The Good Fairy, 1935

A young orphan, Lu Ginglebuscher, is hand picked to be an usher at a movie theater where she meets a man, Detlaff, who eventually takes a liking to her, to the point of being protective when he sees that her naïveté will get her into trouble.

Margaret Sullavan, as the friendly and likable Lu, is unaware of the dangers in the world outside the orphanage. When she is noticed by a rich man, Konrad, who wants to be known as a ladies man, Detlaff comes to her rescue. But she wants to be a Good Fairy for someone since she has the attention of someone with money. She works on a plan to hook up Konrad’s money with someone she picks out of a phone book. When she finally meets this stranger, they find they like each other and eventually fall in love.

I enjoyed seeing Frank Morgan as Konrad. I kept waiting to hear him command, “Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.” But he would have to wait four more years before he turned into the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz.

Beulah Bondi, who played Dr. Schultz, was also in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It’s a Wonderful Life. In fact, she played James Stewart’s mother four times.

Cesar Romero had a brief role in this film, but it was early in his 65-year career. His other roles ranged from a Latin lover to The Joker in 20 episodes of the Batman TV series to 50 episodes of Falcon Crest.

No comments: