Kiki

 "Kiki" 1931 directed by Sam Taylor, produced by Joseph M. Schenck, written by Sam Taylor, David Belasco, and Andre Picard, musical number choreographed by Busby Berkeley. United Artists.

Mary Pickford, Reginald Denny, Joseph Cawthorn, Margaret Livingston, Phil Tead, Fred Walton, Edwin Maxwell, George Davis, Betty Grable as a chorus girl.

This is a remake of the 1926 film starring Norma Talmadge and Ronald Colman which is extant. I have seen that film, and I found the Talmadge character annoying, and it is the same, if not more so, in this sound version. The musical number is brilliantly choreographed by Busby Berkeley and executed by Pickford and Margaret Livingston and chorus girls. I wish I could say the rest of the film was as great as the opening number, but I cannot do so. There are moments of hilarious physical comedy and Pickford shows her legs and appears wearing just a teddy! She was 39 here and she is gorgeous as ever. The problem is the character of Kiki is a stalker, a psycho, and she would have been arrested for threatening the character played by Margaret Livingston and the butler played by Fred Walton. It is not that this was an outdated play, it is that the character was intrusive and unbalanced. Pickford has moments of brilliance but it those moments of genius are not enough to make this a good film. I recommend the musical number.