The Heat's On

Uncomfortably Warm For Mae
A very different Mae West vehicle, The Heat's On supposedly led its star to avoid motion pictures for the next 26 years. According to her autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It, Miss West said she had been talked into the film by her old friend Gregory Ratoff, who told her he was set to Produce (un-credited) and Direct a film version of a then-Broadway musical called Tropicana. After the deal fell through, he told her, "Dahlink, we can't do the picture I told you about, but a movie called Tropicana we'll make". Miss West further related that when she saw the script she tried to back out, but too much money had already been invested, and the producers, including Mr. Ratoff, would be ruined if the film didn't go forward. Many film buffs will remember that, among his many film credits, Gregory Ratoff had played Benny Pinkowitz in Mae West's I'm No Angel in 1933, and later played producer Max Fabian in All About Eve (1950), but few realize that he directed (30) almost as...

The great Mae West in a rather lukewarm musical-comedy
It's interesting to see the legendary Miss Mae West during the 1940's era of boogie-woogie music and bobbed hairdos. Playing stage star Fay Lawrence, Mae does here what she always does best: Commands scenes in her own unique laid-back style, and tosses out one-liners like bonbons. The plot itself is something of a mess: Conniving producers scheme to manipulate Fay's career by making double-crossing deals behind her back. Naturally, it's ultimately up to Mae's character to come in & straighten out the whole mess, as she often did in her earlier films.
The result? Too many random musical numbers, and not enough Mae. After all, she secures top billing, so you would expect to see her dominate this film, and deservedly so. "The Heat's On" (1943) is a rambling production, but has enough going for it to be pleasant. Its best asset--as in every movie she does--is Mae herself. Although THO turned out mediocre because Mae was not invited by Columbia Pictures to re-write some of the script,...

Not enough Mae West
Not enough Mae West, but worth it just because she's in it. She is the only one in this movie one remembers.

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