PROFESSIONAL SWEETHEART manages indirectly to be a historically important film of sorts. Flashy supporting roles in 42nd STREET and THE GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 had brought Ginger Rogers to the attention of Hollywood, and Columbia and RKO at least were seriously thinking of signing her to a long term contract (most of her recent work had been done for Warner Brothers but they may have believed that, with Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell among others already in their fold, there was little room left for a Ginger Rogers). RKO wound up inking her to a 3 film deal which amounted to one film plus a two film option at RKO's discretion. Thus PROFESSIONAL SWEETHEART served as an elaborate screen test for Rogers. It was a modest success both critically and at the box office (which was more than most 1933 films could say) and RKO signed her to a full 7 year contract. Ginger's first assignment under that contract was FLYING DOWN TO RIO and the rest was history.PROFESSIONAL SWEETHEART is a clear sign that RKO was very serious about Ginger Rogers. It's a pure vehicle for her comedic abilities, seen here as more 'hard sell' than they would be later on, and she's given every bit of support that could be realistically expected: A funny, sharp, broadly satirical script from the talented Maurine Watkins of CHICAGO fame, a terrific pack of supporting actors mostly imported from Warner Brothers, and about the best house director that RKO had (William Seiter) were assigned to the project. Ginger already had considerable experience as a supporting actress in big pictures and as a female lead in little pictures, but this was her first starring vehicle, and she makes the most of it.I'll refrain from running through the plot (if you're reading this surely you already know it) and restrict myself to a few observations. The chasm between a public persona and a private one is the obvious main theme, Glory's radio shtick as "the Purity Girl" being diametrically opposed to her portrayed private desires (a girl who wants to have 'fun fun fun', essentially). As in CHICAGO, the press can hardly be more cynical about it all while agreeably playing along with the act. Whether the public is actually fooled by this or is merely willing to tolerate the deceptions for its own amusement remains uncertain. This appears to be Watkins' One Big Idea, and she runs with it.Otherwise we get a broad satire of radio's inherent deceits, for example, audiences coached on their 'spontaneous' reactions; a nice skewering of the Progressive Eugenics Movement ("Hey, they're white, these Anglo-Saxons!" our naive business magnate from the Old Country notes in surprise); Harlem as a modern jazz-filled Valhalla ("I don't care what color he is as long as he takes me to Harlem!" Glory beams with a racial double entendre), barbed comments on lawyers, clothes designers doubling as interior decorators, business tycoons whose empires consist of washcloths and dishrags, the full gamut. Gregory Ratoff strikes me as very funny as the genius behind Ippsey- Wippsey Washcloths, ZaSu Pitts is excellent as a 'sob sister' whose interview style consists of her own meandering monologues, Franklin Pangborn, Allen Jenkins, Edgar Kennedy and Frank McHugh are solid in their roles, and Theresa Harris has a more substantial part than is usual for a black maid of the era (oddly, both she and Ginger Rogers, both competent singers in their own rights, get dubbed by Etta Moten). Norman Foster does what he needs to do as the country hick.And Ginger Rogers was on her way.

Mostly boring pre-code comedy with some nice direction and very few laughs. With a cast like this, it really should be better. The story is about a radio star (Ginger Rogers) known as America's Sweetheart who wants to live it up and go dancing, drinking, having sex, etc. So her PR team compromises by getting her a husband: a rube from Kentucky (Norman Foster). Some slightly saucy pre-code dialogue seems to be the main selling point for many. But it's still pretty tame stuff. Ginger dancing around in her underwear and one scene where she gets spanked are the movie's racier moments. Funniest scene is when Frank McHugh cons the rube into proposing. Ginger gives it her best but the script just isn't strong. Only a must for hardcore Ginger fans.

I saw this with another RKO Ginger Rogers film from the same year.Even though these are targeted as light entertainment, I am amazed at how fresh they feel and how experimental the structure is.That lightness is often attributed to the lack of the Hayes Code, which lowered its dark curtain the following year. Its clear in retrospect that this was a bad thing, that it wounded an entire society, and would have destroyed it altogether had we not encountered a similar more obvious evil. And went to war.But how does one know what is right around the corner? How does one celebrate the freedoms that are about to be taken away? Its a haunting thing in the background of this, as part of the joke is that this perfect man is "the purest of Anglo-Saxons." Another part of the joke is that sweetness, goodness and happiness is contrasted with black jive, sex and Harlem, all of which are "fun."The structure of the thing is pretty sophisticated. Many films from these four years 1930- 33 were similarly adventuresome in their structure. Its a show about sex and domestic values within which is a show (a radio show) about sex and domestic values. (The domestic hook is literally a dishrag.) Around this show are a collection of nattering men trying to engineer romance and predictably failing. If you study the narrative structure of date movies, you'll be familiar with tricks about how to reflect the viewer in the story. Its rather novel and somewhat perfect here.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

This is a very early film in the career of Ginger Rogers. It is somewhat saucy and always goofy. It portays people in radio show business and the press that covers it as both overly ambitious and naive. There are several character actors such as Zazu Pitts that are totally hilarious. The plot is basicly girl wants fun and freedom rather than fame, and boy wants girl. After several very funny misadventures they both get what they want and each other. Sexuality is very frank in this movie even though the characters are very innocent. For the naughty in us there is even a spanking scene. Ginger Roger's voice is dubbed in a couple of songs because the producers did not think she was good enough. A very funny film worth repeated viewings. It can be seen occaisionly on the Turner Movie Channel. In the final scene there is a reference to television long before it would become available as if it was just around the corner.