Colleen (film)

Plot

Colleen is the manager of a dress shop named "The Ames Company", owned by Donald Ames. They try to keep Uncle Cedric from working, because he will ruin the company. Troubles start when he hires schemer Joe as his personal assistant. He later also hires Minnie, a woman who has a great passion for fashion. When he buys the dress shop for Minnie where Colleen works as a bookkeeper, a scandal is soon followed. Donald decides to shut the shop, but is stopped because of his infatuation towards Colleen. It is Colleen who eventually makes a profit out of the things that happened. Meanwhile, a man named Cedric tries to adopt Minnie. Minnie refuses and thereby causes a scandal. This angers Alicia, but the press can't get enough of it. Donald loses Colleen's affection and thus is sued by Joe.

Cast

Soundtrack

Critical response

Frank S. Nugent of The New York Times states in his review: "There isn't much point in composing a critical analysis of these Warner musical films: you just accept or reject them for what they are. Out of long experience the Brothers have become proficient mixers and, by and large, their formula has been successful. Equal parts of Ruby Keeler and Dick Powell for romance, Hugh Herbert and Joan Blondell for comedy, Bobby Connolly's dance spectacles to dazzle the eye, Dubin and Warren's music to hum as you leave the theatre. Same old story, same old overhead shots, same expanding screen to accommodate the overflow of the colossal numbers. It all adds up to a 'Gold Diggers' of 1933-4 or 5, or—as at the Strand this week—to 'Colleen.' If you are curious enough to require a more definite answer, we might offer a few comparisons. 'Colleen' is not as fresh as it might have been three years ago before '42d Street' and its descendants accustomed us to this sort of thing. It is not as striking as last year's 'Gold Diggers,' with its imaginatively photographed Broadway Lullaby number and its trained herd of white pianos going through a dance routine. It is not as tuneful as most of its predecessors, nor is its comedy any less juvenile than usual. All of this may sound pretty discouraging, even to a confirmed Warner musical addict, but it still is a relative opinion and should not be considered any more serious a reflection on 'Colleen' than our admission that we prefer one ballroom dance by Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire to a whole program by Miss Keeler and Mr. Powell. It is purely a personal reaction and, if you happen to like the Keeler-Powell musicals, you probably will find this one entirely satisfying. Its resemblance to last year's and the year's before that is unquestionable.

Release

Colleen was released in theatres in 1936. The film was released on DVD by Warner Home Video on September 1, 2009.