I Dood It

1943
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Written by Sig Herzig, Fred Saidy
Starring Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, Richard Ainley,Patricia Dane, John Hodiak, Hazel Scott, Lena Horne
IMDB Entry

Eleanor Powell was one of the great dancers of film. I had seen very little of her, especially not on her own.*  So I happened to stumble upon I Dood It** with Red Skelton, a favorite comedian of mine from his TV days, and finally got a chance to see her in a feature.

She was spectacular.

The movie focuses on Joseph Rivington Reynolds (Red Skelton), a pants presser who becomes enamored of the Broadway star Constance Shaw (Eleanor Powell).  He shows up at every performance and knows every line of her current play, a Civil War romance. Shaw is engaged to her co-star Roy Hartwood (John Hodiak) who is two-timing her with Suretta Brenton (Patricia Dane). Angry, she goes to Joseph, who is following just to get a glimpse of her, too shy to even approach her. Due to a misunderstanding, Constance thinks he’s the rich owner of a gold mine and marries him out out spite.

The movie is based on Buster Keaton’s Spite Marriage and Keaton actually provided gags. Indeed, one of the comic set pieces comes from the Keaton film, when Joseph tries to put Constance into bed after she has fallen asleep.

The plot is slight but serviceable.  What lifts up the film is the musical numbers. Director Vincent Minnelli** stages them all as though they were on stage, and they all give Powell a chance to amaze. She is known for her tap dancing, which is especially good, especially since she does it all in high heels. What really stands out, however, is her cowboy roping dance, where she does thing with a lariat that are extremely impressive (especially at 3:30 of this clip).. 

What is also of note is the appearance of Black performers in the film. Both Hazel Scott and Lena Horne perform major numbers. Butterfly McQueen – from Gone with the Wind – also has a small role as a maid, and there is little condescension toward her.

Skelton is fine. He was always comfortable with slapstick and silent comedy, which puts him in good stead.

Director Vincent Minnelli was near the beginning of a long career, primarily with movie musical. This is one of his lesser-known films.

There’s also a lot of references to World War II, which was going on at the time. There is a subplot involving German saboteurs, and one joke when Skelton mentions butter and an entire room takes notice, because it was rationed at the time.

Powell’s career was surprisingly short. She made only one more movie after this and switched to working nightclubs. She did get some recognition in the That’s Entertainment series, but most of her films tended to be revues; this is one of the few times she played a character.

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*She did once partner with Fred Astaire, and clips of that have been shown in many contexts.

**The title comes from a catchphrase from Skelton’s radio show, where he played the “Mean Widdle Kid,” a Bart Simpson-like boy.

***Yes, Liza’s father.