As an ardent fan of Alice Faye, I can give this well-dressed Fox musical only 7/10. For Louise Hovick's fans of course, it's a most definite 10/10. Gypsy Rose Lee/Louise Hovick has all the best lines, the best songs, the best costumes, the best camera angles and she handles the most important character in the plot with such a handsome dose of sexy charisma, we don't really believe that she's as selfish as the scenario paints her. And so far is footage is concerned, Alice is also undercut by the noisy and way-too-ebullient Ritz Brothers who soon out-stay their cautious welcome but keep on carrying on with their extremely tiresome and totally unfunny business anyway. Why director Norman Taurog let them get away with it was that – as he told me – they seemed extremely funny on the set: "In fact, we were all laughing so much, it was difficult to get a clean take. And, would you believe, the brothers didn't mind. In real life, they were always clowning around, trying out new routines, just as they do in the movie." Although this was the first of no less than six films in which Faye was paired with Don Ameche, he seems to lack his usual charisma here. True, he's poorly photographed and made up and the script doesn't treat him well, but if I was the Faye character, I wouldn't tolerate him for one second, let alone be saddled for six pictures with the guy!

I guess I'm in a minority, but I found the results tepid, at best. The Ritz Brothers have no real act except to bounce around in tandem, and are more annoying than funny. Then too, the production numbers appear cut-rate, certainly not up to anything memorable. I kept hoping we'd get an eccentric styling from bandleader Louis Prima, but no such luck. Maybe he needed Keely Smith to play off of. The plot's boilerplate, but then who tunes into musicals for the plot. It's something about Faye finding her real place in show business, at the same time she and writer Ameche try to find a way to get together.On the other hand, Faye's delightful, sparkling one minute, soulful the next. She really deserved better musical backup. Ameche's lively and a handsome foil for Faye. No wonder they were a natural movie twosome. Their first scene together in the spaghetti emporium is a peach. Too bad the remainder doesn't equal that initial scene. Then there's the amazonian Gypsy Rose Lee who could easily have stolen the movie against someone less compelling than Faye. Too bad Lee didn't make a career of movies; she would have made a heckuva villainess. Nonetheless, in my little book, the musical's mainly for fans of the great Alice Faye, and little more.

Starving artist Alice Faye cops a free spaghetti meal at an Italian restaurant and offers to work it off. Broadway director Don Ameche a little tipsy from a night's partying offers to pay her check, but she sings the title song for her supper instead.Alice could make a good living singing and dancing, but she's carrying a family burden. Her character name is Judith Poe Wells and her grandfather is none other than Edgar Allen Poe. She fancies herself a playwright. Therein lies a big problem for Ameche who's kind of gone goofy on the woman.Of course Ameche's other problem is Louise Hovick, later known as Gypsy Rose Lee. She's his demanding fiancé who even though she likes to play around on the side holds a marriage certificate over his head even though Ameche may have been blotto when he did the deed in Connecticut.All this is plot for a very charming backstage musical that also employs the talents of the Ritz Brothers and Alice's current husband Tony Martin. They sing a charming duet Called Afraid to Dream.However the title song of You Can't Have Everything was the big hit from this show and because studio boss Darryl Zanuck frowned on his stars recording their material for vinyl, Alice never did a contemporary record. The song as the rest of the material in the film is done by Harry Revel and Mack Gordon.Charles Winninger has a nice role as Ameche's producer. How they con poor Alice into doing what comes naturally is absolutely unmerciful.You Can't Have Everything is a great Alice Faye vehicle. And wait till you see who Gypsy Rose Lee ends up with. And I'm not sure how that final line from her new betrothed got past the censors.

"You Can't Have Everything" is a splendidly tuneful, enormously entertaining Fox musical, directed by Norman Taurog, starring Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Charles Winninger, and, of course, the Ritz Brothers. This is one of three splendid & spirited musicals Alice Faye made at Fox in 1937. The other two are "On the Avenue" and "Wake Up and Live".Faye, sweet and vulnerable, plays an impoverished playwright named Judith Poe Wells, a descendant of Edgar Allan Poe, who writes plays livid with social significance and realism. She is convinced that it is her sacred duty to live up to the talent her family inherits. As the film opens, Judith accidentally meets a handsome Broadway insider named George Macrae (Ameche) in a Romano Italian restaurant when she fails to pay her plate of spaghetti. Macrae falls in love with Judith and persuades her to turn her into a showbiz sensation. But Judith is not interested in musical comedies or what she calls "usual George Macrae tripe". Rather, she wants serious dramas that depict life's struggles and harshness. Much to Judith's dismay, Macrae nevertheless tells his boss Sam Gordon (Winninger) about her play "North Winds" ("a play about the vital problems that confront womanhood in the frozen north") and ways of turning it into a musical comedy. Macrae's former girl Lulu (Gypsy Rose Lee) shows up and spoils the show by revealing something about Macrae's past and one night while he was drunk. The Ritz Brothers, for once, are immensely enjoyable as their perform their remarkable comic acts and musical numbers. Their acts are perfectly integrated with the story. It was really a hoot to watch them. Also the film features a fantastic dance specialty by Tip, Tap, Toe, which anticipate those by Nicholas Brothers in the later Fox musicals.Among the musical highlights, my absolute favorites are Faye's poignant rendition of the title tune (which kind of reminded me of her unforgettable "You'll Never Know" number in the classic 1943 musical "Hello, Frisco, Hello"), and the lively "Danger, Love at Work". But that's not all. Also look for "Afraid to Dream" and "Please Pardon Us We are in Love".Don't miss "You Can't Have Everything" if you love all-time classic musicals.