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Flirting with Danger
USA 1934
produced by George C. Bertholon for Monogram
directed by Vin Moore
starring Robert Armstrong, Edgar Kennedy, William Cagney, Maria Alba, Marion Burns, Ernest Hilliard, Wilhelm von Brincken, Guy Usher, Gino Corrado, Edward Hearn, Carol Tevis, Margaret La Marr, Bud Jamison, Leonard Kibrick, Edward LeSaint, Robert McKenzie, Frank O'Connor, Julian Rivero, Harry Semels, Frank Yaconelli
story by George C. Bertholon, screenplay by Albert DeMond, additional dialogue by Norman S. Hall, cinematography by Archie Stout
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Lucky (William Cagney), Bob (Robert Armstrong) and Jimmy (Edgar
Kennedy) are best friends, they share a house, a car, and are the three
craziest powder mixers of an explosives factory, a place they frequently
blow up by accident. Plus, the three share a distrust towards marriage, so
when Lucky falls in love with lovely Marian (Marion Burns), who also works
for the explosives company, the other two do everything in their power to
break up the relationship, even going so far as to writing her a letter
claiming that he's already married ... Eventually, our three heroes are
sent to the Latin American country San Rico - mainly because the company
has grown tired of their escapades on American soil. In San Rico, Bob gets
into a serious relationship with dancer Rosita (Maria Alba), mainly
because Jimmy is his translator and promises her marriage in Bob's name
... but eventually they get so drunk that they confuse the fireworks
on a national holiday with a revolution and then try to fight the man they
think the oppressor with self-made explosives ... which is when their
explosives company goes up, they are charged, and they don't even know if
they can defend themselves ... which is when Marian intervenes, blaming
everything on Dawson (Ernest Hilliard), who used the San Rico plant of the
company for some big time embezzlement scheme and had to blow it up to
obscure his traces. And ultimately, our heroes are not only freed, they
all get their respective girl - and their kids sure enough grow up to be
explosives mixers ... Of course, William Cagney in one of his
few leads is no substitute for his brother James (but he's still likeable
enough to carry the film), and of course, this film is somewhat episodic
in structure and every now and again seems to lose its narrative
altogether - but somehow, Flirting with Danger still comes off as an
enjoyable light comedy that might not be too big on laughs, but it's also
neither stupid nor cheesy enough to outstay its welcome. Now of coursse,
the film is far from a classic, but there are way worsse ways to spend 70
minutes.
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