ThiefHott Too much of everything

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

atlasmb They must have been rationing comedy when this film was made. It was a very successful play, so it obviously satisfied audiences of the time when on stage. But the movie is very play-like, unfortunately. It is certainly no "Heaven Can Wait." Since the action is sparse, much of the weight of this film falls on the stars. Eve Arden is, as always, enjoyable. Eleanor Parker is very cute. They are a contrast--experience vs. innocence.The third star of the film is Ronald Reagan, who critics often describe as "wooden". That description fits here. We are to believe that in the course of a couple days, Eleanor's character falls madly in love with him. Actually, she indicates that she has fallen for him very early in the story. Because of what? His animal magnetism? His cleverness? Strength of character? Please.People often say that if you are going to be critical, you should offer an alternative. So I looked among the actors of the forties for one who might give this meager role some romantic life with a comedic touch. Consider Cary Grant who was in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer in 1947. Or how about Jimmy Stewart, who was in 1946's It's a Wonderful Life.This film might be considered a period piece. The morals of the time play a significant role. We see how quickly (even) strangers are willing to judge others who might offend their senses of propriety. And wartime was a time of social and economic adjustments. Note too the line suggesting that it might be unpatriotic to not accommodate a soldier.In the end, this film (by any title) is supposed to be a love story. Is Reagan's character really lovable? The plot consists of little more than two people arranging to have breakfast, then lunch, then dinner, etc. It is up to the actors to spin this mediocre story into gold. But the performance of the male lead leaves us with only lead.The final result is watchable, but barely.

David Allen "Ronald Reagan: Centennial Collection" (2011) is the most complete collection yet of Reagan's movies, but 2 more should be added.His very first movie, in which he had only a tiny part as a radio interviewer trying to get time with a Hollywood movie star (and failing), was "Hollywood Hotel" (1937) starring Dick Powell, which movie was famous for the signature song "Hooray For Hollywood."Reagan came to Hollywood in the middle 1930's after a short career as a radio announcer and sports broadcaster in Iowa after his graduation in 1932 from Eureka College in Illinois.Radio was just coming into its own in the middle 1930's and was very interesting as a subject to movie audiences. People wanted to see what radio was about "behind the scenes." Many late 1930's Hollywood movies showed that, and sold a lot of tickets because of it.Many "radio" movies were made in the late 1930's. Bob Hope's signature song title "Thanks For The Memory" was from a radio movie titled "The Big Broadcast Of 1938" and Hope himself became a Hollywood star only after he achieved radio stardom in the late 1930's.Ronald Reagan was a former radio pro who got beginning actor work because of his radio experience. He could be useful for "radio movies," and was hired.Hollywood film studios made many movies about the then glamorous radio business and the world of radio celebrities.Reagan was a handsome, articulate young man who had studied dramatics in college (he majored in Sociology but participated in many school plays in lead roles), and actually had experience as a radio broadcaster.The latter credential got him a contract with Warner Brothers, and his first role in "Hollywood Hotel" (1937) showed Reagan doing what he had done in Iowa....radio interviewing. His radio interview experience got him "in the door" to the world of Hollywood acting for big studios.His "Hollywood Hotel" (1937) role (uncredited but important for any interested in his movie actor career) is important to include in any history of Reagan's movie actor work.Reagan also starred in a movie re-make of one of Broadway's longest running plays, "The Voice Of The Turtle," (1947) which was a good movie well done, and re-released at a later time with the title "One For The Book."Re-makes of important Broadway plays were often done in Hollywood over it's history, and most of the resulting movie were good...took advantage of good material easy to turn into a good movie."The Voice Of The Turtle" (1947) starring Ronald Reagan is an example of this, and should be included in any collection showing important movie work he did.Voice Of The Turtle (1947), later released with a different name: "One For The Book", is a very well presented movie with great actor work from stars Ronald Reagan and Eleanor Parker, assisted by Eve Arden, three talented movie stars of the middle 20th Century.The movie is especially interesting and worthwhile because it showcases one of the biggest Broadway (NYC NY USA) stage hits of the middle 1940's, written by John Van Druten....the show played on the Broadway stage non-stop from 1943 through 1947.....5 years.One of those stage play titles one sees when "Longest Running Plays Ever Produced" lists are provided in stage play history books.Most of the show takes place in a single one bedroom apt. (the romantic female lead's NYC upper East Side Manhattan digs) with half a dozen departures for short periods to NYC places young, handsome singles of those 1940's times were part of....chic French restaurants where meals started with Vichisois (cold Leek Soup) and ended with Crepe Suzettes (ultra thin pancakes doused with Grand Marnier orange flavored brandy made up and served table-side by a tuxedoed waiter with a charming smile and foreign accent).....empty theater stages where new plays auditioned new hopeful actresses...NYC elegant night clubs with live orchestras and well dressed, mannerly patrons, all good dancers....The whole show is worth seeing for many reasons, but one is that an entire culture and way of life now long gone, and with it civility, manners, etiquette, and genuine social charm.....is depicted for all to see, marvel at, and lament the passing of.A well done 2004 video documentary titled Broadway The Golden Age interviews NYC actors of fame who worked during the 1940's through the 1970's and recalled how it all went, what it all was about, and most especially decried the fact what they had all be part of was now (in 2004 and after) gone forever, and not replaced by better performing art and memorable, human stagecraft.Voice Of The Turtle (1947) shows in movie form what the stage-play presented to theater goers (I write this in 2012, and if a 20 year old attended the first 1943 presentations in NYC of this show, he or she would be 88 this year!).I join many others in cheering this wonderful and forgotten play and movie, worth getting, worth seeing.----------------- Written by Tex Allen, SAG-AFTRA movie actor. Visit WWW.IMDb.Me/TexAllen for more information about Tex Allen. Tex Allen's email address is TexAllen@Rocketmail.Com.See Tex Allen Movie Credits, Biography, and 2012 photos at WWW.IMDb.Me/TexAllen. See other Tex Allen written movie reviews....almost 100 titles.... at: "http://imdb.com/user/ur15279309/comments" (paste this address into your URL Browser)

MartinHafer In some of my past reviews I have been rather critical of some of the performances of Ronald Reagan and have described them as "wooden". While this is sometimes the case, I have also recently seen a few Reagan films that I've really enjoyed and THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE is the best of them--mostly because of Reagan's easy-going and effective acting. The fact that the script was also very well-written sure helped, too.Eleanor Parker has a ditsy and obnoxious friend (Eve Arden) who has arranged two dates at the same time. So, when her first date arrives (Reagan), Arden makes up a lie and dumps him. Since Reagan is a soldier on leave during WWII in a strange city, he doesn't know what to do AND hotels are pretty much booked up for the whole weekend he's in town (getting hotels was a serious problem during the war). Parker is a nice lady and offers to put him up, though this is very unusual for a film from the 1940s--having a single man cohabiting with a single woman! In fact, throughout the movie, there is an undercurrent of sexuality that make this a very interesting curio for the time---so much so that I'd nominate this film as "the sexiest film of 1947".Not too surprisingly, after spending time together, Reagan and Parker start to have strong feelings towards each other. These scenes are very well done and romantic. The only catches are that Eve Arden keeps trying to horn in on their time and that it slowly becomes clear that Parker is a bit of an Obsessive/Compulsive nut--a nice nut, but still a nut nonetheless! What I particularly liked about the romance was that because it was to have taken place just during a weekend, although the two did fall in love, they did not get married or have a resolution to the romance. Having them marry would have been a bit ridiculous and not at all realistic. But, having them profess their love and letting the film end soon after this was unconventional but effective. About the only thing I didn't like about the film was its stupid title and references to turtles that were irrelevant. Not surprisingly, this film was later retitled thanks to the public also finding the title silly. All in all, a cute and engaging romance that would make a good date movie--provided the couple loves and appreciates older films.

Neil Doyle Eleanor Parker was approaching the peak of her career when she was cast as Sally Middleton, the slightly daffy heroine of this charming wartime romantic comedy. Ronald Reagan, fresh from his stint in the service, returned to play a soldier who finds himself falling for the charming actress and staying overnight (innocently) in her apartment. Eve Arden is on hand for comic relief as the heroine's best friend and gets some hearty laughs with her usual witty observations and Wayne Morris has a secondary role as her Naval commander boyfriend. Kent Smith is wasted as a producer unwilling to make a relationship commitment with Parker. Eleanor Parker carries most of the film and proves adept at the physical comedy--notably in a scene where she prepares a sofabed for her Army soldier, empties ashtrays and primps pillows--all in harmony with Max Steiner's jaunty background score.One of Reagan's better post-war films with his usual amiable performance as the decent soldier--and far and away one of Miss Parker's most fetching roles.