You Can't Have Everything Reviews

The first of six films costarring Alice Faye and Don Ameche, YOU CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING casts Faye as struggling writer Judith Poe Wells, a direct descendant of Edgar Allan Poe. When Judith orders more food than she can pay for at a restaurant, she is reduced to carrying a sandwich board advertising the place in order to pay off her bill. She politely refuses an offer of help from the drunk but gallant George Macrae (Ameche), incidentally telling him that she is trying to sell a play to a producer, Sam Gordon (Charles Winninger). As luck would have it, George knows Sam, and talks him into paying Judith $250 for her play, "North Wind," although it's a wretched piece of work. To top it off, George packs his girl friend, Lulu (Louise Hovick, aka Gypsy Rose Lee, in her film debut), off on vacation and gets Judith a part in the new production. Eventually, Judith and George fall in love, are broken up by the interfering Lulu, and reunite after George turns "North Wind" into a hit Broadway musical. This enjoyable film augments its love story with a zany subplot involving the Ritz Brothers (in their third film with Faye) as comic performers who get into more than their share of trouble. Faye and Ameche make a good team, playing the simple plot with grace and style, and Lee acts her nasty role with gusto. (Studio officials worried that Lee's former profession might turn off audiences and thus billed her under her real name, which fooled no one.) The songs include "Danger, Love at Work," "Please Pardon Us We're In Love" (Mack Gordon, Harry Revel, sung by Faye), "The Loveliness of You" (Gordon, Revel, sung by Martin), "You Can't Have Everything," "Afraid to Dream," "Long Underwear" (Gordon, Revel), "It's a Southern Holiday" (Louis Prima, Jack Loman, Dave Franklin, performed by Prima and His Band), "Rhythm on the Radio" (Prima, performed by Prima and His Band).