Stand-In (1937)

The 1937 comedy STAND-IN stars Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Mowbray, Marla Shelton, Jack Carson and C. Henry Gordon.

Super-sharp, but very bookish banker Leslie Howard heads to Hollywood to evaluate Colossal Studios to see if the firm should be kept or sold. Howard wants to avoid the fancy hotels and so takes a room in a boarding house for extras, where all manner of eccentrics wander about as they wait for the phone to ring (Charles Middleton comports himself in an Abe Lincoln costume, on the off-chance that Hollywood will go back to making Civil War pictures soon). Joan Blondell is a former child star now working as a stand-in for stuck-up movie queen Marla Shelton.  Bogart is a in-love-with-the-bottle producer. Aware that the latest film director Alan Mowbray is making will ruin the studio, Howard goes into action... 

Howard and Blondell do a fine job but the film is just average fare with a 6.7 rating on IMDb.

Can't say I recommend it, but also can't say "stay away."  Coin toss.

Bruce R

Amazon.com reviews are more generous. Most give it a 4 or 5 (out of 5 stars) but you can never be sure if they are rating the quality of the DVD / movie restoration vs the quality of the movie ... or whether they are just dedicated fans who love everything Leslie Howard or Joan Blondell ever did and are biased because they've already paid for the DVD or Amazon Prime stream rental (as opposed to someone who happens to see it channel surfing TCM). Anyway, if it was made before 1960, anything rated above a 6 from IMDB  is to me like a recommendation to at least watch it in case it's a "long forgotten treasure".

I'll say Amazon reviews are more generous!  5 stars--for all 11 reviews!!!???  Interestingly, they list a blu-ray dvd at US$19.89 and a regular dvd at US$89.99. 

If the 11 enjoyed it that much--good for them.

Have you seen the film Gary?  If so, what is your opinion?

Bruce R

I just watched it. It does have its funny moments but I had to wait until about 20 mins before I had my first real laugh (when Leslie Howard knocks on the boarding house door to return a missing shoe to Joan Blondell and someone else unexpectedly answers). Also, I didn't particularly like the ending of the movie ... not the "Leslie Howard and Joan Blondell ending up together finally" part which I didn't mind. It's the other part which happens at the Studio which I didn't like so much. Shades of Frank Capra. Anyway, I'd rate it about the same as IMDB 6.7, maybe 7. 

Even though it has some Warners stars in it, the movie was made by Walter Wanger productions for United Artists. I tried to find out which studio it was filmed at but IMDB and Wikipedia don't say.