Du Barry Was a Lady

Du Barry Was a Lady

MGM

August 13, 1943

Musical, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance

DVD
B

An uneven but often delightful movie, with topical references to the War, pinball machines, Kay Kyser, etc.  The costumes are stunning and some of the musical numbers are a hoot.  Don't try to make sense of the plot, just have fun with it.  Roy Del Ruth directed, a couple years after Topper Returns.

(This is on a "Great Cinema Legends" collection, focusing on Lucille Ball.  Oddly enough, it includes Room Service, which is more of a Marx Brothers movie, but I own it anyway.)

Topper Returns

Topper Returns
United Artists
March 21, 1941
Comedy, Fantasy
DVD
C-

While this has quite the early '40s cast, and the sets and costumes are impressive, I found it hard to care about the characters or the story.  And finding out that, after the obligatory first quarter-hour, the Joan Blondell character, the annoying, wisecracking but unfunny, gal-pal would be the ghost du jour, I'm glad I quit before getting in deeper.  This is loosely based on the Topper novel by then already "late" Thorne Smith.  Roy Del Ruth directed.