Swing Shift Maisie (1943) (original) (raw)
Synopsis
Get in the Swing with .... Swing Shift Maisie
Street-smart Maisie from Brooklyn lands a job at an airplane assembly plant during WWII and falls in love with handsome pilot "Breezy" McLaughlin. Breezy, however, falling in love with and getting engaged to Maisie's conniving roommate Iris, doesn't realize she's using him and it's up to Maisie to convince him.
Cast
Popular reviews
I love Maisie movies so much for a lot of reasons. She's strong and independent, without having to be anything less than feminine - she's not the "succeeds in a man's world" kind of strong 40s woman, wearing power suits and working in an office (which I love too), she gives us another side. It's usually ruffles and pumps, but even in her factory coveralls, she swings those curves and won't be mistaken for one of the boys.
In Swingshift Maisie, we also get another rather rare female character... a manipulative but whiny counterpoint to Maisie, played well by Jean Rogers. She's not your standard "bad girl." She's not simply a vamp, she will use everyone, men and women, to…
Maisie goes to work in an airplane plant, get a roommate who's not quite on the level and meets a flyer. Lots of sharp lines in this one.
When Maisie first walks through the plant after getting hired, all the guys, and I mean ALL the guys whistle at her. Wouldn't that be sexual harassment today? She just smiles and accepts it graciously, while fending off any offers.
Also, Maisie goes bowling.
letterboxd.com/retrohound/list/maisie-films-ranked/
“There’s lots you don’t know but what I’m talkin’ about isn’t one of them.” That line typifies this film, really: it has something but the execution is decidedly half-arsed.
It's a fairly enjoyable seventh Maisie film, the first one set entirely during the war. So she’s working in an aircraft factory and the love interest is a test pilot (played by James Craig, who was signed by MGM because they thought he looked like Clark Gable, who had joined the military).
Sothern rocks a jumpsuit and pigtails, and is as charming as ever – the way she warms up when she meets a rare nice guy is always a poignant joy. But the film should by rights be called Propaganda…
A little too loud and obnoxious, but it's an lively Maisie comedy with spies and romantic twists. Ann Sothern was a puppy lover in this one, always carrying one with her. Didn't matter if she was climbing down a window. The dog was with her. She gets some competition for James Craig's heart as Jean Rogers tries to manipulate the situation. And honestly, that was the most important aspect of this late entry of Maisie.
He’s my Uncle Sam too!
I’ve been so excited for this one (for obvious reasons) and it (kinda) didn’t disappoint!!
I’d trust Maisie with my life but I don’t think the right way to stop two people from getting married is to claim that all three of you are nazis… especially not during wartime
After the last entry in this series, SWING SHIFT MAISIE feels like a real return to form, but that has a lot to do with how bad MAISIE GETS HER MAN was, (mostly thanks to the aggressively unfunny Red Skelton.) It's an entertaining romantic comedy, but it's not uniquely a Maisie film.
While it is definitely highly watchable and has all the Ann Sothern charm you expect in a Maisie film, it has lost the pure, fantastical escapism of the earlier films. Maisie used to be a force of nature, sweeping in to change hearts and minds, but here she comes off as far more realistic. No longer is she a super heroine. She's still plucky, brassy, tough, and cheery,…
Always a comfort to watch Ann Sothern as Maisie. This one is a variation on the normal formula, but still has good well-meaning people helping other good well-meaning people while trying to avoid getting destroyed by metaphorical landmines set by selfish scheming liars.
A good pick-me-up in these times because in the Maisie films the lowlifes never emerge successful in the end.
The first wartime Maisie film is not as funny as its sequel (Maisie Goes To Reno), but once shifty roommate Iris (Jean Rogers) shows her true colors, it picks up quite a bit! All I can say is Iris had a lot more coming to her than a wastebasket on the head...
i need to know what was going on between iris and maisie behind the scenes
The seventh of the ten Maisie films from MGM. These are still running about 90 minutes which is a sign that they have not fallen into B film territory. Not that the budgets look very big. This is the weakest of the films so far. Most of them center on a down and out Maisie looking for work and being banged around a bit by life before she turns the tables. This one turns into a tedious romantic threesome that felt more sour than sweet. Maisie (Ann Sothern) is on the west coast in a dog act - not a very spiffy one as the dogs can't seem to do much other than lay down and walk between her legs.…
Maisie takes a gig helping the war effort by building airplanes and guess what? She gets involved in someone else's personal drama! Yes, Ann Sothern is delightful and yes, she carries the whole picture. Stop me if you think you've heard this one before. This time she carries a dog around a lot, which I'm going to assume will be nowhere to be found in the next one.