A joyous satire on political and judicial corruption, lovingly directed by "Wild Bill" Wellman from producer Nunnally Johnson's incisively re-worked, cleverly adapted script. The original 1927 play is not so much a comedy as an exaggerated melodrama. Johnson has added all the laughs and most of the satire. Wellman whips it along at a cracking pace. Despite the film's comparatively short running time, it's loaded to the limit with foolery and fun and such wonderfully inventive touches as the riddle of gun-fire over the montage of newspaper headlines; Menjou dis-arranging his hair before addressing the jury; the judge never missing a jump to have his photograph in the papers; Menjou spoiling for a fake fight, urgently asiding to the attendant, "Come on, Jake!"; Chandler rehearsing his lines and gestures - and that's naming but a paltry few of the highlights which are capped by the whole jail breaking into the "Black Bottom".It's often said that comedy was not Wellman's forte. What nonsense! Wellman is a superb farceur, whipping the plot and dialogue along frenziedly, getting terrifically off-beat performances from players normally stiff or stolid or nauseatingly sweet, tearing mileage from Ihnen's crowded sets and Shamroy's appealingly sharp camerawork. The dazzling choreography is the snappiest work Hermes Pan has ever done.All in all, Roxie Hart is one of the forties' fastest comedies. I'd rate it even funnier than His Girl Friday, which shares the same wide-open Chicago setting.

First off I am a big fan of William Wellman who isn't exactly known for Comedy. Here he does a bang up job of it. Second, I am not a big Ginger Rodgers fan but this has instantly become my fav film of hers. I always liked her in her blonde dame days at Warners more than in the RKO Musicals. I think that is one of the problems some reviewers have with "Roxie Hart". The other, apparently, is people who insist on comparing this to "Chicago". What a waste of time. "Chicago" is a modern Musical and "Roxie" is a fast paced, cynical Comedy. When you see this, just forget about "Chicago" and pay attention to this film, because it requires and deserves attention. There is a lot of little "business" going on and a second look is recommended.It isn't a musical yet it has one of the best musical numbers ever, the memorable "Black Bottom" which the entire cast absurdly and marvelously breaks out into in the prison. Probably the only time you will ever get to see Lynn Overman and George Montgomery singing and dancing! It also has a tour de force tap number for Ginger Rodgers on a metal staircase.Ginger is great and is aided by a super cast of dependable actors. The comments about Menjou's age are ridiculous and again stem from comparison with "Chicago". George Montgomery is actually good as well and I am far from a fan of his but like him here. William Frawley is well used here and keep an eye on him, he uses his face and his hands subtly in reaction. One of the great character actors.It isn't "Chicago" nor a Fred-and-Ginger. If you sought it out expecting either you will be disappointed. Sit back and enjoy it for itself and you will love it.

There's still a lot of bite in this adaptation of the play, even some scenes are downright (and refreshingly) nasty. Overall, though, this is an uneven film. They haven't quite made the leap from stage to screen. I understand there were problems with the censors and this shows. The direction wavers from very good to awkward at best. Someone like Preston Sturges in charge would've been awesome. Ginger is miscast. Sorry, fellow reviewers. She's great when she gets to show her dancing feet, but she just can't talk trash and mean it. I think Alice Faye would've pulled it off nicely. She did a lot of girl gone wrong roles and there's talk she was actually a gangster's moll in her early days. George Montgomery is OK as the smitten journalist, but he can't quite pull off the hard-boiled, either. The musical outbursts are fun but also remind us of the wonky tone of the film. Again, probably because of the censors, Roxie's character doesn't make sense a lot of the time. Even her parents disown her, not surprised in the least that she may hang, and she's a pretty cold cookie even with Montgomery. SPOILER. This makes the tacked-on happy ending with Montgomery absolutely ridiculous. In the play she did it and got away with it. That inevitable fact is sorely needed to make this film succeed. Still, the film has its pluses and I wouldn't discount it completely.

I'm not sure what motivated me to see this movie -- perhaps it was because I like Adolphe Menjou. Whatever it was, I was quite disappointed. The film has a few flashes of interest, but it has aged very poorly since 1942... overall, its humor is much too broad, sophomoric and dated. As a result, the many "gags" fall quite flat and become tiresome very quickly. I wanted to walk out after the first half hour but logistically that was impossible so I sat through the whole painful thing. If you like William Wellman, Menjou, Ginger Rogers or anyone else involved in this production, try seeing them in something more worthwhile.