They Learned About Women

Creaky musical with singing baseball players, vivid 1930 vaudeville and music, dated ethnic humor and an announcer called Graham McCracker.

Aside from some quite exciting scenes at the end featuring a nail biting finish to a baseball match, this rather humdrum effort really only has one notable scene - that features the gorgeous Bessie Love ("Mary") atop a piano singing "I've Got a Man of My Own" - it's a delight to watch. The rest of this is a pretty set-piece showcase for Gus Van ("Jerry") and Joe Schenck ("Jack") who juggle their lives on stage and as baseball players. Their friendship lolls along nicely with "Jack" engaged to the aforementioned "Mary", and it's set fair until the rather greedy "Daisy" (Mary Doran) sticks her oar in, and their ordered existence comes a-tumbling down. There's quite a fun ditty from a bath house, and the stars have just enough chemistry to keep the really basic plot bubbling among for a while - but it is far, far too long to sustain the story and the comedy (which, beware, is very much of it's time) is all just a bit too crass and unsubtle for me. I felt a little sorry for poor old "Jack" but, well, you reap what you sow...

Browse discussions about “They Learned About Women”

Jump to Reddit for live threads on this title.