It's really all about the cast, 'cause there's not much else in this lampoon of MGM's 1932 Oscar Winning Best Picture. All of the archetypes of the Vicki Baum characters are there, but it ends up being closer to an overlong episode of Aaron Spelling's 1980's TV series "Hotel". Once Ginger Rogers, as a lonely and exhausted movie star, mentions to war correspondent Walter Pidgeon (whom she mistakenly believes is a thief) that their situation is like "Grand Hotel's" Garbo and John Barrymore, the parody falls right out of the parlor,. and it becomes very difficult to take any of it seriously anymore, even with the lavish production, all-star cast and MGM gloss.
The story lines seem far too preposterous to be believable in World War II era New York, especially that of Rogers agreeing to interview her maid's jewel thief boyfriend, Van Johnson disturbing Xavier Cugat (as himself) to search for sheet music, and Edward Arnold as a business promoter trying to finalize a big deal with Arab sheiks. Lana Turner is really wasted as a stenographer who bounces around from assignment to assignment, her sudden involvement with Johnson and being used by boss Arnold rather forced. The real problem is the transition from each sequence to another, unsuccessful in its flow. It's all professional to be sure, but ultimately, this hotel may be full on guests, but it is lacking in atmosphere.
Another problem is the film's overlength: 90 minutes of situations disguised as a plot, 10 minutes of Xavier Cugat music, and 30 minutes of the situations exploding into a supposed plot resolution. This is really a missed opportunity with all that talent in front of and behind the cameras going to waste.
The story lines seem far too preposterous to be believable in World War II era New York, especially that of Rogers agreeing to interview her maid's jewel thief boyfriend, Van Johnson disturbing Xavier Cugat (as himself) to search for sheet music, and Edward Arnold as a business promoter trying to finalize a big deal with Arab sheiks. Lana Turner is really wasted as a stenographer who bounces around from assignment to assignment, her sudden involvement with Johnson and being used by boss Arnold rather forced. The real problem is the transition from each sequence to another, unsuccessful in its flow. It's all professional to be sure, but ultimately, this hotel may be full on guests, but it is lacking in atmosphere.
Another problem is the film's overlength: 90 minutes of situations disguised as a plot, 10 minutes of Xavier Cugat music, and 30 minutes of the situations exploding into a supposed plot resolution. This is really a missed opportunity with all that talent in front of and behind the cameras going to waste.