Tops Is the Limit Reviews

Cole Porter's 1934 stage classic is brought to the screen with Bing Crosby as Billy Crocker, a young man so taken with the lovely Hope Harcourt (Ida Lupino) that he stows away on an ocean liner bound for England when he believes she has been kidnaped. To avoid being recognized by his boss, who is also on board, Billy masquerades as a henchman for gangster Moonface Martin (Charlie Ruggles), wooing Hope while he is pursued by nightclub thrush Reno Sweeney (Ethel Merman, in a sensational reprise of her stage role). Hope, as it turns out, is a runaway heiress, and though she falls for Billy, she has second thoughts when she comes to believe that he really is a mob goon. Once they reach Albion's shores, however, Billy sets her straight for a blissfully romantic ending. The unforgettable Porter numbers include "I Get a Kick out of You," "You're the Top," "There'll Always Be a Lady Fair," "All Through the Night," and "Blow, Gabriel Blow." Others are "Am I Awake?" "My Heart and I," "Hopelessly in Love," and "Shanghai-De-Ho," (Frederick Hollander, Leo Robin); "Moonburn" (Hoagy Carmichael, Edward Heyman); and "Sailor Beware" (Richard Whiting, Robin), rendered by Crosby and ship's crew members in a particularly rousing production number. Directed somewhat ploddingly by Lewis Milestone, better known as the architect of serious films (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT; A WALK IN THE SUN), ANYTHING GOES reportedly pales in comparison with the Porter original, though much of his wonderful score is retained, and Lupino, still in her teens, acquits herself marvelously.