally (as Studio Clerk), Mary MacLaren (as Ipswich's Secretary), and Akim Tamiroff (as Hotel Waiter).
Ginger's Character: Glory Eden. 
Ginger's 'Screen Time': Approximately 29 Minutes and 11 Seconds (40.0% of the film).
GingerTunes: "Imaginary Sweetheart",(Which is not a TRUE GingerTune, as her voice was 'dubbed' with another - see "Miscellaneous Stuff" below...).
Gingery Goodness Factor (GGF) - (1-10): 8.0 - Overall, a VERY sassy Ginger role...but almost a bit TOO sassy, to the point of...well, a bit 'much'... Ginger really does well in painting Ms. Eden as a VERY spoiled young lady, which makes the 'transition' into her domestic (albeit a bit 'rustic') life pretty dramatic...The scene where Glory is 'negotiating' with her handlers is a bit 'out of character' for the typical Ginger role, with the knowledge that in real life Ginger wasn't into the 'nightclub scene' (i.e., 'going to the devil!'), as Ms. Eden yearns for. But, nevertheless, Ginger works the saucy role out pretty convincingly.
Film Quality (1-10): 7.5 - Not bad...certain segments are a bit 'grainy', but overall your typical level of film quality from a typical 1930's movie that we are fortunate enough to still have with us.
Available From: TCM - hoping it is released in the WB Archives Collection, as it is a great candidate, being Ginger's first RKO Radio Picture.
Huey's Review for GINGEROLOGY: Ginger is pretty strong in her RKO-Radio Pictures debut as a lead character, which would be a foreshadowing of her 'franchise' status for the studio by the end of the decade, with, and without, the Fred Astaire partnership.
This film is a pretty 'simple' little story of a young lady named Glory Eden (Ginger Rogers), who has been 'rescued' from an orphan's home by a radio station and 'transformed' into "The Purity Girl", America's Sweetheart, who hawks "Ippsie Wippsie wipes", a raggedy outfit run by Sam Ipswich (Gregory Ratoff). Well, this is a pretty good gig for a orphan, especially one in the 1930's - and while Glory knows she's got it good, she doesn't have it the way she wants it...and thus she has morphed into a supreme 'diva', demanding things that just doesn't fit the pristine image of a 'Purity Girl". Although...here's the deal... this was on RADIO, correct? Well, if nobody truly knew her identity, couldn't she pretty much go out 'wilding' at night and still keep the day gig as long as she wasn't too looped to go on? Or am I just trying to talk us out of the whole movie plot? Most likely...
Anyway, Glory refuses to sign a new contract for the show, leaving her 'available' for other suitors, such as...oh, I don't know... Kelsey Washrags? (which is run by Tim Kelsey (Edgar Kennedy)). 
In the negotiation process with Ipswich, one of his cronies comes up with an idea that will not only potentially 'appease' Glory, but also can be played up in her career for big publicity... hook her up with a dude! Of course, not just 'any' dude, but one of the 'purest Anglo-Saxon dudes'...which evidently source from Kentucky...although it would have been kinda funny if they used Missouri instead. 
So, the random dude is selected out of her piles of fan mail, and Jim Davy...er,Crockett, maybe? (Norman Foster) is the fortunate son. J.D. is dragged from the hills of Kentucky up to Manhattan to commence the courting process, which is typically a long, rather arduous task, with much pining, wailing, and gnashing of teeth; but in Radioland, things move exponentially faster, between Glory's waffling about her contract and her raging wild womanhood almost bursting at the seams (wow...that's kinda heavy, eh? )...they expedite the process to get her married off, making it a 'public event' in the process, and hopefully securing her via contract agreement. 
Well, wouldn't you know it, in all the hubbub of the wedding parade, the contract is misplaced, Kelsey has one of his dudes afoot trying to lure Glory away from the Ips-man, and Jim is just pretty disillusioned with the whole deal, and thus hustles Glory out of town and back to his Old Kentucky Home before anything is resolved. When they reach the shack, Jim realizes that the whole affair was a publicity stunt, and that Glory is pretty much a wild woman that will take a lot of taming... when she goes off on one of her hissy fits, he just hauls off and whomps her...which is obviously not a suggested tactic under ANY circumstance, IMHO, but in an early 30's film, guess there wasn't too much issue with it, strangely enough...well, after the whomping (which more or less laid her out cold), he is pretty regretful about it, and proclaims that "She's wicked, but I love her!" Well, she catches that 'sentiment', and deduces that J.D. is pretty serious about things, and she 'falls in line' as a result... again, this was a LONG time ago, y'all...  
Well, Ipswich and Kelsey each send negotiators to Glory, trying to get her signed up... to no avail. Well, she DOES end up signing with someone, but with certain 'clauses'...and I'll leave it for you to see... although, it is a pretty quick 'wrap' on this one, like, " hey, we have our limit of film almost used up, so we need to wrap it up in a few minutes!"

 
Favorite Ginger Moments: Hmmmm.... when Glory hauls off and starts chunking books at those dudes, that's pretty funny to me...(I think J.D.'s rustic phrasings have rubbed off on my verbiage here...sorry...well, I AM in Alabama, too, y'all!)  But, there's some funny spots throughout...here's GOBS of pics...

...we first meet Miss Eden looking angelic as usual, and (Etta Moten) warbling her signature tune, "My Imaginary Sweetheart"... Ginger does her best lip-sync work here, although still pretty unfathomable to me why Ginger wasn't allowed to sing it...

 ...but soon the 'true' Glory begins to reveal itself, as she is not content with her current 'benefits package'...

 ...As aforementioned by your humble 'poster', Ginger's eyes just light up when she is miffed... as for the 'screen caps', please accept my apologies for the 'color blotches' on some of these...evidently I taped this one from TCM on VHS, and transferred to DVD on my DVD Recorder, which, in retrospect, is a pretty goofy way of doing it, considering I have a DVD recorder to record directly to DVD...hence the name, 'DVD Recorder'... anyway, sorry y'all...

 ...contract negotiations ensue, with Glory demanding more 'freedom', as it were...

 ...ah, the raised eyebrow...one day, I'll devote a whole post to this phenomenon... this is always the 'warning shot' that Ginger is about to clear the room, y'all...

 ...and here we go... Ginger gets a funny line in when she walks in the room with this 'monk' robe get-up on... she says, "all I need now is a lily..." ...just struck me as funny.

 Glory flies into a rage, clearing the room of any print media...the sheet music has to go first...

 ...and then, of course, the books... that's a pretty cool book holding contraption she's got there, but as we soon discover, its ultimate design is to allow for easy access for book chunkin'... that's a Southern thang, y'all...

 ...and the chunkin' commences... dang, I LOVE this pic of her, even tho it's grainy and fuzzy, her smile here is awesome...and her hair is all flared out in a very pretty way... it's weird how 'screen caps' can freeze moments that you don't really catch when viewing...

...dudes... y'all better run for cover... Uncle Pangborn gets clocked in the noggin with a tome here... oh well, those are 'prop' books, right? Made of balsa wood?  

 "...Haven't you dweebs ever heard of a KINDLE???"

 ...after the negotiations break down, the well-known society reporter Elmerada de Leon (Zazu Pitts) is allowed in to interview Glory, who is back in, well, 'Glory mode'...

 ...this pic is awesome, except the fuzzy 'shadow' deal is over her eyes. making it look like there's mascara or something gooped on her eyelids...it's sad how old films fuzz out or whatever... still pretty awesome pic, tho... and note the extra stash of books behind Glory, in case more chunking is in order...

... Glory at dinner...or is it supper? I wouldn't know how to eat a lot of the stuff Ginger is presented with in her films...pretty fancy stuff... heck, I would just circumvent all that stuff and tote her directly to the nearest Baskin-Robbins...

...well, somehow in our observations up to now, we have failed to mention the fact that Glory's 'dream man' has shown up in the form of Jim Davy (Norman Foster)... this is when she sets him up for proposing to her, on the balcony/veranda/whatever...

...and the nuptials are on... I dig this cap, how the light shines in her eye there... sigh...

...Glory and Jim meet with the media, and she chirps out her 'script' about a little cabin deal with fuzzy varmints and flora abounding throughout, cooking whatever Jim has snagged in the woods that day...  OK, this pic is one of two in this post that remind me of a later Ginger movie, by her expression... I think it's the 'toothy smile' deal in this one... I'll give ya the answer in the comments...

...Glory and Jim make it official, for good ol' Ippsie Wippsie...

...oh, to be a box microphone from the 1930's...

...this isn't part of the 'guess the resemblance to a future Ginger film' deal, but the 'halo' head garb here does remind me of one of the ones she wore in 'It Had To Be You'... hmmm...not sure who the old cat in the background is... probably should have 'cropped him out' in the movie... which gets me to thinking, what would a Ginger movie look like if Huey was the director/producer/editor? Would anybody else even be IN it? :-)

...after the ceremony, Glory and Jim prep to take off on their honeymoon... Glory to Atlantic City, Jim to Kentucky... er, wait a minute...

...on the road to Kentucky, with Glory blissfully unaware of her final destination...

...this is just a pretty neat pic, after Glory is 'dragged' to Jim's 'Old Kentucky Home' to start life as his wife... she is finally showing Jim her 'true nature', which he is all bent out of shape over...

...Ginger spends a good bit of time in her skivvies in this film... just an observation... yep...observation...

...Glory nuzzles up to Jim, and dude is all mad... er, am I missing something, dude?

...well, the proceedings escalate to the point to where Glory starts chunking stuff at Jim, and he hauls off and whomps her (sorry about all these technical terms, y'all...) - so 'post-whomping', Jim totes his wife Glory off to bed, which is the first thing he's done that made any sense...

...and here is Glory, diva turned domestic... and one of the cronies from the radio/washcloth/wipe brigade trying to talk her back into the Purity Girl gig... to no avail.

...ah, observe the 'GingerSneer'... which is pretty cool... BTW, I dig that outfit... the 'domestic' image is awesome on Ginger...

...ok...THIS pic is 'guess the future Ginger film' #2... this one is pretty easy if you are a G-ologist, IMHO... just look at her expression, and the hat, which is probably the 'clincher' here...

...and Glory and Jim make an appearance on the radio...well, without giving away everything, it appears they have found a 'happy medium'... and Ginger is just awesome in black dresses...yow!


Other Reviews:  
"A competent cast, headed by Ginger Rogers and Norman Foster, has found much that is amusing in the industry to which Radio City was dedicated... Miss Rogers has rarely been more entertaining" - New York Times
"All in all, it cannot be said that Professional Sweetheart is a miracle of freshness, but, thanks chiefly to Miss Rogers, it has its moments. As the radio girl who must be sweet and coy all over the place while she is busting with desire for a little venom, Miss Rogers is genuinely amusing, reminding us that she is, when properly cast, a really skillful and attractive comedienne." - New York Herald Tribune
"...with that cute and clever comedienne, Ginger Rogers, to romp in the leading role of radio's "Purity Girl"...Professional Sweetheart is a riot of laughter." - New York American 
"Ginger Rogers plays the "Purity Girl" with pleasing humor." - New York Evening Post 

From GINGER: My Story: "Professional Sweetheart was a pleasant working experience. My leading man was Norman Foster, the young man I flirted with in my first film at Paramount. This time I got him - not Claudette! We had a wonderful supporting cast of skilled comedians: Franklin Pangborn, Frank McHugh, Allen Jenkins, Edgar Kennedy of the "slow-burn" take (slow burn is a theatrical term for an actor's showing his anger slowly on his face), and Zazu Pitts, with her famous fluttery hands. The story was a funny satire of a temperamental radio star (me), written by the talented Maurine Watkins. Even though RKO put it through three different titles - "Careless", "The Purity Girl", and finally "Professional Sweetheart" - it turned out quite well as my RKO debut. My only gripe was that my singing voice was dubbed by someone else for my song, "My Imaginary Sweetheart". I was amazed and annoyed. I had been singing professionally on the stage and screen for years and thought it ridiculous to hear someone else's voice coming out of my mouth."

Miscellaneous Stuff:  
--- As mentioned by Ginger above, her singing voice was 'dubbed over' by that of Etta Moten, who would later appear in Ginger and Fred's first pairing, "Flying Down to Rio", where she sings "The Carioca".
--- Sterling Holloway, who plays the somewhat daft reporter Stu, was the voice of several Disney animated characters from 1941 onward, most notably that of Winnie the Pooh from 1966 to 1977.
--- Working titles for the film were "Careless" and "Purity Girl". "Careless" would have been an interesting title for Ginger's resume, considering Ginger and Fred's 1938 offering, "Carefree". 
--- The United Kingdom titled the film "Imaginary Sweetheart".
--- This was Ginger's first movie for RKO-Radio, although she did three films back in 1931-early 1932 (The Tip-Off, Suicide Fleet, and Carnival Boat) for RKO-Pathe, a 'forerunner' of RKO-Radio Pictures.

 GingerFilm Ranking: #1 of 15...It's kind of hard to not put this one on top, if only for the percentage of 'Ginger Face Time' - 40% of the film, which I honestly thought would be even more, with her being the lead character... and although it may be a bit 'too much' in parts in the wild negotiation scene, in the end Ginger definitely nails the part of 'diva' with gusto, and thus the 'quality' generally matches the 'quantity' - well, heck, Ginger is ALWAYS 'quality', even if she is part of the background, right?

After Fourteen Reviews: 
#01 - Professional Sweetheart
#02 - 42nd Street 
#03 - The Tenderfoot
#04 - The Tip-Off
#05 - Queen High
#06 - Young Man of Manhattan
#07 - You Said A Mouthful
#08 - Carnival Boat
#09 - The Thirteenth Guest
#10 - Broadway Bad
#11 - Gold Diggers of 1933 
#12 - The Sap From Syracuse
#13 - Suicide Fleet
#14 - Follow The Leader
#15 - Honor Among Lovers
#16 - Hat Check Girl***
*** - Not viewed due to unavailability.

Up Next: A Shriek In The Night...Ginger's second foray into the mystery genre, again paired with "The Thirteenth Guest" co-star Lyle Talbot in what is remembered by this observer as the lesser of the two films, but a re-review is in order...

Until then, as always...

KIG, Y'all!!!

VKMfanHuey
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