The Doughgirls

Starring: Ann Sheridan, Jane Wyman, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Irene Manning, Charles Ruggles, Eve Arden, John Ridgely, Alan Mowbray, John Alexander, Craig Stevens, Barbara Brown, Francis Pierlot
Directed by: James V. Kern
Rating: Approved
Genre: Comedy
1944

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Three friends and many acquaintances all vie for a hotel room during the height of the Washington DC housing crisis, during World War II.

Review:

Tim: Doughgirls is a screwball comedy that ultimately overstays its welcome (see what I did there, with the housing crisis... nevermind). The film throws so much slapstick up on the screen, but it's relentlessness finally proves to be its undoing. I liked the movie at first, but soon became exhausted with it all. It never stops to take a breath and in the end, feels like it tries to do too much. It's overwhelming. I tried to like the film, but by its conclusion, I simply could not.

The film is set during the World War II housing crisis in Washington, DC. This isn't the first movie I've seen tackle the subject- it might have been a short film I'd previously seen. But, interesting for me to learn this bit of history through comedic fictional films. There is a hotel suite rented by newlyweds and through a series of ridiculous and outlandish events, a surprising number of other people either live with them in the hotel suite, or try desperately to get space there reserved for themselves. That's really the thrust of the film- this hotel suite gets near-constant streams of visitors, one right after another. The inhabitants have to drop everything and deal with whatever craziness pops up next. It's a clever concept and early on, it works. The film tackles this with energy. It might not be truly funny, but it's entertaining. The problem is that it just doesn't stop. It's 1 hour, 42 minutes of visitor after visitor, coming to the hotel, coming back to the hotel, leaving the hotel, and on and on. It's a lot of yelling and wailing. It ultimately begins to grind on your nerves. I felt impressed by the zaniness the story throws at you, but the constant in-and-out didn't do much for the characters. The movie moves at a breakneck pace, but we're not given quite enough time with the most important characters. I ultimately realized I didn't really care about any of them. It all felt unimportant. Not a good sign, even for a comedy.

The film centers around three friends- they make up the heart of the story. They are played by Ann Sheridan, Jane Wyman, and Alexis Smith. I'm a big fan of Sheridan, although her career wasn't quite what it should have been. I didn't love her performance here. She's solid, but she never makes us care about her character. She shows up as spoiled and never really gets much better. She's the most influential of the three friends, but rarely uses this power for good. She delivers her "comedic" lines with good timing, but it all comes across as less-than-humorous. Like I said, I really like Sheridan, but this wasn't her best. Jane Wyman is definitely more comfortable in her role. She's playing a bit of ditzy character and she seems to have fun with it. She's easily influenced by everyone around her. Humorous, but it gets old seeing her not stand up for herself. Alexis Smith was easily the worst of these three. Sheridan has real movie star power, Wyman was funniest, Smith adds so little to the movie. I'm perplexed why she was cast. Jack Carson gives a vigorous performance, but it's definitely a 1940s stereotypical man performance. He shouts a lot and tries to control everything around him. It's humorous in a way, but not the greatest. Irene Manning doesn't add much. Charles Ruggles hams it up a bit, playing a stereotypical but funny character. Eve Arden was way too over-the-top, but she adds a lot of humor to the film. Her performance worked slightly more than it didn't. Francis Pierlot was solid- he popped up here and then and influenced the overall film. I could go on with the cast- it's quite large. They all work more or less, but there's really no standouts.

There's definitely some entertainment in the sheer insanity thrown up on the screen. The script pours everything into it- tons of characters, a bunch of ludicrous situations. I was never totally bored with the film, but it never really compelled me. It doesn't give us enough reason to care about these characters or the various situations they find themselves in. There's really no true protagonist. The leads are either selfish, stupid, or bland. The supporting characters are zany and extreme in various ways. It's all a lot that doesn't add up to very much, in the end. Make no mistake, The Doughgirls isn't a bad movie. It's just a thoroughly average one. Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



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