Lady Lou

In this completely contrived, 1933, star-vehicle (which was adapted from Mae West's Broadway play) - West (40 at the time) played Lady Lou, the quintessential "*-with-a-heart-of-gold". (Yawn!) With hips that rivalled those of an overweight rhino - West (a total clothes-horse) repeatedly struck me as resembling the likes of Porky Pig in drag rather than looking like an actual woman. If you ask me - I think that Mae West (who's the epitome of the "one-note" actress) was pure vulgarity personified. Not only was she a terrible performer. But she couldn't sing worth a damn. And, when it came to delivering her famous "innuendo-loaded" one-liners, she made me absolutely cringe, big-time. With this film now being 83 years old - I really did try to cut it some slack - But, believe me - I found Mae West to be so downright revolting that only a measly 2-star rating was the best that I could do here. And, on top of all of that - This film's story ended on such a despicable "bum-note" that it actually made my skin crawl, like you wouldn't believe... The only thing that I was thankful for was that this unendurable picture only had a 65-minute running time.... Wow! What a relief that was!!

but one of the few films Mae West made before the Hays Code came into effect and pushed her off the silver screen. The plot is confusing and dull, but when Mae is on screen everything jumps to life. She's absolutely incredible...ozzing sex and making the most innocent lines sound dirty. When she's not on, the film is really bad. So it's worth watching just for her. Also it's somewhat amusing to see a very young pre-stardom Cary Grant. He's horrible but soooo good-looking (this is the movie where Mae tells him to "come up and see me sometime"). Best line--"I'm the best woman that ever walked the street" (hint, hint). See it for Mae, but just be prepared for a real bad film.

Set mostly in a bawdy saloon/dance hall in NYC during the 1890s, this film is a showcase for the talents of Mae West. She plays Lady Lou, a self-confident, sassy singer with a quick wit, who entertains customers with songs that have a Blues theme and were popular in vaudeville. In this role, buxom Mae West is at her best. She struts her stuff, she wears tons of diamonds, she smiles in a slightly mischievous way, she rolls her eyes, and she speaks in a voice that is more than a little nasal. Her costumes are glamorous and flamboyant. In short, she presents an on-screen image that is wonderfully ... unique. The film's story is thin and largely irrelevant. It involves the people around Lady Lou, some of whom are schemers and cheats. Implicit sexual references in the dialogue, and the character of Lady Lou, led the "National Legion of Decency" to push down our throats the Production Code, a wretched policy device that censored cinematic content for some thirty years thereafter. If I have a complaint with this film it is that the story is too serious. Mae West is placed in scenes that allow her merely to recite dialogue. She is less an actress than a singer and on-stage performer. I would have preferred a more lighthearted musical theme, to play up her musical talents. And so for me, the best parts of this film are the musical numbers few though they may be. Mae West sings "Frankie And Johnny" and a couple of other songs. One of my favorite sequences occurs about midway through the film. In what appears to be an authentically designed music hall set, an Irish tenor with a big mustache sings "Silver Threads Among The Gold", a musical tearjerker popular with barbershop quartets of that era. The song's sad theme prompts a man in the audience literally to "cry in his beer". Gas lights point upward to the stage. And behind the singing tenor, a curtain sways back and forth, with product signs that read "Old Whiskey", "Dijon Burgundy", among others. It's a sequence that is straight out of vaudeville. Marvelous! "She Done Him Wrong" is a film whose story almost gets in the way of the main character, played by a legendary talent. The film is worth watching more than once, but only to see marvelous Mae West, and to listen to those wonderful songs from the bygone days of vaudeville.

At only 65 minutes, this movie doesn't even feel forced. The plot has something to do with Mae West being involved with a gangster in prison, who is suspicious that she's cheating on him. Cary Grant is runs a mission next door and is always hanging around. This was the first film I've seen of Mae West and she's not bad, Cary Grant is good as usual.

I will confess up front that I have never understood the stardom of Mae West. She's not good-looking, she has an unusual figure that looks odd in almost any outfit, and she has a dramatic range about the size of a walnut. Some of her one-liners are funny, but I find her hard to watch. Other comic acts of the time (Fields, Marx, even Stooges) are much funnier and less dated. My guess is that her pushing of moral boundaries made her a curiosity - a trend that unfortunately continues to the present day. This film is a curious mix of a predictable Dudley Do-Right style melodrama (featuring villains in moustaches and fair damsels in distress) with a comedy that never delivers much in the way of laughs. (It's hard to get to uproarious about white slavery.) West's vocal solos, hair, and make-up are hideous, and speaking of make-up, Cary Grant seems to be wearing as much eye shadow as his leading lady. The best comedy bits are delivered by minor characters, including non-speaking extras in the bar scenes. Some jokes will go right over the head of folks who don't get the allusions (like the song "Where Did You Get That Hat?" played early in the film, or Mae West quoting "Old Black Joe" when waiting for her maid). Fortunately, this dud is barely over an hour in length, making the wait for the ending slightly less excruciating.

Rented this movie to see what all the rah-rah was about. Poor character development weakens the film greatly. Mae West's one-liners are at times funny but do little to rescue the movie. The producers and director DID US WRONG! Hard to believe the film got nominated for a Best Picture Oscar! 4 out of 10!

A True Mae West Gem! This is Ms West's first feature film, and it certainly has her "signature" come-back lines throughout. For the first time her most famous line "come up and see me sometime" was taken in by cinema goers, and for years to come it was America's favorite "quote". The plot centers around New York's bowery ca. 1900. Mae West is "Diamond Lil", the mistress of a big-time gangster, who two times her man because she can't resist tall, dark and handsome Cary Grant. The heat is on, but soon the story takes a twist (nothing that could take away any "cool confidence" from Diamond Lil, of course; she laughs it all off with more clever come-back lines). This movie is a classic Hollywood gem. It was a smash hit when it opened, and since then it has lost none of its appeal. Mae West remains one of my favorite true movie stars, and she was never given proper credit for her screen writing genius! You're gonna like this picture!

One of the very few Mae West movies that escaped the butchery of Hays censorship, this film is 70% filler, but when Miss West steps into the picture, her star quality just explodes out of the screen. Every drawled line is loaded with smutty innuendo, every man would sell his soul for her. West plays a woman who makes no secret of enjoying sex, nor of her willingness to use men as playthings who also buy her diamonds. in 1933 she already had conventional gender politics standing on its head, and was funnier and sexier than everyone else in Hollywood put together. If you never understood why Mae West achieved lasting fame, watch this to see a natural star at work, making it all look so easy.

This movie was a serious test of my patience. I have seen few movies where I've felt more disinterest towards the plight of the actors involved. The fact that the cast spoke as if their mouths were full of marbles certainly did not help their cause. The adoration that the soulless Lady Lou (Mae West) commanded was befuddling at best. Mae West's one liners, although bordering on slick, were those of a person desiring a kick in the chops. As you may have guessed, I am one of the two users who gave She Done Him Wrong a "1".

WOW, does this film age poorly. Back in the 30s, Mae West was quite popular and this movie, believe it or not, was up for Best Picture. Now, most viewers will doubtless ask themselves "what is all the fuss about--WHY was this film so popular?". After all, by today's standards it's a very dull and contrived movie--not nearly as interesting as Paramount's other comedians, WC Fields and The Marx Brothers. And, for a comedy, it's almost completely devoid of humor. For me, seeing the trampy looking West vamping every man in the film is ludicrous, as she just looks gross and unattractive. This is even more apparent when she woos a very young and handsome Cary Grant. This is about as believable as the bride of Frankenstein winning Grant's hand! All in all, a very contrived movie and not a whole lot different than most of West's other films. In fact, this movie is pretty much I'M NO ANGEL (1933 AS WELL) all over again (complete with, once again, a drooling Cary Grant as her main heartthrob).