We're Not Dressing (1934)

We're Not Dressing - 1934

Next up is 1934's "We're Not Dressing", starring Bing Crosby and Carole Lombard.  When her yacht sinks, a wealthy heiress finds herself on a deserted island with some of her friends, a singing sailor, and a pet bear.

The film's supporting cast includes George Burns, Gracie Allen, Ethel Merman, Leon Errol, Ray Milland, and Jay Henry.

The film opens on the high seas and the yacht of heiress Doris Worthington (Lombard).  Among her crew is singing sailor Stephen (Crosby).  She's completely charmed by him, and has been watching him from her position on the upper decks.  We also learn that she picks fights with him.  Among Stephen's responsibilities is Doris's pet bear, Droopy, whom he's supposed to take care of.

Among the other guests on the yacht are Doris's uncle, Herbert, his friend Edith, and two debonair princes who are both seeking Doris's hand.

True to form, Ethel Merman belts out a few numbers in the film.  This one is "It's Just A New Spanish Custom".

The two princes, we come to find out, are only after Doris for her money. It's okay, because she doesn't like them anyway, and only has eyes for Stephen (even if she secretly revels in getting him into scrapes).

As she listens to him sing, she hears a commotion and looks over at the lower deck to find out the cause.  It's discovered that her pet bear is to blame.

The bear's name is Droopy and she loves music, specifically one song: "Goodnight Lovely Little Lady".  When she hears anything else she goes a little crazy and jumps on the one singing until he starts to croon the song she loves.

Doris feigns anger when she has Stephen and Droopy brought up to her deck.  She dresses Stephen down for letting Droopy behave that way.  He tries to be good-natured about it.  He likes her, too, though he hasn't said anything.

Doris asks Stephen to sing for herself and her guests, and he obliges, though still a little wary of what Droopy will do if she hears a different song.

True to form, Droopy jumps on Stephen until he starts to sing her favorite tune.  Later, Doris's drunk uncle straps a pair of roller skates to Droopy's feet and sends her reeling around the ship.

Doris blames Stephen.  He exasperates her with his responses.  When she slaps his face, he leans in for a quick kiss.  She discharges him on the spot.  He's to leave the ship at the next port of call.

Unfortunately, the next port of call is not at all where they expected.  Doris's drunken uncle strikes again and causes the yacht to sink, necessitating everyone's jumping overboard.

While trying to escape, Doris gets knocked out by a piece of falling timber.

Even Droopy dons a life jacket and has to go overboard.  (The poor bear didn't want to...you can tell that by watching the film).

Stephen rushes back to find Doris.  He gives her his life jacket and tosses her overboard just before jumping into the water himself.

We find Stephen has taken refuge in a barrel and is holding onto Droopy's chain as she leads him to the safety of land.

He helps Doris out of the water, but she's still "mad" at him for kissing her and orders him to put her down.

When everyone meets up, the two princes take the credit for saving Doris.  Stephen keeps quiet and doesn't say anything.  When Doris's uncle sees the two princes (whom he doesn't like) have made it to shore, he says, "This shipwreck didn't go as well as I'd hoped."

Another of the great things about this movie is the appearance of George Burns and Gracie Allen as a pair of naturalists investigating flora and fauna on the island.

It's absolutely fun to watch them together, especially when Gracie shows George her lion trap!

Doris quickly tries to get Stephen to do all of their survival work for them.  But he's having none of it, since she fired him.  He builds his own sturdy hut and gets his own food.  They work to put together a very lackluster hut and no food.

While he's cooking up some clams and fanning the aroma over to their camp, Stephen sings "Love Thy Neighbor".

The castaways smell the food, and all quickly go over and join Stephen, promising to chip in and help for a share of the food.  Everyone except Doris, who's determined not to let Stephen help her.

She goes off onto the beach by herself, and Stephen watches from the campfire with a smile on his face.

Getting very hungry, Doris sneaks some clams away from the group.  When Stephen discovers they have been eaten, he is furious!  In a role reversal, he slaps her face, and she leans in for the quick kiss.  She walks away.

A funny scene occurs when Gracie comes face to face with Droopy.  She thinks she's role-playing with George, even going piggy back on Droopy.  But she gets the surprise of her life when George appears out of nowhere when she's on the bear's back!

Doris stumbles across George and Gracie.  They work out that she is the missing heiress from a radio program they picked up.  "This is the missing heiress," George tells Gracie.  "Maybe she knows where to find my missing brother," says Gracie seriously.  Doris wants to play a trick on Stephen.  She gets them to lend her some clothes and a tool kit.

While Stephen fishes, Doris floats the newly acquired supplies over to him, making him think it's from the shipwreck.  Nevertheless, he's thrilled with the extra supplies.

Doris and Stephen grow closer, and all frostiness seems to melt away.  He sings "Once In A Blue Moon", as they relax on the beach in the moonlight.  He tells her he wants to be an architect.  He doesn't want to have a wife supporting him.  She thinks that's silly and can't understand it.

Everything's fine until George and Gracie show up and tell Doris that two ships are in the cove waiting to pick her and the others up.  Could they please have back the clothes and tool kit now they're going to be rescued?  Stephen is absolutely furious!

The next morning, Doris and her friends go in one ship while Stephen, still mad, goes in another.

On board her ship with Droopy, Doris finds she misses Stephen and will do anything to be with him.

She gets a tender to take her over to Stephen's boat.  He's surprised when she apologizes.  She says she's ready to leave her life behind and start one with him.

And besides that, Droopy needs a father, she tells him.  Droopy has already jumped on the captain when she heard him singing the wrong tune.  Stephen and Doris laugh and share a kiss.

Cast rundown:

   Bing Crosby......................................Stephen Jones

   Carole Lombard.................................Doris Worthington

   George Burns....................................George Martin

   Gracie Allen......................................Gracie Martin

   Ethel Merman....................................Edith

   Leon Errol.........................................Hubert

   Ray Milland.......................................Prince Michael

   Jay Henry..........................................Prince Alexander

And that's all for We're Not Dressing.  Another song was supposed to have been included entitled "It's The Animal In Me".  The full version was cut.  However, Ethel Merman sings a bit from it at the end of the film.

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