Kino Lorber
This disc features two remastered Jack Benny titles presented as a double feature, Man About Town and Artists and Models.
Extras include trailers and audio commentaries.
MAN ABOUT TOWN
When Broadway producer Bob (Jack Benny) transfers his production to London, the production is not the only thing that moves across the pond, as his unrequited love for the star of his show, Diana (Dorothy Lamour), remains unchanged thanks to her continued lack of romantic interest in him.
In an attempt to win Diana over, Bob tries to make her jealous by romancing the neglected Lady Arlington (Binnie Barnes), but two can play that game, as Lady Arlington soon tries to use Bob to make her husband jealous, landing Bob in an increasingly sticky situation as comedic hijinks and elaborate musical numbers ensue.
While leads Benny and Lamour were already well-established stars by 1939, their on-screen star power was vastly overpowered by one of the supporting players, as the true standout of Man About Town is Rochester as portrayed by Eddie Anderson.
The film marks the on-screen debut of the collaboration Benny and Anderson had already successfully utilized for radio for some time, and their collaboration would continue for several decades after their transition from air wave entertainment to celluloid shenanigans.
Unfortunately, beyond bookmarking a memorable moment in the annals of comedy collaborations, Man About Town simply does not stand out much against other musical comedies of the era.
The songs and choreography are not sufficiently memorable, leaving the whole affair feeling disappointingly bland and lacking in substance, rendering it incapable of competing with other productions of the time as far as longevity is concerned.
Similarly, there is nothing wrong with the comedy when viewed through the lens of the time period, nor does Benny’s trademark timing fail him, but much like the musical elements of Man About Town, the comedy remains too restrained to leave the viewer with anything memorable in terms of inter-war musical comedies in general and Benny’s on-screen exploits in particular.
The gags and quips are light, which makes Man About Town a fluffy, easy watch, and while that is arguably not a bad thing in and of itself, since the film follows a formula that was already a staple at the time, it unfortunately leaves the end product feeling somewhat lacking.
Man About Town may not be the best of Benny’s filmography, however, it is nonetheless a light bit of 1930s musical comedy that retains its relevance by being responsible for bringing Eddie Anderson into another entertainment medium, which thusly manages to make Man About Town a worthwhile watch for fans of the genre and era, but likely leaves too much to be desired for the uninitiated.
Verdict: 5 out of 10.
ARTISTS AND MODELS
Mac Brewster (Jack Benny) is the head of his own advertising company, but behind the big-name facade Mac is struggling with significant debt, rendering him incapable of paying the bills and unable to fulfil his payroll commitments.
However, Mac senses at light at the end of the tunnel when his well-to-do client Alan Townsend (Richard Arlen) of Townsend Silver tasks Mac with finding a queen for the upcoming Artists and Models ball.
Banking on his model girlfriend Paula (Ida Lupino) being a shoo-in for the title, Mac is in for a rude awakening when he learns Townsend Silver does not want a professional model, but instead a socialite without modelling experience.
Not one to be deterred, Paula takes matters into her own hands and travels to Miami to impersonate a high society debutante, and convince Townsend that she is, in fact, the perfect fit for the title.
Alas, as one would expect, the best laid plans of artists and models often go awry, and everyone soon gets more than they bargained for as hilarity ensues.
Expectedly, Benny brings his trademark comedic timing effortlessly to the table, albeit the dual narratives of Mac’s task and Paula’s quest leave the film split into two halves, which vary greatly in the style of comedy on display.
Boasting an Academy Award nomination for best original song for “Whisper in the Dark,” as well as Louis Armstrong making a prominent appearance in the film, Artists and Models has plenty of musical pedigree to make it worth your while, albeit it should be noted that Armstrong’s performance of “Public Melody Number One” features heavy minstrel elements, including singer Martha Raye performing in blackface.
Problematic elements aside, the proceedings are, at times, a little too zany for their own good, as Artists and Models takes on a frenetic energy by throwing a myriad of musical numbers and even a vaudevillian puppet act at the wall, and while several of the performances manage to entertain, others stick out like a sore thumb, leaving the film veering dangerously on the edge of becoming a shambolic mess.
Rich in cameos, Artists and Models is a veritable cornucopia of 1930s entertainment stars for connoisseurs, however, the sheer onslaught of the who’s who of talent may stand in the film’s way to appeal to a more casual audience.
As such, there is a lot to like here with the amount of stars, set pieces, cameos and anything else one could imagine from this era, which will attract fans of Benny and inter-war musical comedies alike, but it may be a little too chaotic and entrenched in its time period to fully ensnare newcomers.
Verdict: 5 out of 10.
