The Groom Wore Spurs (1951)

Saddle sore

Give Ginger Rogers and Jack Carson a lot of credit for trying to make the inferior material they've been saddled with here seem funnier than it actually is. But talented performers can only coast so long on integrity and good intentions before it becomes apparent that there's nothing particularly amusing or interesting about this uninspired comedy-mystery. It's dispiriting to see this pair get suffocated by the film's lackluster script and direction. Among the squandered assets, the reliable Joan Davis is wasted in a minor supporting role as Ginger's gal pal.

Carson is perfectly cast as an affable windbag and teaming him with Ginger's pragmatic character should have been a winning combination. If only they had been given a vehicle worthy of their abilities. Instead, we get a series of silly comedy scenes, with a lackluster murder-mystery plot tossed in. Even the climactic sequence involving a runaway airplane falls flat.

The print quality of this Alpha Video disc is mediocre at best, which no doubt impacted my unenthused assessment. However, even a pristine, digitally-restored copy wouldn't have altered my opinion ... it would have made things easier on the eyes, but not on the funny bone.

My advice is to take a pass on this one, even if you're a fan of these stars. There are other, superior Ginger Rogers comedies available -- for instance, check out THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR (1941). As for Jack Carson, let's hope that his hilarious slapstick farce THE GOOD HUMOR MAN (1950) gets released on DVD in the near future.
August 25, 2008

Enjoyable

I had been looking for this old movie for a long time, thus I was very pleased to receive it. It's corny, of course, but that's the way movies were back then. This 1951 movie stars Ginger Rogers and Jack Carson. Pure nostalgia. August 5, 2006

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