This is the first pairing of these two tough working class Warner Brothers
dames - Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. They have better chemistry than
most romantic film couples. They trade barbs and wisecracks back and forth
like a professional badminton game. They are equals in the game - Farrell
a little more acerbic; Blondell with the wide-eyed sex appeal. Their timing
is impeccable right from the start and was to continue for eight more films
together. The ones I have seen are small comic gems that fly by and generally
have the two women scheming to either scam someone or find a rich man to
marry. They were nicknamed the "Gimme Girls" in real life for the roles they
got. This was the Depression and they are always a little short on the rent.
I am not sure why this one is titled Havana Widows since they are not widows
- Havana Gold-Diggers would be more apt.
The role came to Farrell at the last minute when another actress had to bow
out. Both actresses played similar characters - hard bitten but optimistic,
down on their luck but always with a plan. Blondell became the most famous
of the two but there was plenty of room for both of them at Warner's during
these years with their gritty film style and out of the headlines stories.
Farrell had already developed her tough persona by this film with roles in
Little Caesar, Three on a Match and I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang while
Blondell had a few tough films in the can - The Public Enemy, Night Nurse
and two classic Busby Berkeley musicals - Gold Diggers of 1933 and Footlight
Parade. They were ideal for one another both on the set and off as they became
lifelong friends.
This runs a quick 62 minutes and they squeeze in so many quips so rapidly
that I could not keep up with all of them. They are two show girls on Broadway
realizing that the years are catching up with them. When a friend shows up
loaded with furs and tells them that it is sucker heaven in Havana where
they can easily scam some rich bird out of money - they first scam their
friend Allen Jenkins (who appeared with both actresses many times) out of
$1,500 and head for Havana to strike oil. They soon have a target in sight
- Guy Kibbee - who they try and set up for a scandal to be hushed up with
dollars - but his son played by Lyle Talbot falls for Blondell like a sack
of cement. Other hijinks follow. Not hilarious by any means but good natured
and enjoyable. Frank McHugh is also on hand as a drunk lawyer. This group
of actors often played in various configurations in the same film.
