Love and Hisses (1937) DVD-R

Starring Walter Winchell, Ben Bernie, Simone Simon, Bert Lahr, Joan Davis, Ruth Terry,
Douglas Fowley, Chick Chandler
Directed by Sidney Lanfield

Print: black/white
Runtime: 82 min.
Genre: comedy
Print Quality: B

Before sitting down to watch Love and Hisses, it's important to know that columnist Walter
Winchell and bandleader Ben Bernie were engaged in a phony but highly publicized feud in
the late 1930s. For the purposes of this film, the source of the Winchell-Bernie contretemps
is pretty nightclub singer Simone Simon. Secretly signing the girl to a contract, Bernie
spreads rumors that the girl has no talent, knowing full well that his "friendly enemy"
Winchell will then give her a huge build-up in his newspaper column. Upon finding out that
he's been hoodwinked, Winchell gets even by having Bernie kidnapped by a gang of phony
hoodlums. With all this going on, it's easy to forget that legendary Broadway clown Bert
Lahr is also in Love and Hisses.