New Adventures of Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford

William Haines was an immensely popular actor and one of the top box office draws of the late 20s and early 30s. However, despite being popular (or, perhaps because of it), MGM kept putting him in the same sorts of films again and again. If you see one or two, you'll enjoy them....see a few more and you'll tire of the same old same old plots involving a cocky but very talented man (often an athlete) who ends up changing his attitude for the better by the end of the story. But "New Adventures of Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford" is a terrific film because it breaks with this formula and allows Haines to show off his comedic skills.

Wallingford, Schnozzle and Blackie (William Haines, Jimmy Durante and Ernest Torrence) are all crooks working together to swindle suckers...rich suckers. Again and again, the smooth and fast-talking Wallingford convinces folks to invest in his various phony schemes...all while staying a few steps ahead of McGonigal (Guy Kibbee) of the District Attorney's office.

Sadly, this is one of Haines' best films...and in only a few years he would be forced to retire from movies due to the new Production Code of 1934. To 'clean up' the film industry, gay actors like Haines were expected to go back into the closet and marry women...but he wasn't willing to live this life and chose retirement instead. I would have LOVED to see more movies like this one as it gave him a chance to be different....a bit like a Lee Tracy character.

So is it worth seeing? Absolutely! The story is entertaining and reminiscent of such movies as "The Lady Eve" or "Jimmy the Gent" or "Larceny, Inc."....and every bit as much fun. The only negative is that Wallingford's change of heart near the end seemed a bit out of the blue and hard to believe. Still, a very enjoyable picture.