tavm Review of Hi Diddle Diddle

Hi Diddle Diddle (1943)

Hi Diddle Diddle is enjoyable romantic fluff from war years

[7/10 · 10 August 2006]

I recently purchased a used copy of a 1987 video of Hi Diddle Diddle at Pike's Market Place in Seatle, Washington because it mentioned a cartoon sequence from Leon Schlesinger just before he sold his studio (as well as characters Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck) to Warner Bros. Those animations open and close the picture to amusing effect in this slightly surreal romantic comedy starring Dennis O'Keefe, Martha Scott, Adolphe Menjou, Billie Burke, June Havoc, and in her last film before The Moon-Spinners 21 years later (which was her final one!) Pola Negri. One of my favorite running gags involves a beautiful woman (Lorraine Miller) who keeps appearing in various scenes in different roles as noted first by Menjou, then various cast members. Finally, Burke says, "She was put in different places as a favor to the director!" It's interesting to note that both Negri and Menjou (in Pollyanna) made their final feature appearances opposite Hayley Mills in Disney movies. For the occasional nonsense that pops up, Hi Diddle Diddle is worth a look.