It is probably no exaggeration to state that Me and My Gal (MAMG) is an important film with historical significance. MAMG is also a charming and entertaining movie-----one that the eminent British film scholar Leslie Halliwell characterized as a "Pleasant little programmer, very evocative of its period.". In addition, it contains a cinematic record of 32 year old SpencerTracy delivering an appealing natural performance that compares quite favorably with his later acting style-----one which has led many critics and filmgoers to regard him as the greatest cinematic actor of all time. Finally, MAMG captures lovely 22 year old Joan Bennett in all of her youthful spirited beauty-----when she was still a natural blond and before becoming a less interesting brunette Hedy Lamarr look-alike in 1938.
MAMG was made for the Fox Film Corporation before its merger with.20th Century. Both Tracy and director Raoul Walsh worked extensively for Fox during this time. A number of Fox films from the early 1930s ended up as lost (either temporarily or sometimes forever), including Tracy's most notable Fox film------The Power and the Glory (1933).
When we see Bennett and Tracy convincingly playing youthful and romantic characters, it is easy to believe in them and their story. Tracy's command of his part in the complex narrative is astonishing in its realism. And Bennett is sexy and sassy in an engaging and lovable way that will remind many of Joan Blondell at her best. We are so fortunate that MAMG managed to survive for us to enjoy this record of these two great stars at the dawn of their significant careers. In just 79 minutes, we can see a film that is funny, dramatic, romantic, annoying (the extended drunk scenes tended to slow down the narrative), thrilling, violent, charming and even abstract (with its cinematic nod to Eugene O'Neill's stream of consciousness play and film Strange Interlude).
Don't miss MAMG the next time TCM shows it. MAMG might not have been a classic. But even with whatever shortcomings it may have had, MAMG is still a delight!
