Customer Reviews

Good-bye Love

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(3.5 stars)

Goodbye Love packs a whopping amount of action into a snappy sixty-four minutes complete with one-liners, gold diggers and a song or two at that! The plot moves along at a very good pace despite a few unnecessary complications but I was never bored or confused. The cinematography was well done and the choreography shines throughout the movie. Unfortunately, the jokes are mostly lame and the quality of the print could have been a lot better. The sound quality of the singing could have been much better; but the spoken lines are easy to understand. The acting is noticeably better than the acting I normally see in movies released from Alpha Video. Look also for an uncredited performance by Hattie McDaniel who was cast as a domestic because at the time that was all Hollywood studios would give her! Sigh.

When the action starts we quickly meet several key members of the cast. Chester Hamilton (Sidney Blackmer) is being taken to the cleaners by his ex-wife Sandra (Mayo Methot) whose own lawyer even says she's too greedy to demand so much alimony! At the same time, Chester's butler Oswald Groggs (Charles Ruggles) is being threatened by his own ex-wife Lura (Grace Hayle) for $2,500 in alimony payments--and he can't pay up. Fortunately for Oswald, once he and Chester are both in jail for non-payment of back alimony, Chester has a good heart and gives Oswald the $2,500 so he can get rid of his alimony payments forever and be free. What happens, however, is that Oswald also picks up on a bad stock tip from Charles; and thinking it will give solve his money problem he gives Lura the stock certificate quickly before he can run away to Atlantic City for a vacation.

And what a vacation Oswald has. Oswald is mistaken by gold digger Fanny Malone (aka Phyllis Van Kamp) (Verree Teasdale), and she sets her claws into him as she believes he's the famous big game hunter worth so much money he couldn't count it all even if he tried! Meanwhile, Chester's secretary Dorothy (Phyllis Barry) is left pining away for Chester with her true love for him although Chester is blind to this; he takes an interest in "Phyllis" (aka Fanny) himself and they are actually married for a very brief while until "Phyllis" falls for a trick that Chester has lost all his money. Now Phyllis is REALLY running after Oswald; and Sandra is running after her beau Reginald Dunwoodie (Gerald Fielding) with the mistaken impression that he's going to inherit lots of money and receive a British title.

What happens after this? The plot can go anywhere. Will "Phyllis" be able to pull it off to all these men that she's not Fanny Malone, the gold digger? She certainly tries to fake it. What about Oswald? Will he have to pay Chester back for taking a vacation or will the stock rise after all and let him be free of his alimony responsibilities to Lura? Watch and find out! Unfortunately, though, the DVD doesn't have much in the way of extras.

Goodbye Love kills an hour while you take a look back into time and see the stereotypes of the day. Women were gold diggers; men had money and were chased by women for their money; and black people were third class citizens at best.

I recommend this film for classic movie fans; but walk, don't run, to get this. It's not exactly fine art.

ALPHA VIDEO's unrestored transfer of GOODBYE LOVE is less than ideal.

SYNOPSIS--
Both Wall Street tycoon Chester Hamilton (Blackmer) and his butler Oswald Groggs (Ruggles) are jailed for failure to pay alimony. Chester helps Groggs out with $2,500 but the crafty manservant gives only a portion to his ex. He uses the rest to go on a seaside vaction, disguised as "Sir" Oswald.

Groggs has an affair with and falls for moneygrubbing Phyllis Van Kamp (Teasdale), whose real name is Fanny Malone. Phyllis/Fanny believes that "Sir Oswald" is a rich Brit. Oswald foolishly squanders everything on her. When the cash runs out, Fanny makes like the middle eight of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child": she disappears. The chagrined butler returns to his boss, where an enormous surprise awaits him.

Watch for Hattie McDaniel in a typical domestic role, plus comic relief from Fred 'Snowflake' Toones and Blue Washington.


ALPHA VIDEO is a provider of vintage programming that's often unavailable elsewhere. Alpha's prices are fair, but so is transfer quality of some of their offerings. None have undergone restoration, yet this product's rareness and reasonable cost make it a worthwhile purchase.

Also from ALPHA:
In the light-hearted comedy MISBEHAVING HUSBANDS (1940), department store owner Harry Langdon tries to convince his divorce-minded wife that the blonde she saw him with was only a window mannequin.

Related item:
In 1935, Mr. Ruggles let Charles Laughton play the butler in the comic western RUGGLES OF RED GAP. Their costars: Mary Boland, Zasu Pitts and Roland Young.


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 viewer poll rating found at a film resource website.

(5.6) Goodbye Love (1933) - Charles Ruggles/Verree Teasdale/Sidney Blackmer/Phyllis Barry/Ray Walker (uncredited: Hattie McDaniel/Fred 'Snowflake' Toones/Blue Washington)