NAUGHTY BUT NICE works. Dick Powell plays a daffy professor, but the real sparkle is from Helen Broderick as the big city aunt who does the jazz thing, gets her visiting nephew, an aspiring classical composer, involved in the wonderful world of pop jazz songwriting. He's a success, despite the criticisms of his University dean (Halliwell Hobbes) and his three quasi-abolitionist sisters (Vera Lewis, Elizabeth Dunne, and the always fascinating Zasu Pitts).Good film. The Ed "Eddie" Clark character handled a team of songwriters, and while Powell was tricked into working for another, his love interest worked for the Clark team. I found myself standing whenever Clark appeared on screen.

Supposedly this movie contains a "thanks" to Mozart, and supposedly the song "Have a Dream on Me" is based on something from Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute." But as far as I can tell, the song is not based on Mozart and anyway, I've read that it was written for the film but then not used.The soundtrack lists various composers but not Mozart. Can anyone straighten me out about all this? I've never seen the movie, but if anyone can suggest where I can get a copy, I'd be most grateful.Thanks!

Naughty But Nice is the story of a professor of music (Dick Powell) who wants his rhapsody to be published. His innocence and lack of taste buds rope him into a contract writing popular music with a female singer (Gale Page), a style that he hates. He becomes hugely popular, and another singer (Ann Sheridan) attempts to steal his talents for herself through shady means.It is very strange to see Powell in such a film as the character he is. He is an extreme intellectual at the expense of his charm and handsomeness. He does get to show off his beautiful voice, but it is quickly and not very memorable. Zasu Pitts, a former silent movie star, makes a favorable impression as an eccentric and funny aunt of Powell.There are some very enjoyable parts to the film, especially the bits about the lemonade, but it is rather predictable in places and somewhat dull in others.

With the filming of Naughty But Nice, Dick Powell ended his contract with Warner Brothers and never set foot on that lot again. He wanted desperately to do dramatic material and Warners gave him nothing but lightweight stuff. It would be another four years before he was able to convince someone to cast him in drama and RKO got a genuine hit in Murder My Sweet when they did.Powell plays a sheltered music professor at a very snobby college who's been raised by three maiden aunts. The character is obviously ripped off from Cary Grant's paleontology professor in Bringing Up Baby. He's written a concerto, but music publisher Ronald Reagan sees some popular tune in it and publishes it as such.Powell than becomes the object of singer Ann Sheridan's and lyric writer Gale Page's romantic and business desires. The fun is seeing who he winds up with.Harry Warren and Al Dubin who wrote some really great songs for Dick Powell in those Busby Berkeley films write absolutely nothing of consequence here. In any event Powell wanted desperately out of musicals.Especially stuff like this.