Every Day’s a Holiday

Retrospective 2022

Source: Deutsche Kinemathek, courtesy of Universal Studios Licensing, LLC

In New York amid rousing New Year’s Eve celebrations to ring in 1900, police captain Jim McCarey tells con artist Peaches O’Day that she should leave town, because the chief of police wants her arrested. But with the help of a wealthy well-wisher, she’s soon back. Taking to the cabaret stage disguised as “Mademoiselle Fifi”, she catches the amorous eye of police chief John Quade. When she rebuffs his advances, he orders McCarey to shut down the show and, when McCarey defies the order, Quade takes his badge. Peaches manages to get hold of files compromising the corrupt chief and urges McCarey to run against him for the office of mayor ... “He’s the kind of a man I want, I mean for mayor!” In her final film for Paramount Studios, Mae West played it remarkably chaste. Her innate sensuality, usually expressed in verbal innuendo, is here accentuated by the 17 extravagant gowns designed by fashion star Elsa Schiaparelli. The couturier, in turn, contributed to the fetishization of West’s body by designing the bottle for her perfume Shocking to resemble the film star’s figure.

by A. Edward Sutherland
with Mae West, Edmund Lowe, Charles Butterworth, Charles Winninger, Walter Catlett, Lloyd Nolan, Roger Imhof, Herman Bing, Lucien Prival, Adrian Morris, Louis Armstrong, Chester Conklin USA 1938 English 79’ Black/White

With

Mae West
Edmund Lowe
Charles Butterworth
Charles Winninger
Walter Catlett
Lloyd Nolan
Roger Imhof
Herman Bing
Lucien Prival
Adrian Morris
Louis Armstrong
Chester Conklin

Crew

Director	A. Edward Sutherland
Screenplay	Mae West
Story	Jo Swerling, Mae West
Cinematography	Karl Struss
Editing	Ray Curtiss
Visual Effects	Gordon Jennings
Music	Leo Shuken
Sound	Hugo Grenzbach
Choreography	LeRoy Prinz
Art Director	Wiard B. Ihnen
Costumes	Elsa Schiaparelli
Producer	Emanuel Cohen

Produced by

Major Pictures Corp. (An Emanuel Cohen Production)

Additional information

Print: WDR Filmarchiv

A. Edward Sutherland

Filmography

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022