Lee Tracy is a name few would remember today. However, for just a few years in the 1930s, he was a hot commodity--playing in some top films for top studios like RKO, Fox, Warner Brothers and MGM. So what happened to him? Well, he had two huge problems--he was typecast as the same sort of fast- talking sharpie (often a reporter or confidence man) AND he was an idiot. I really hate to be so blunt, but his off-camera behaviors severely alienated him and the studios apparently tired of working with him and apologizing for his actions.In "The Half Naked Truth", Tracy plays a very typical sort of role--the fast-talking showman who lies, tells half-truths and promotes his girlfriend, Lupe Valez, from a cheesy carnival sideshow act to the toast of Broadway. However ridiculous this was (as Valez' character had no discernible talent and the charisma of a case of the clap), the film is entertaining on a basic level. Don't think too much and you can enjoy it. So why did I give it only a 6? Well, it broke absolutely no new ground and Tracy's role is almost exactly like 1472343 others I've seen him do. In other words, it's fun but lacked originality to make it worthy of a higher score.

I would definitely rate the Broadway debut scene, so masterfully enacted by Frank Morgan (of all people!) and Lupe Velez – and also briefly featuring Max Steiner in the second of his only two on-camera appearances – as one of filmdom's Top One Hundred movie scenes. The rest of the movie – filmed at a frenetic pace by Gregory La Cava – is also top-notch viewing with Lee Tracy in fine form as Lupe's Clayton's friend (the friend you have when you're not having a friend). Production values are admirably extensive and once super-popular but now sadly under-rated director, Gregory La Cava, can be seen at the absolute zenith of his form. How can a director, once so super-popular with both critics and moviegoers in his day, be now so undeservedly forgotten? Available on an excellent Warner Archive DVD.

This funny little pre-Code film benefits greatly from the dynamite teaming of Lee Tracy and Lupe Velez. Tracy plays Bates, a carnival barker/con man whose carnival is run out of town for fleecing local residents. He comes up with the bright idea of billing his girlfriend Teresita (Velez) as "Princess Exotica" from Turkey, and heads for Broadway. In New York, Bates fast-talks his way into a contract with the perpetually confused Merle Ferrell (Frank Morgan), then admits that Teresita is not a Turkish princess after all. Teresita electrifies the audience with a rendition of "Hey, Mr. Carpenter", then begins to grow apart from Bates, who is busy blackmailing Ferrell into hiring him for a publicist position. Finally, Bates believes that he has lost Teresita, so he quits his job with Ferrell, returns to the carnival, where Teresita is singing and dancing. The wedding march song ensues, signaling an upcoming Bates/Teresita marriage and the end of the film.This movie is just hilarious, with great singing and dancing from Velez, very funny performances from Tracy and Morgan, and punchy direction by La Cava. The "Hey, Mr. Carpenter" number is terrific, the dialogue surprisingly fresh, and the gags quite good. The scene in which a frantic Morgan finds blackmail photos of himself and Velez all over his office is howlingly funny. The great Max Steiner has a small role as a befuddled orchestra conductor. My only complaint is with the strange subplot about a nudist colony, which seems out of place.Watching this film makes me wonder what might have been. Tracy destroyed his career with an infamous drunken 1934 incident, and sadly Velez committed suicide in 1944. Both should have been major movie stars, but are remembered as footnote Hollywood actors—especially Tracy, who has been all but forgotten. It's a shame, because both Tracy and Velez shine brightly in this excellent, happy film.

I was first attracted to "The Half Naked Truth" by the reputation of Lupe Velez. I had encountered her name linked in a romantic but ultimately tragic way to Gary Cooper. They were both reputed to be promiscuous and she at least to be violently jealous. He was mentioned in connection also in her suicide in that he tried to help her but as a married man who had long moved on but remained friends. Further reading suggested she had a very tough childhood the child of a prostitute who would turn tricks herself. So I checked out the movie out of curiosity about her. As mentioned by other reviewers , Lee Tracy is a driving force in this picture, as the hyper-active scheming cunning press agent, and his pace and presence swept me along in the fun. Yes, his character is a scoundrel. Yet he is an entertaining one that gives a twisted kind of value for his con. That value is delivered by the sexy and always entertaining Velez, she is the payoff that makes most forget that there is a con. However, Jimmy Bates is not just using her he's making her the toast of Broadway. This story, an early screwball comedy, presents us with two true to life screwballs who create a kind of chemistry that makes a molecule out of elements. When they are together fighting or scheming or making love, sparks are in the air. This is because Velez really is a Mexican spitfire and she gives as good as she gets. Just as Bates is ready to propose to her he discovers her making time with the big-time producer. She also plays a fine fake Princess when he asks it of her. They practically drive each other through the scenes with their energy bouncing off each other and this makes the half naked truth quite a romp. The supporting cast provide strong support. Eugene Palette takes the sidekick role even further in that he has his own operation going on with chamber maid Shirley Chambers, and he ultimately moves the story along both in the beginning and the end. This is an underrated gem, a veritable diamond in the rough.