Bad Boy

James Dunn, the breezy actor with a sensitive core shot to fame in Vina Delmar's "Bad Girl", the poignant tale of two youngsters trying to make a go of marriage and life in the teeming tenements of New York - he was a sensation. Five years later he was back as a "bad boy" in another of Delmar's heart tugging but gritty stories. Vina and Jimmy were a perfect combination. The film starts on a high as Eddie Nolan (Dunn) gives a terrific display of billiard prowess with the quips coming thick and fast - "when girls fall for me they break their ankles"!! Unfortunately his confidence takes a dive quickly - he loves Sally (was there ever a sweeter actress than Dorothy Wilson) but she is too ashamed to introduce him to her parents (Beulah Bondi, John Wray) because of his jobless situation. When a job does arrive and he is introduced to them, it's only to find that her father is his old pool room nemesis and her mother is not above taking "bad turns" to get her own way.

Obviously not as stylish or good a movie as the original "Bad Girl", James Dunn is always a treat to watch, you can laugh at his lightheartedness but within minutes your heart can be torn because of his emotion and for once the girl is a real booster, she has so much belief in him when a lot of the time he doesn't!! There 's only one down side - it would have been nice to hear Dunn sing "As I Live and Breathe" at least once all the way through - several times during the movie he starts it off in his beautiful tenor voice then finishes off humming!! At the last moment he begs to be put on a local amateur hour but after a few lines he suffers from mike fright and is gonged!!

A very nice movie that I remember from my younger days and it didn't disappoint!!