8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
LIGHT LUCY FARE, November 20, 2001
This review is from: Affairs of Annabel [VHS] (VHS Tape)
27 year-old Lucille Ball portrayed a harried and overworked film star who was the victim of countless stunts and tricks employed by her energetic press agent to promote the features she turned out for Wonder Pictures. Lucy plays Annabel Allison, a diminished film star whose bad temper has made her unpopular at the studio. Pompous and fast-talking publicity man Oakie, however, devises a barrage of gimmicks to retain her name before the public.....This little programmer was successful enough for a sequel which was the less successful ANNABEL TAKES A TOUR. With this follow-up, what was going to be a series, met an early demise. Perhaps it was just as well as the downward trend begun in the second film might have continued with subsequent results. As it remains, Ball and Oakie are remembered for having performed in two moderately funny minor efforts which poked fun at bad tempered stars and the harebrains that wrote their puff pieces.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
so zany it's enough to make me call the state insane asylum, April 8, 2009
This review is from: Affairs of Annabel [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The Affairs Of Annabel packs a lot of laughs into a snappy 68 minutes. The acting is very convincing and the plot moves along at an excellent pace. The casting couldn't be better and the editing was very well done. The cinematography shines in the scenes near the end of the movie; and the choreography reflected good judgment as well.
When the movie starts we quickly meet Annabel Allison (Lucille Ball), a famous star at Wonder Pictures in Hollywood. Annabel's publicity agent Lenny Morgan (Jack Oakie) has a nasty habit of putting Annabel into the craziest of situations as he makes his not so savvy attempts to produce big headlines and good publicity for Annabel. On one occasion Lenny finds out that Annabel is going to make a picture in which she must play an imprisoned woman; so he gets Annabel into a real prison for what was just supposed to be two or three days--and yet a month passes before Lenny springs her because no publicity ever came of it! It seems Lenny doesn't do much more than bungle his attempts to play up Annabel for the press.
The plot thickens. Wonder Studios producer Howard Webb (Bradley Page) gets a cable from headquarters that Annabel should star in an upcoming production of The Maid And The Man; and so Lenny gets Annabel a "job" as a maid. That way Annabel can "do research" as to what a maid's life is really like. It doesn't go well, however. Annabel must pretend to be a professional maid and cook; she must then work for Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher (Granville Bates and Elisabeth Risdon), their young son Robert (Lee Van Atta) and Mrs. Fletcher's brother (and general moocher) who is simply referred to as "The Major" (Thurston Hall). Never mind that Annabel can't cook or polish the floors--Lenny will help Annabel as much as he can. Lenny even arranges for The Trocadero to have food delivered so the Fletcher family can eat stuffed squab the first night Annabel works there. Annabel will also be the maid for two guest financiers for "The Major," Mr. Bailey (Anthony Warde) and Mr. Martin (Eddie Marr).
But the plot can go anywhere from here. It turns out that Bailey and Martin are, in actuality, gangsters who are on the run from the cops; how will this affect everything? What dangers will this pose? How will the studio be able to rescue Annabel after they get the word from headquarters that production must start the following morning? What about quirky Russian director Vladimir Dukov (Fritz Feld)--how will he fit into all this? Watch and find out!
It's too bad that this doesn't seem to be on DVD. It should be released on DVD, perhaps as part of a box set. This is an excellent early film starring Lucille Ball; and Jack Oakie turns in a wonderful, energetic performance.
The Affairs Of Annabel gives us lots of action and laughs all along the way; I highly recommend this film for people who like the principle actors in this movie, especially Lucille Ball. It's great fun for people who enjoy classic movies, too.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
I Just Love Lucy In Anything!, January 27, 2004
This review is from: Affairs of Annabel [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I got quite a few laughs out of it. There are a couple of Lucy flicks I like better, so that's why I rated it a "4". The first situation, where she is in prison, is a little beyond reality. That is, I can't believe she served so much time. They should have been able to get her out sooner. Anyway, I love to watch the old TV series, but it's refreshing to see Lucy in a different role. Lucy was as good as I expected her to be. And Jack Oakie is as crazy as ever, but I usually enjoy movies he's in as well. I would recommend this movie to any classic movie fan, and if you're a Lucy fan, that just makes it better.
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