Lucille Ball-istic in ‘The Big Street’ 1942

 

Lucille Ball was more than ready for a close-up in her last RKO film "The Big Street."

The word on The Big Street was that this film should have put Lucille Ball over as a star, after years as “Queen of the B’s.” Well, I was certainly surprised when I recently watched this ’42 RKO flick for the first time.

Ball bats it out of the park as Gloria Lyons, the tough as nails nightclub singer, brought low by her thug boyfriend. Lucy doesn’t hold back a bit as the unapologetic gold digger who’s determined to overcome personal obstacles and a land a rich husband. Woe to anyone who gets in Gloria’s way!

The look on Lucy's face as Gloria says it all as she elbows her way thru "The Big Street!"

The big problem with The Big Street is the way Lucy’s character is written. This otherwise sentimental Damon Runyon fairytale seems to have been hijacked by Of Human Bondage’s Mildred Rogers. To be specific, Lucy’s Gloria is reminiscent of Bette Davis’ shrewish Mildred. Ball perfectly plays the role as written and without any winking asides for audience sympathy, as Joan Crawford did in her bitch roles. But Ball’s singer bosses worshipful busboy Henry Fonda around like he's her rented mule.

Henry Fonda is endearing, even if his character is inexplicable, in "The Big Street."

Early on in The Big Street, Ball's songbird gets smacked by her gangster boyfriend, falls down a small flight of stairs, and is left paralyzed. Guess who picks up the pieces? Bitter about her plight, Gloria is not the least bit grateful. Busboy “Little Pinks” and his cronies try their damndest to lift her spirits, but all “Her Highness” gives is hurling abuse. The Big Street feels like two different movies: colorful Damon Runyon characters and long-suffering duo of wheelchair-bound witch Gloria and soft-spoken slave Little Pinks. Lucy's character and the rest of this movie just do not mesh. This would be the fault of the director and screenwriter, for not providing balance. One look at the daily rushes with Gloria barking insults at everyone should alerted them to do an emergency rewrite, stat.

Fonda's busboy brings Ball's wheelchair-bound singer home in "The Big Street."

So, I can absolutely see why The Big Street was not a hit or a breakthrough for Lucille Ball. I'm sure that when I Love Lucy was a smash a decade later, later audiences of The Big Street were probably shocked that this was not their Lucy.

Henry Fonda is terrific as Little Pinks, quiet and gentle. Hank still possesses his inherent strength here, but his character makes no sense, agog by this shrew. He’s just as lovesick Leslie Howard’s Phillip was in Of Human Bondage, and gets dished the same kind of treatment. There’s a scene when Gloria gets caught in her wheelchair by a flashy millionaire that she's trying to land. The smoothie is shocked to see her condition and Gloria takes it out on Little Pinks, belittling everything he has done for her. Ball lays into Fonda the way Bette Davis did to Leslie Howard in Bondage and does everything but wipe her mouth like Davis!

When Gloria gets caught in her wheelchair, she takes it out on her busboy admirer.

The two disparate sides are most apparent when everyone tries to help or weep over Ball’s tough cookie. Gloria’s maid Violet adores her, though she does nothing but snap insults at her. Louise Beavers almost makes Violet’s devotion believable. Little Pink’s friends keep trying to lift her spirits, but she's brusque at best. The scene where the busboy brings the crippled singer to his basement apartment for a homecoming party is brutal. It’s a big comedown for the glitzy showgirl, but Ball’s character shows not one iota of appreciation, given that she has nowhere else to go.

Louise Beavers brings warmth Violet, the maid who looks after Lucy's shrewish singer.

The rest of the cast is quirky fun and has a great time. Agnes Moorehead as Violette “with two t’s!” and Eugene Pallette as Nicely Nicely make an unusual and lovely couple; Ray Collins, so often serious or villainous, is a hoot as ringleader Professor B. These three actors are more often wonderful as baddies, so it’s fun to watch them play eccentric, good-hearted characters.

Agnes Moorehead & Eugene Pallette are a pair who love food and each other!

The final scene is where Lucy's Gloria Lyons shows some vulnerability, for what’s literally her last dance. Little Pinks finagles a big party in her honor, where she dies and gets carried up the staircase, a reverse fatal finale version of Lana Turner's showgirl in Ziegfeld Girl. But Ball’s Cinderella gets her final wish, even if she’s acted like one of the wicked stepsisters throughout The Big Street. And this final romantic scene is beautifully performed by both Ball and Fonda.

Lucille Ball's Gloria finally shows some humanity at the finale of "The Big Street."

To enjoy The Big Street, you must suspend ALL disbelief. And then perhaps you can enjoy the great supporting cast, and Ball and Fonda’s dramatic performances, too.

Here’s my personal look at the real Lucy, as a baby boomer who grew up with Lucille Ball :

https://ricksrealreel.blogspot.com/2021/12/id-rather-love-real-lucy.html

FYI: I put my movie overflow on my public FB movie page. Check it out!  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/178488909366865/

Lucille Ball & Henry Fonda make a damn handsome couple in "The Big Street!"