Out of the four headliners in "Behind the Make-Up", Hal Skelly was probably thought, at the time, to be the best bet for stardom. He had found fame on Broadway in "Burlesque" and reprised his role of "Skid" Johnson for "The Dance of Life" - one of the most successful of the early movie musicals. Although several of his parts called for him to play characters on the skids, others, like "Woman Trap", showed how versatile he was. Paramount knew they had a winner in sultry Kay Francis and this was the first of 10 movies she made in 1930.
With a similar background to "The Dance of Life", Hal Skelly, again plays a vaudeville clown, Hap, who is always waiting for the big break - that never comes. He finds a down and out performer, another clown, Gardoni (William Powell, with a convincing Italian accent) with big ideas about a "class" act. He thinks Hap's act is too low brow and feels that he can give the act polish. The public don't want class and the act is a failure. Gardoni, who is proving to be the villain of the movie, skips out on the act, leaving Hap to find a job as a dishwasher at Marie's cafe (Fay Wray looks like a gypsy). He and Marie go to a show - Gardoni is one of the acts and is a success (he has stolen a lot of Hap's material) and he then proceeds to steal Hap's girl.
Two years later Hap and Gardoni are on Broadway as a double act (Marie is now Gardoni's wife). True to form he spends his time putting Hap down for not having enough class and cheating on Marie (with a very beautiful Kay Francis as Kitty, with whom Gardoni has amassed $20,000 worth of gambling debts). When Kitty treats him the way he treats everyone else (Gardoni has true feelings for Kitty) he exits the movie and paves the way for a reconciliation between Marie and Hap.
It is not a great movie - a behind the scenes story of vaudeville. Powell is an opportunist from the start, but Skelly just puts up with it - Wray marries Powell after knowing him one night and is blind to his cheating and Kay Francis just left you wanting more of her. William Powell began his screen career as a villain with a small part in "Sherlock Holmes" (1922) - throughout the twenties he didn't often play sympathetic roles but after "Behind the Make-Up" that changed. Who would have thought that 10 years later, he alone of the four stars would still be a Star!!!
Recommended.
With a similar background to "The Dance of Life", Hal Skelly, again plays a vaudeville clown, Hap, who is always waiting for the big break - that never comes. He finds a down and out performer, another clown, Gardoni (William Powell, with a convincing Italian accent) with big ideas about a "class" act. He thinks Hap's act is too low brow and feels that he can give the act polish. The public don't want class and the act is a failure. Gardoni, who is proving to be the villain of the movie, skips out on the act, leaving Hap to find a job as a dishwasher at Marie's cafe (Fay Wray looks like a gypsy). He and Marie go to a show - Gardoni is one of the acts and is a success (he has stolen a lot of Hap's material) and he then proceeds to steal Hap's girl.
Two years later Hap and Gardoni are on Broadway as a double act (Marie is now Gardoni's wife). True to form he spends his time putting Hap down for not having enough class and cheating on Marie (with a very beautiful Kay Francis as Kitty, with whom Gardoni has amassed $20,000 worth of gambling debts). When Kitty treats him the way he treats everyone else (Gardoni has true feelings for Kitty) he exits the movie and paves the way for a reconciliation between Marie and Hap.
It is not a great movie - a behind the scenes story of vaudeville. Powell is an opportunist from the start, but Skelly just puts up with it - Wray marries Powell after knowing him one night and is blind to his cheating and Kay Francis just left you wanting more of her. William Powell began his screen career as a villain with a small part in "Sherlock Holmes" (1922) - throughout the twenties he didn't often play sympathetic roles but after "Behind the Make-Up" that changed. Who would have thought that 10 years later, he alone of the four stars would still be a Star!!!
Recommended.