''Colleen'' is a 1936 Warner Bros. romantic musical film directed by

Alfred E. Green Alfred Edward Green (July 11, 1889 – September 4, 1960) was an American film director. Green entered film in 1912 as an actor for the Selig Polyscope Company. He became an assistant to director Colin Campbell. He then started to direct two-reel ...

. It stars

Dick Powell Richard Ewing Powell (November 14, 1904 – January 2, 1963) was an American actor, musician, producer, director, and studio head. Though he came to stardom as a musical comedy performer, he showed versatility, and successfully transformed into ...

Ruby Keeler Ethel Ruby Keeler (August 25, 1909 – February 28, 1993) was an American actress, dancer, and singer who was paired on-screen with Dick Powell in a string of successful early musicals at Warner Bros., particularly '' 42nd Street'' (1933). From ...

, and

Joan Blondell Joan Blondell (born Rose Joan Bluestein; August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on ...

. It was the seventh and final picture starring both Keeler and Powell.

Plot

Cedric Ames is the absent-minded and easily distracted president of a large business, which is largely run by his subordinates, including his nephew Donald. Cedric impulsively hires an assistant named Joe Cork, who sees the businessman as an easy mark. While touring a candy company that is located in one of the buildings he owns, Cedric meets a "chocolate dipper" named Minnie Hawkins. Influenced by his new assistant, he buys a dress shop for Minnie, who is a gold digger, to manage. Donald tries to fix things by going to the dress shop to examine the books. Colleen Reilly, the bookkeeper at the dress shop, is angry that Donald plans to close it. When newspaper headlines about the "businessman who bought a dress shop for a chocolate dipper" bring business to the shop, Colleen uses the opportunity to stage a fashion show. The increase in customers begins to make the shop profitable for the first time. Colleen convinces Donald to keep the shop open. Donald asks her to dinner to discuss her plans for the shop. She says yes, then reveals that she is engaged, by coincidence, to Joe Cork. Joe, meanwhile, begins to see Minnie. Joe and Minnie concoct a plan to have Cedric adopt Minnie, and then Joe will marry her. When this news gets picked up in the gossip columns, Cedric's wife Alicia is scandalized and forces Donald to close the shop. But Donald is in love with Colleen and she's in love with him. Minnie and Joe are both fired. In revenge, Minnie sues Cedric for five million dollars for breaking his promise to adopt her and Joe sues Donald for five million dollars for stealing Colleen. They are both bought off with $25,000. Colleen is also fired, by mistake, and given a check for $10,000 to give up any legal claims she may have. Donald calls Colleen to ask her to marry him, and she berates him and hangs up before he can explain that it was a mistake. Brokenhearted, Colleen accepts an offer to open a dress shop on an ocean liner. It turns out that Donald is on the same ship, with Cedric and his wife. Donald and Colleen find each other, reconcile, and get engaged.

Cast

as Donald Ames 3rd *

as Colleen Reilly *

Jack Oakie Jack Oakie (born Lewis Delaney Offield; November 12, 1903 – January 23, 1978) was an American actor, starring mostly in films, but also working on Theatre, stage, radio and television. He portrayed Napaloni in Charlie Chaplin, Chaplin's ''T ...

as Joe Cork *

as Minnie Hawkins *

Hugh Herbert Hugh Herbert (August 10, 1885 – March 12, 1952) was an American motion picture comedian. He began his career in vaudeville and wrote more than 150 plays and sketches. Career Born in Binghamton, New York, Herbert attended Cornell Unive ...

as Cedric Ames *

Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films. Early life Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of merchandise bro ...

as Alicia Ames * Paul Draper as Paul Gordon * Marie Wilson as Mabel *

Luis Alberni Luis Alberni (October 4, 1886 – December 23, 1962) was a Spanish-born American character actor of stage and films. Early years Alberni was born in Barcelona, Spain, on October 4, 1886. He acted in stock theater for four years in Marseille ...

as Carlo *

Hobart Cavanaugh Hobart Cavanaugh (September 22, 1886 – April 26, 1950 ) was an American character actor in films and on stage. Biography He was born in Virginia City, Nevada on September 22, 1886. Cavanaugh attended the University of California. He worked ...

as Noggin *

Berton Churchill Berton Churchill (December 9, 1876 – October 10, 1940) was a Canadian stage and film actor. Early years Churchill was born in Toronto, Ontario. After his family moved to New York City, he graduated from high school there, studied law a ...

as Logan * J.M. Kerrigan as Pop Reilly *

Addison Richards Addison Whittaker Richards, Jr. (October 20, 1902 – March 22, 1964) was an American actor of film and television. Richards appeared in more than three hundred films between 1933 and his death. Biography A native of Zanesville, Ohio, Richa ...

as Schuyler * Charles Coleman as Butler *

Mary Treen Mary Treen (born Mary Louise Summers, March 27, 1907 – July 20, 1989) was an American film and television actress. A minor actress for much of her career, she managed to secure a plain, unassuming niche for herself in the Hollywood of the 1 ...

as Miss Hively – Cedric's Secretary *

Spencer Charters Spencer Charters (March 25, 1875 – January 25, 1943) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 220 films between 1920 and 1943, mostly in small supporting roles. Biography Charters was born in Duncannon, Pennsylvania. Until ...

as Doctor Frothingham *

Ward Bond Wardell Edwin Bond (April 9, 1903 – November 5, 1960) was an American film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and starred in the NBC television series ''Wagon Train'' from 1957 to 1960. Among his best-remembered roles are B ...

as Sweeney – Second Officer *

Claire Rochelle Claire Rochelle (1908–1981) was an American film actress. She played the female lead in a number of westerns.Pitts p.389 Selected filmography * ''Tanned Legs'' (1929) * '' It's Great to Be Alive'' (1933) * '' Music in the Air'' (1934) * ''Sk ...

as Chorus Girl (uncredited)

Soundtrack

* "Boulevardier from the Bronx" ** Music by

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

** Lyrics by

Al Dubin Alexander Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945) was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren. Life Al Dubin came from a Russian Jewish family that emigrated to the United States from Swi ...

** Sung and danced by

and

* "An Evening with You" ** Music by Harry Warren ** Lyrics by Al Dubin ** Sung by Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell * "I Don't Have to Dream Again" ** Music by Harry Warren ** Lyrics by Al Dubin ** Sung by

and chorus and danced by chorus ** Sung as "The Magic and the Mystery of Clothes" by Ruby Keeler * "Summer Night" ** Music by Harry Warren ** Lyrics by Al Dubin ** Played on piano and hummed by Dick Powell * "You Gotta Know How to Dance" ** Music by Harry Warren ** Lyrics by Al Dubin ** Played during the opening photo credits and sung with special lyrics by Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Jack Oakie, Joan Blondell,

and Marie Wilson and chorus and tap-danced by Paul Draper and chorus ** Sung by Dick Powell, danced by Paul Draper and Ruby Keeler in the finale * "Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)" ** Written by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

* "I Love You Truly" ** Written by

Carrie Jacobs Bond Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond (August 11, 1862 – December 28, 1946) was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who composed some 175 pieces of popular music from the 1890s through the early 1940s. She is perhaps best remembered for writing t ...

Reception

Critical response

Frank S. Nugent of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' states in his review:

"'Colleen' is not as fresh as it might have been three years ago before '42d Street' and its descendants accustomed us to this sort of thing. It is not as striking as last year's 'Gold Diggers,' with its imaginatively photographed Broadway Lullaby number and its trained herd of white pianos going through a dance routine. It is not as tuneful as most of its predecessors, nor is its comedy any less juvenile than usual. All of this may sound pretty discouraging, even to a confirmed Warner musical addict, but it still is a relative opinion and should not be considered any more serious a reflection on 'Colleen' than our admission that we prefer one ballroom dance by Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire to a whole program by Miss Keeler and Mr. Powell. It is purely a personal reaction and, if you happen to like the Keeler-Powell musicals, you probably will find this one entirely satisfying.

Release

''Colleen'' was released in theatres in 1936. The film was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

on September 1, 2009.

References

External links

* * * * {{Alfred E. Green 1930s American films 1930s English-language films 1930s romantic musical films 1936 films American black-and-white films American romantic musical films Films directed by Alfred E. Green Films produced by Hal B. Wallis Films with screenplays by F. Hugh Herbert Seafaring films Warner Bros. films