Professional Sweetheart

Professional Sweetheart is a 1933 American pre-Code romantic comedy directed by William A. Seiter from a screenplay by Maurine Watkins. It starred Ginger Rogers in her first film with RKO Radio Pictures, with Norman Foster, ZaSu Pitts, and Frank McHugh. The film is a satire of the radio industry.

Professional Sweetheart
Theatrical poster
Directed byWilliam A. Seiter[1]
Produced byMerian C. Cooper (executive producer)[2]
Written byMaurine Watkins[2]
StarringGinger Rogers
Norman Foster
ZaSu Pitts
Frank McHugh
Music byRoy Webb[2]
CinematographyEdward Cronjager[1]
Edited byJames B. Morley[2]
Production
company
Release date
  • June 9, 1933 (1933-06-09)[2]
Running time
72 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Glory Eden (Ginger Rogers) is the "Purity Girl" of the Ippsie Wippsie Hour radio program. The show's sponsor, Sam Ipswich (Gregory Ratoff), discovered the orphan and made her a star in three months. He needs her public image to match her pure radio persona to promote Ippsie Wippsie, "the washcloth of queens". However, Glory longs to be a party girl, going to nightclubs, drinking, dancing, meeting men, and having a good time. All she can do is listen with envy to what her black maid Vera (Theresa Harris) does in Harlem after work. Ipswich is anxious for her to sign a new contract, but she throws a tantrum and refuses because it explicitly prohibits all the things she wants to do.

Along with everything else she has missed, she wants a sweetheart. Speed Dennis (Frank McHugh), Ipswich's press agent, considers this a great idea. He thinks the man should be "Anglo-Saxon" (to appeal to the corn belt), and Herbert (Franklin Pangborn), Glory's dressmaker, insists that he should be under 25. Ipswich's secretary tells them that the "purest Anglo-Saxons" hail from the hills of Kentucky, so Glory picks a fan letter at random from those written by young Kentucky men and ends up with 23-year-old Jim Davey (Norman Foster). She likes the enclosed photo of him. Ipswich, Speed and Herbert want her to choose someone else, but when "sob sister" reporter Elmerada de Leon (ZaSu Pitts) comes to interview Glory, she spots the photo, so they have to play along.

Speed goes to Kentucky and persuades the reluctant rural hick to accept a 10-day stay in New York. When he arrives, the press expects him to marry her, so Speed prompts the bashful Jim into romancing Glory. The wedding is conducted on-air.

Kelsey (Edgar Kennedy) assigns O'Connor (Allen Jenkins) to try to steal Glory away for his own radio program, sponsored by the Kelsey Dish Rag Company. O'Connor offers Jim help to slip away with Glory for a private honeymoon in Atlantic City, away from the press. Naive, Jim is stunned when he finds out that O'Connor is doing all this just to get Glory to sign with Kelsey and that the marriage is just a publicity stunt. At first, Jim insists that Glory wants to retire from show business and settle down, but when she learns the Kelsey contract has no restrictions on how she lives her life, she is eager to sign. Jim decides to take matters into his own hands, taking his wife home to rural Kentucky. At first, Glory is miffed, but the couple settle their differences (after a spanking and a punch to the jaw).

As they are settling into country life, Speed arrives, but he is unable to persuade Glory to return. He then has an idea: He gets Ipswich to let Vera sing as the Purity Girl that night. His plan backfires. Glory does become jealous, as he intended, but O'Connor is present, and she signs his contract. When the couple go to New York, Jim refuses to let his wife perform without him. Speed has hired him for Ippsie Wippsie as a poet. To solve the problem, the two sponsors join forces, merging their companies to form Ippsie-Kelsey Clothies, and have the young couple perform together.

Cast

(Cast list as per AFI database)[2]

Reception

The picture received mixed to good reviews, while Rogers received almost universally good press over her performance. An article in Variety led with the comment "Had the pace of Professional Sweetheart's early moments been sustained throughout the picture, its success rating would have been much more decisive. As is, it has just about enough comedy to cover up the later deficiencies..."[1] Screenland was more kind, writing that the film was a "must" see, and that the "complications are fast, furious, and merry. No static here - just clear, loud laughter." It also singled out the work of several of the cast members, including Pitts, McHugh, Foster and Ratoff.[3] Picture Play Magazine called the acting, "capital", highlighting that of Foster and Ratoff, and of course, Rogers. Overall, it felt the film was "genuinely amusing" and "good fun edged with satire.",[4] The critic for The New York Times] stated that RKO "merits a vote of thanks for an entertaining comedy". The reviewer enjoyed the performances of Rogers, Foster, Ratoff, McHugh, Pangborn, Pitts and Kennedy. He also saw the irony of the film playing at Radio City Music Hall because it was a satire of the industry.[5]

Other reviews were even more enthusiastic. Photoplay called it one of the best films of the month, calling Rogers a "star", and complimenting the rest of the cast.[6] Motion Picture Magazine called it a "wholesomely insane satire of the life of a radio queen,"[7] and Modern Screen called it a "good comedy", complimenting the acting of Rogers, Foster, Pitts, McHugh and Jenkins.[8]

However, not every critic was receptive to the film. The Film Daily critic wrote that the film "failed to impress with choppy story and mechanical treatment and situations."[9]

Notes

"Imaginary Sweetheart", the only song in the film, words and music by Harry Akst and Edward Eliscu, was credited to Rogers.[10] However, later it was learned that Rogers' voice was dubbed by Etta Moten. Rogers wrote in her autobiography Ginger My Story, many years later, "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."[11]

Several industry publications of the time incorrectly attributed the screenplay to Jane Murfin, an RKO staple of the era.[2][12] One of the working titles for the film was Careless before being changed to Professional Sweetheart in May 1933.[13]

References
  1. "Tagging the Talkies: Professional Sweethearts". Variety. October 1933. p. 72. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  2. "Professional Sweetheart: Detail View". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  3. "Professional Sweetheart". Screenland. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  4. "The Screen in Review". Motion Picture Magazine. October 1933. p. 67. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  5. F. S. N. (July 14, 1933). "Professional Sweetheart: At Last -- A Comedy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  6. "The Shadow Stage". Photoplay. August 1933. p. 55. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  7. "Tip-Offs on the Talkies". Motion Picture Magazine. September 1933. p. 11. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  8. "Reviews - a tour of today's talkies". Modern Screen. August 1933. p. 8. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  9. "Professional Sweetheart". The Film Daily. May 27, 1933. p. 3. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  10. "Pictures With Music". Motion Picture Herald. p. 42. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  11. "Professional Sweetheart, Article". Turner Classic Movies. May 20, 1933. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  12. "Casts of Current Photoplays". Photoplay. August 1933. p. 113. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  13. Wilk, Ralph (May 25, 1933). "A Little from "Lots"". The Film Daily. p. 7. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
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