Memorable, crazy movie

Highly Overrated But Still Good

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Blistering performances.

As clichéd as this sounds, while there are better film musicals out there than 'You Can't Have Everything' there are also much worse as well. 'You Can't Have Everything' is patchy but also enormously enjoyable.While it is said often that people don't see musicals for stories, or shouldn't expect too much from them, the story here is unlikely and over-stretched, sometimes going overboard with the silliness. Not everybody in the cast come off as well as they could. There is too much of the Ritz Brothers, and a few of their scenes do go on for too long and bog down the film. Their material is also a mixed bag, sometimes entertaining and sometimes too noisy and tiresome.Tony Martin is too stiff and mannered in his role, never looking very comfortable, but he does undeniably sing gloriously (he always did in his films but rarely came off well as an actor). Charles Winninger is rather subdued in an under-utilised and blandly written role, though he does get one very funny line. Violinist/radio personality David Rubinoff plays beautifully but didn't really see the point to him being there personally.However, Alice Faye is just delightful, having so much energy but also giving a lot of substance to her acting. Don Ameche is a very charming and witty partner, and Gypsy Rose Lee's hoot of a performance comes very close to stealing the show. Louis Prima is tremendously exuberant, and Tip, Tap and Toe have an electrifying tap dance routine that is choreographically 'You Can't Have Everything's' highlight. Phyllis Brooks and Wally Vernon give snappy support and Arthur Treacher is amusing.'You Can't Have Everything' also looks very pleasing, very nicely shot and well designed. The songs are both sparkling and gorgeously romantic, especially the title song, "Please Pardon Us We're in Love", "Danger Love at Work" and "Afraid to Dream". Norman Taurog directs efficiently, with his one fault being that he could have done more to reign in the Ritz Brothers, and the script sparkles with wit and energy. Two of the best lines coming from Gypsy Rose Lee, but Ameche's quip likening exercise to going to the funerals of his athletic friends is a scream.On the whole, so much to enjoy but patchy. 7/10 Bethany Cox

As an ardent fan of Alice Faye, I can give this well-dressed Fox musical only 7/10. For Louise Hovick's fans of course, it's a most definite 10/10. Gypsy Rose Lee/Louise Hovick has all the best lines, the best songs, the best costumes, the best camera angles and she handles the most important character in the plot with such a handsome dose of sexy charisma, we don't really believe that she's as selfish as the scenario paints her. And so far is footage is concerned, Alice is also undercut by the noisy and way-too-ebullient Ritz Brothers who soon out-stay their cautious welcome but keep on carrying on with their extremely tiresome and totally unfunny business anyway. Why director Norman Taurog let them get away with it was that – as he told me – they seemed extremely funny on the set: "In fact, we were all laughing so much, it was difficult to get a clean take. And, would you believe, the brothers didn't mind. In real life, they were always clowning around, trying out new routines, just as they do in the movie." Although this was the first of no less than six films in which Faye was paired with Don Ameche, he seems to lack his usual charisma here. True, he's poorly photographed and made up and the script doesn't treat him well, but if I was the Faye character, I wouldn't tolerate him for one second, let alone be saddled for six pictures with the guy!

Starving artist Alice Faye cops a free spaghetti meal at an Italian restaurant and offers to work it off. Broadway director Don Ameche a little tipsy from a night's partying offers to pay her check, but she sings the title song for her supper instead.Alice could make a good living singing and dancing, but she's carrying a family burden. Her character name is Judith Poe Wells and her grandfather is none other than Edgar Allen Poe. She fancies herself a playwright. Therein lies a big problem for Ameche who's kind of gone goofy on the woman.Of course Ameche's other problem is Louise Hovick, later known as Gypsy Rose Lee. She's his demanding fiancé who even though she likes to play around on the side holds a marriage certificate over his head even though Ameche may have been blotto when he did the deed in Connecticut.All this is plot for a very charming backstage musical that also employs the talents of the Ritz Brothers and Alice's current husband Tony Martin. They sing a charming duet Called Afraid to Dream.However the title song of You Can't Have Everything was the big hit from this show and because studio boss Darryl Zanuck frowned on his stars recording their material for vinyl, Alice never did a contemporary record. The song as the rest of the material in the film is done by Harry Revel and Mack Gordon.Charles Winninger has a nice role as Ameche's producer. How they con poor Alice into doing what comes naturally is absolutely unmerciful.You Can't Have Everything is a great Alice Faye vehicle. And wait till you see who Gypsy Rose Lee ends up with. And I'm not sure how that final line from her new betrothed got past the censors.

"You Can't Have Everything" is a splendidly tuneful, enormously entertaining Fox musical, directed by Norman Taurog, starring Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Charles Winninger, and, of course, the Ritz Brothers. This is one of three splendid & spirited musicals Alice Faye made at Fox in 1937. The other two are "On the Avenue" and "Wake Up and Live".Faye, sweet and vulnerable, plays an impoverished playwright named Judith Poe Wells, a descendant of Edgar Allan Poe, who writes plays livid with social significance and realism. She is convinced that it is her sacred duty to live up to the talent her family inherits. As the film opens, Judith accidentally meets a handsome Broadway insider named George Macrae (Ameche) in a Romano Italian restaurant when she fails to pay her plate of spaghetti. Macrae falls in love with Judith and persuades her to turn her into a showbiz sensation. But Judith is not interested in musical comedies or what she calls "usual George Macrae tripe". Rather, she wants serious dramas that depict life's struggles and harshness. Much to Judith's dismay, Macrae nevertheless tells his boss Sam Gordon (Winninger) about her play "North Winds" ("a play about the vital problems that confront womanhood in the frozen north") and ways of turning it into a musical comedy. Macrae's former girl Lulu (Gypsy Rose Lee) shows up and spoils the show by revealing something about Macrae's past and one night while he was drunk. The Ritz Brothers, for once, are immensely enjoyable as their perform their remarkable comic acts and musical numbers. Their acts are perfectly integrated with the story. It was really a hoot to watch them. Also the film features a fantastic dance specialty by Tip, Tap, Toe, which anticipate those by Nicholas Brothers in the later Fox musicals.Among the musical highlights, my absolute favorites are Faye's poignant rendition of the title tune (which kind of reminded me of her unforgettable "You'll Never Know" number in the classic 1943 musical "Hello, Frisco, Hello"), and the lively "Danger, Love at Work". But that's not all. Also look for "Afraid to Dream" and "Please Pardon Us We are in Love".Don't miss "You Can't Have Everything" if you love all-time classic musicals.