The Groom Wore Spurs is an Incredibly muddled film. Ginger Rogers stars as attorney Abigail Furnival, whose been assigned to a famous cowboy film actor Ben Castle(Jack Carson). Whose found himself in debt to a mob boss. Over the course of the case she begins to fall in love with him. The film has some structural problems, it goes from starting out as a mob film, then quickly changes Into a romantic comedy, then delves into slapstick, and finally back Into a mob film. These changes aren't seamless and feel jarring when the film switches between tones.Both the screenplay and direction are uninspired and feels like the film was made on the whim of an Idea. Thankfully the shining part of the film is the acting and chemistry between Rogers and Carson. They are both charming and extremely likable and they play off each other with great sincerity. Their chemistry kept me engaged enough to see how the film played out.Overall the film is fairly average, it's bringing nothing original to the table. the camera-work and cinematography are both passable. There's no real standout moment in the film which felt like the result of It's messy screenplay and structure. However it's a film worth watching once just for the two engaging performances between Rogers and Carson.

THE GROOM WORE SPURS is the sort of low budget comedy that Hollywood turned out by the hundreds during its classical era (approx. 1930-1960). They were mildly funny (if that), contained no hidden meanings, had the definite virtue of being short, and often lacked the fast-pacing that such material desperately needed. That sizes this movie up to a 'T'. It only stands out by virtue of its stars. Jack Carson was on the upper tier of actors often seen in such material, but Ginger Rogers flew far above that level. Presumably the offers were thin for her at that point and she was getting itchy to do something. It had been a long time since Ginger had performed in anything as cheap-looking as THE GROOM WORE SPURS.Still, she's fine in it, if nothing special. Carson is his usual blustering self (am I the only one who thinks he was far better in his rare serious roles such as A STAR IS BORN or CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF than he was in his more usual comedies?). Their love affair is even more implausible than usual. The ending takes a turn which suggests that the filmmakers had no idea how to fill out the allotted 80 minutes of film time. Joan Davis is almost entirely wasted (though admittedly I'm not a big fan of hers). If you're in the mood for a mild and completely innocuous comedy, this might be a decent choice.Addendum: Several people have suggested that the movie would be better with Lucille Ball in Ginger's role. It seems to me that Lucy spent 15 years making movies like this without elevating them into anything special.

I don't know how Ginger Rogers was prevailed upon to make a movie supporting the blustering, camera-hogging Jack Carson (who has all the best lines, the best camera angles and the best bits of "business"). She obviously didn't read the script beforehand. Ginger is also upstaged by Joan Davis and some of the character actors including Stanley Ridges and Mira McKinney. Nevertheless, she looks rather attractive in Peverell Marley's photography even though director Richard Whorf obviously doesn't like her and always indulges the egotistical Carson at her expense in just about every frame in which the two stars appear. The plot is also taken too seriously and tends to get in the way of the comedy. A further problem is that the movie seems to have been written on the run. There are some turns in the plot, particularly near the end, which those of us who know Hollywood realize could never ever happen in real life.

There are very few genuine laughs in this movie. For most of the running time I was somewhat amused. Overall the direction seemed pretty lackadaisical. Scenes that call for some quick cutting just sit there until they run out of steam. But still I did like to see Ginger Rogers and Jack Carson interact. They deserved better material. The film could have used more scenes with Jack Carson being shown up as the phony cowboy he was and that he did not aspire to be. Getting help mounting his horse was amusing and Jack does a nice job. Had they milked and added ideas such as that this could have been much more enjoyable.Joan Davis provides some nice comic bits to enliven things. However the scene with her erstwhile boyfriend in which they work on an alarm clock thus making it ring at inopportune moments is just painful to watch due to the sheer mugging required. There again the direction is sorely lacking.