wes-connors New York fight manager Humphrey Bogart (as Ed Hatch) goes to the Ozarks with his dim-witted wrestler Nat Pendleton (as Joe "Hercules" Skopapolous). Joining Mr. Bogart down South are his squeaky-voiced girlfriend Penny Singleton (as Cookie Shannon) plus wrestling trainers Frank McHugh (as Popeye) and Allen Jenkins (as Shiner). Bogart meets tough lady blacksmith Louise Fazenda (as Sadie Horn) and decides to promote a battle of the sexes for the local hillbillies, pitting Ms. Fazenda against Mr. Pendleton. When the proposed opponents fall in love, Bogart has trouble starting a fight...Fazenda and Pendleton grow on you, while top-billed Bogart oddly becomes an unwelcome presence in his own film; this doesn't happen very often. A few of the hillbilly-flavored soundtrack singers are downright annoying. Looking happy to be acting with the cast, young Ronald Reagan (as Jack Miller) plays a small role. The wrestling match closing puts it over the top as an all-time worst.** Swing Your Lady (1/8/38) Ray Enright ~ Humphrey Bogart, Louise Fazenda, Nat Pendleton, Penny Singleton

Michael_Elliott Swing Your Lady (1938) * 1/2 (out of 4) Poor Warner comedy has a promoter (Humphrey Bogart) arriving in a small town to try and set up a match for his prized wrestler (Nat Pendleton). The promoter eventually finds him a match in a female blacksmith (Louise Fazenda) but the two fall in love before any wrestling can be done. This film blends romance with comedy and even throws in several musical numbers but when Bogart called this his worst film he wasn't lying. I usually enjoy these "B" movies from Warner but I found this one to be quite poor, which is rather strange considering the talent involved. Yes, Bogart is horribly miscasted but this wasn't the only time in his career that happened. He comes off looking good and I say that because you can tell he's giving it his all even though the material isn't suited for him. Frank McGugh and Allen Jenkins co-star as members of Bogart's troop and these two funnymen can't add any laughs either. Pendleton and Fazenda actually steal the film with their tough romance, which gains a few laughs but not nearly enough to keep the film moving. Director Enright doesn't do a very good job handling the subject matter as the film runs out of steam within the first ten minutes and never picks itself up. By the forty-minute mark I was yawning and the following thirty-two minutes didn't get any better. The whole concept of a man and woman wrestling was something that could have made for a good story but it's just a cheap trick here that doesn't pay off. Look fast for a young Ronald Reagan.

Neil Doyle Like every actor who's had a career spanning several decades, HUMPHREY BOGART had his share of poor films along with the great ones. This feeble attempt at comedy is typical of the Warner Bros. brand of humor in the '30s and '40s, slammed home without any subtlety or grace.My main interest in this film was due to seeing the bloopers from "Breakdowns of 1938" featured on THE ADV. OF ROBIN HOOD CD. Let's put it this way--the bloopers were funnier than most of the material in this comedy which manages to be mildly amusing.HUMPHREY BOGART is saddled with the lead, supported by Warner's favorite contract supporting players--NAT PENDLETON as a dumb wrestler, FRANK McHUGH as his manager and ALLEN JENKINS as the standup comic who makes with all the usual dry wisecracks on the sidelines.PENNY SINGLETON is Bogart's fast talking, dumb girlfriend who sounds a lot like the "Blondie" character she would play shortly thereafter. LOUISE FAZENDA has a comic role as a lady blacksmith with a rural accent. In a rather amusing scene she wrestles Bogey to the ground and tells him to say, "Hootie Owl." It looks as though the Warner backlot was used with leftovers from their westerns to simulate the small town look. The hillbilly musical numbers are nothing to shout about and much the same comment can be made about the film itself.Louise Fazenda and Penny Singleton (who gets a chance to sing) seem to be enjoying themselves, but the overall results are decidedly mixed.No wonder Bogey achieved stardom in a different genre. One of his better lines: "Which one of us is daffy?" You have to be daffy yourself to really enjoy this one.Trivia note: A very young RONALD REAGAN has a bit part and gets no billing at all on the opening credits. Lucky for him.

leforte This film is just wonderful entertainment. All good actors from yesteryear. Bogart like you never seen him. Then there is the future President of the United States when he was young and could not possibly know what kind of a future was in store for him. Some of my favorite actors that are gone but not forgotten. Just good old fashion corny light hearted entertainment. The acting is very good. The dancing and singing are lots of fun. The storyline is just pure smiles. That is really true. You just watch this film with a smile on your face the entire time. They could never make a film like this today. It is a real family entertainment picture. The only embarrassment that a person could feel while watching this film is enjoying it so thoroughly. It's great.