Turnabout Movie Review

Carole Landis (1919–48) was one of the loveliest starlets who ever tried to make a splash in Hollywood. She deserved a better legacy than to be chiefly remembered for her morgue photograph in Hollywood Babylon (a persuasive argument AGAINST suicide if you've even achieved a flashlight beam's worth of fame!). Turnabout is brought to us through the courtesy of the vivid imagination of humorist Thorne (Topper) Smith, who, along with James Thurber and Robert Benchley, is on my “A” list for a heavenly cocktail party in the year 2050. Turnabout may not be the greatest sexual farce ever made, but it's pretty funny if you're in the right mood. Sally (Landis) and Tim Willows (John Hubbard, 1914–88) are discontented with their respective lots in life. She thinks that she'd make a better advertising executive and he thinks he'd have a swell time doing HER job at home. Mr. Ram, the genie in their bedroom (Georges Renavent, 1894–1969) is tired of hearing their brawls and changes Sally into Tim and Tim into Sally overnight. She wakes up butch, sort of, and he wakes up VERY effeminate (which Landis never was—real women don't need to be effeminate!) Sally has Tim's voice and mannerisms, and Tim has Sally's voice. Landis is really better at this sort of thing, but Hal Roach (1892–1992) probably couldn't afford someone like Cary Grant as Tim. The household help—wonderful character actors Donald Meek (1880–1946) as Henry, and Marjorie Main (1890–1975) as Nora—know there's definitely been a change in their eccentric employers, but somehow, everyone muddles through the day. Unsurprisingly, Sally does a terrific job as the “new” Tim, but Tim bungles things at home as Sally. This screwball comedy gets wilder and nuttier until…but that would be telling. Turnabout was and still is considered tasteless, and the presence of the unfunny Hubbard (always best when he was being upstaged by Abbott and Costello or Roy Rogers and Dale Evans or Adolph Menjou or the Mummy!) is a severe blow, since audiences don't worry about taste when they're laughing hysterically. But it has a great supporting cast (Mary Astor, Adolphe Menjou, Verree Teasdale, William Gargan, Joyce Compton, Berton Churchill, Inez Courtney, Yolande Donlan) AND, lest we forget, Franklin Pangborn (1893–1958) as Mr. Pingboom! They might be able to re-make this with better writers and a much more appealing Tim, and I hope they go back to Thorne Smith's novel for inspiration; it's a gem. Other Landis movies on video: One Million B.C., Dance Hall, I Wake Up Screaming, Moon over Miami, Road Show, Topper Returns, Orchestra Wives, Wintertime, Having Wonderful Crime, and Out of the Blue.

1940 83m/B Carole Landis, John Hubbard, Mary Astor, Adolphe Menjou, Verree Teasdale, William Gargan, Joyce Compton, Donald Meek, Inez Courtney, Polly Ann Young, Berton Churchill, Franklin Pangborn, Marjorie Main, Yolande Donlan, Miki Morita, Georges Renavent, Norman Budd, Ray Turner, Murray Alper, Eleanor Riley, Margaret Roach; D: Hal Roach; W: Rian James, John McClain, Berne Giler, Mickell Novack; C: Norbert Brodine.