Review of Poppy

I've read that W.C. Fields was suffering from health problems while he was making "Poppy", which probably explains why his role seems to be significantly reduced in the second half of the picture. When he is on screen, he does have some very amusing moments (the "talking" dog, his lecture against the evils of gambling (!), "sideburns", etc.), but his croquet routine is too long and more suited to someone like Lou Costello, IMO. Rochelle Hudson has a lovely singing voice, but she doesn't quite strike the strong father-daughter bond that Fields had with Mary Brian in "The Man On The Flying Trapeze". The period production is quite lavish, but the script is a bit awkward (Cromwell and Hudson are talking about marriage and family but they've known each other for what...1 or 2 days?). All in all, a pleasant time-passer. **1/2 out of 4.