Patrick Ransom Jr. is a newly enlisted soldier. Initially poked fun at by his crewmates for his ritzy roots, he becomes a valued member, helping shift their luck in the conflict. Before he left, Patrick was 'seen off' by an absent fiancee, and had a surprise encounter with a blonde nightclub singer. Smitten with her, without knowing her name, her image is painted on his plane, christened The Bamboo Blonde. Back home, the girl Louise has become a sensation due to the squad's exploits. Upon their return, the nation is eager to see Pat and his real life Bamboo Blonde reunite. But there is the small matter of his scheming fiancee. And how will their romance continue when it hasn't officially begun yet...
The Bamboo Blonde is a very enjoyable wartime rom-com. It gets off to a nice start, with a framing story that gets you reasonably curious, and a quick introduction that sets everything up perfectly, from the location, to the broader context, and the characters and their struggles. We get a sweet 'first date' between Pat and Louise, and the affection they feel for each-other is believable.
From here on we get a wartime section, which goes well! I really like the combination of the two tones. Some humorous wartime films might show totally serious fighting sequences, and others might show nothing but goofing off, but the combination here feels very real, like this is what a bunch of pilots would have really been like.
Once Pat comes home, we begin to get some typical romantic shenanigans, with his fiancee now trying to mark her territory. As she says to her amused friends, "How did I know he was gonna be a hero?". So she tries driving a wedge between Pat and Louise, and putting herself forward as the public sweetheart of this war hero. Everything turns out right by the end though, without too much awkwardness.
The last act has a few misunderstandings, semi break-ups, and a little drama, but the climax is great fun. Pat comes up with a great plan, which leads to a funny family meeting, and amusingly cheesy final moment. The ending itself is disappointingly sudden, but mainly because I liked the characters so much I wanted more! There's something to be said for a movie that knows to not overstay its welcome, but sometimes it deserves a fuller conclusion.
The dialogue in The Bamboo Blonde is a hoot, which is to be expected from a 1940s film. The writers back then had such a penchant for snappy wordplay!
"Boy, you sounded better than ever tonight, Miss Anderson" "Thanks" "You were swell, Louise, you killed them." "You mean all 5 of them? I thought they were dead already!"
"Louise, someday I'll make you the hottest bet in nightclubs, and this the hottest nightclub in town." "Ya mean you're gonna burn it down?"
The cast do a great job here. Frances Langford is sweet, and a talented singer, while Russell Wade is likeable and good looking. Ralph Edwards manages to be amusing and not too grating, despite his demeanour, and Iris Adrian is her usual fun self, getting many of the film's funnier moments in a pretty sizable role. Jane Greer is delightfully evil, and gets a great scornful laugh.
The music is all nice too. Your typical 1940s tracks. Lighthearted, comfortable, and over fairly quickly. They never feel out-of-place or distracting either, and play a good role in the story.
The Bamboo Blonde is a more than decent comedy, and well worth checking out, for its cast and its entertaining story...
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