ben hibburd The Groom Wore Spurs is an Incredibly muddled film. Ginger Rogers stars as attorney Abigail Furnival, whose been assigned to a famous cowboy film actor Ben Castle(Jack Carson). Whose found himself in debt to a mob boss. Over the course of the case she begins to fall in love with him. The film has some structural problems, it goes from starting out as a mob film, then quickly changes Into a romantic comedy, then delves into slapstick, and finally back Into a mob film. These changes aren't seamless and feel jarring when the film switches between tones.Both the screenplay and direction are uninspired and feels like the film was made on the whim of an Idea. Thankfully the shining part of the film is the acting and chemistry between Rogers and Carson. They are both charming and extremely likable and they play off each other with great sincerity. Their chemistry kept me engaged enough to see how the film played out.Overall the film is fairly average, it's bringing nothing original to the table. the camera-work and cinematography are both passable. There's no real standout moment in the film which felt like the result of It's messy screenplay and structure. However it's a film worth watching once just for the two engaging performances between Rogers and Carson.

JohnHowardReid I don't know how Ginger Rogers was prevailed upon to make a movie supporting the blustering, camera-hogging Jack Carson (who has all the best lines, the best camera angles and the best bits of "business"). She obviously didn't read the script beforehand. Ginger is also upstaged by Joan Davis and some of the character actors including Stanley Ridges and Mira McKinney. Nevertheless, she looks rather attractive in Peverell Marley's photography even though director Richard Whorf obviously doesn't like her and always indulges the egotistical Carson at her expense in just about every frame in which the two stars appear. The plot is also taken too seriously and tends to get in the way of the comedy. A further problem is that the movie seems to have been written on the run. There are some turns in the plot, particularly near the end, which those of us who know Hollywood realize could never ever happen in real life.

mark.waltz Long before the original generic product wrapper came tons of formula plots in comedies like this. Some of them were amusing, some of them were obnoxiously forced, but most of them were sadly unfunny. This B grade comedy with an A grade leading lady is sadly one of the later, one of those misfires which makes you wonder how its star got involved in it. In this case, it is Ginger Rogers and the titled groom is Jack Carson, recently free from Warner Brothers. Ms. Rogers was far from a has-been, but her presence in this has signs of desperation.At first, this is a tale of two egos, she an attorney hired by him for legal advice, he a ham western movie star in trouble over gambling debts. They quickly fall in love and marry, but faster than you can say Merman and Borgnine, they realize what a mistake it was. But she isn't willing to let it go so soon and shows up just in time to prevent his bottle breakfast. An effeminate Asian houseboy and a butch housekeeper add to the complications as does the predictable murder of his bookie.The waste of the extremely funny Joan Davis is the film's biggest crime. She has no real purpose here but to add a few wisecracks here and there, mostly towards herself. Charlie Chan's number two son, Victor Sen Young, has an amusing moment when he minces to a record on too high a speed. A finale threatening to rip off the hysterical Fuller Brush Girl never goes there, giving an ending that just lays there.

writers_reign The most cursory glance at the CVs of the two leads will reveal sound projects both before and after this turkey - Rogers had just shot Storm Warning at Warners and would go on to Monkey Business with Cary Grant at Fox whilst Carson would land a plum supporting role in the best (Judy Garland) version of A Star Is Born three years later. So one can only guess at the desperation/insecurity both must have felt to get involved in this drek. Inconsistencies? Let me count the ways. We're asked to believe that Carson, a major cowboy star who has his own plane, complete with pilot, can't come up with sixty K to get a gangster off his back, that Ginger Rogers, a successful attorney, shares a small apartment with Joan Davis, that savvy, street-smart attorney Rogers would fall for and marry Carson on the strength of one 'business' meeting at his home and one evening together in Vegas. In fact Rogers and Carson made five films together at RKO and this one, at Universal, is the only time he ever wound up with her. This is definitely one to avoid.