Having Wonderful Time (1938)

the audience applauded

Lack of good storyline.

Fantastic!

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Bronx stenographer leaves the typing pool for two weeks in the country at a camp for single adults (presumably the Catskills, though any ethnic division has been tidily scrubbed from the scenario). Arthur Kober adapted his own successful play for the screen, keeping the patter between the guests and the staff coming fast and loose. Ginger Rogers at first appears to be playing a lovely blonde killjoy, and the lack of humor in her snippy characterization is a bit disconcerting (although it certainly explains why she's unattached); she's even rude to law student/waiter Douglas Fairbanks Jr., who should have women fawning all over him yet curiously does not. Douglas manages to thaw Ginger out in time, however a childish fight between the two sends her to another man's cabin on Party Night. Not much of a plot--this works much better as a comedic study of character circa 1938. Ginger's mother worries her daughter will become an old maid (!), while Fairbanks seems to embody the handsome but unmotivated loaf-off. Richard (Red) Skelton plays social director, while Lucille Ball and Eve Arden are two of Rogers' cabin-mates. Breezy, innocuous fun for star-watchers. **1/2 from ****

Ginger Rogers, working girl and typist, decides to forget her worries and take two weeks at Camp Kare-Free, a lodge that promotes rest and relaxation. She gets there and Camp Kare-Free is anything but. While this movie seems to be going and getting nowhere, it's the constant presence of young Hollywood that keeps the viewer intrigued as to who's going to pop up next. As always Eve Arden manages to stand out in all the recognizable faces, and one can even spot an unbilled Ann Miller in the crowd. Red Skelton provides much of the humor in some very funny skits. One may leave this movie thinking there wasn't much to it, but the movie does succeed in making the viewer feel they're on vacation, with some nice shots of the Catskills and with realistic dialogue between the waiters and escorts of the lodge. Ginger's scenes with her love interest, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. come off very laid back, once they start to like each other, of course. You could do a lot worse (and maybe better,) but for 70 minutes of escapism with Ginger Rogers, who's complaining?

This is a poor film for so many, many reasons and I was shocked to see SOME reviewers who gave it a 10! Do they seriously think this film is as good or better than CITIZEN KANE, CASABLANCA or ORDINARY PEOPLE? Yes, it's fine if you liked the film, but to give it a 10 sets up some amazingly high expectations and I really think this film, on a generous day, MIGHT earn a 5, as it was very poorly written, the acting and accents were at times terrible and the romance completely hokey and clichéd.A big part of the problem was that the film was set at a "Borscht Belt" resort in the Catskills, but it was so sanitized that it gave a superficial view at best. Let me explain with a little bit of background. In the first half (or more) of the 20th century, many Jewish families went to these mountain resorts for vacations--partly for the fun and partly because, unfortunately, Jews were made to feel unwelcome at all the other resorts (some even banned Jews and other "undesireables"). These Borscht Belt resorts featured hiking, camping, canoing as well as lots of entertainment by Jewish performers who would later go on to stardom as comedians--such as Milton Berle, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Morey Amsterdam and Rodney Dangerfield (among MANY others). While I was NOT hoping to see over the top Jewish accents and overly stereotyped images, this film featured Ginger Rogers in the lead (one of the least Jewish-looking actresses of the time) and some bizarre Jewish-like accents that frankly were ridiculous (particularly Eve Arden's). The overall effect only bears a vague resemblance to the Borscht Belt--the way that Amos and Andy bore a resemblance to Black America (especially the radio version of the show)! Why not instead use more Jewish actors and have them just be themselves? Perhaps Hollywood thought Americans at the time would not accept this, so they created a bland and Wasp-y version with only a token Jew that might be more acceptable to the common person.Regardless of the sanitized nature of the film, the romance and acting were poor and clichéd. When Ginger met handsome Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., you KNEW exactly where the film would go and their antics became pretty annoying. In fact, the film itself was loud, obnoxious and about as subtle as a 2x4 upside your head! Plus, male camp workers uttering lines such as "what a pack of dogs" as the female vacationers got off the buses was rather awful because it was meant to be funny. Aside from a few scenes from Red Skelton which some might find funny (I didn't), the film was neither funny nor romantic--clearly a misfire.

Dull and uninvolving with scenes that play out too long. The basic premise of a secretary on vacation falling in love with a waiter at the lodge is interesting but is not explored to its full extent; and despite good performances, laughs are far between.