Movie, Movie Reviews

Two movies in one (hence the title), with many of the same actors appearing in both halves, this funny Stanley Donen-directed sendup of film cliches takes an affectionate look at an era when lawmen were "coppers" and people could say "swell" without smirking. Shot in both black-and-white and color, it is intended as a whole evening of entertainment and includes a coming-attractions trailer for "Zero Hour," a war movie that obviously was never made. After a George Burns prolog we plunge into the first movie, "Dynamite Hands," which parodies 1930s fight films, following the fortunes of a poor law student, Harry Hamlin, who takes to the ring to pay for an operation to save his sister's eyesight, then completes his studies to use the legal system to get even with a crooked promoter. In "Baxter's Beauties of 1933," which obviously was inspired by 42ND STREET, George C. Scott is a Flo Ziegfeld type who is trying to put on a big show. You know the story: An unknown girl gets the chance to star when the leading lady breaks her leg. Trish Van Devere (Scott's real-life wife) is the leading lady, Rebecca York is the ingenue, and Barry Bostwick is her beau. Choreographer Michael Kidd effects a passable imitation of Busby Berkeley, despite a small budget for chorines and cameras. The satire gets a bit heavy at times, and you have to know a lot about the movies upon which this is based to glean the most out of the humor; still, there's lots of nostalgic fun here and the tunes and cast are exceptional, even when removed from their satirical context.