Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Every Day's a Holiday Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 16, 2022

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Mae West in Hollywood.

For a star who was perceived to be such a voluptuous female sex symbol, Mae West had, well, swagger. Just look at the way she gallivants, even marauds, physically through her scenes, walking almost like a prize fighter observing some prey she's just devastated. She frequently has a masculine mien in her gait, hands on hips almost threateningly, and with a kind of pugnacious attitude that nonetheless never completely masks a rather unexpectedly sweet and kind aspect to many of her characters, even if those characters are just as apt to be tough as nails. Specifically in terms of West's memorable saunter, if none of her other unforgettable aspects, one of the commentaries included with this set calls West's distinctive stride a "shimmy" that West supposedly overtly stated was culled from watching black women, though some may jokingly wonder if West was also watching black men for a few pointers. What is kind of fascinating about West's ineluctable allure in terms of behaviors and mannerisms, though, is how she manages to be slyly seductive and ridiculously overheated almost simultaneously, but it's instructive to note that this layering of attitudes and demeanors, as well as "mere" physical presence, was part and parcel of West's own writing and character building acumen, since it seems only obvious that West was more than aware that she was putting on a show on any number of levels. West's proclivities as "another" kind of auteur, one who crafted a series of films that frequently were based on West's own ideas and/or writing, are rather prominently on display in this handsome new(ish) set from Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint, which aggregates together ten features ranging from 1932 to 1943.

Mae West's "travels" to the 20th century in Go West Young Man turned out to be short lived, since her next film, Every Day's a Holiday, once again returned her to "yesteryear", in a milieu that may not exactly have the "gay nineties" written all over it, but which is still intended to evoke a bygone era. Here West is a con artist named Peaches O'Day who kind of hilariously gets into hot water with the law for supposedly trying to sell the Brooklyn Bridge. When she's offered a "warning ticket" of sorts by police captain Jim McCarey (Edmund Lowe), with the understanding Peaches will hightail it out of town, she of course instead hatches a mad plan to disguise herself (with a kind of weird looking black wig) and assume the identity of a singer named Fifi. Another cop named McQuade (Lloyd Nolan) takes a shine to "Fifi" which Fifi doesn't return, and a kind of ménage à trois between Peaches and these two potential suitors develops, albeit within the context of fractious New York City politics. This West effort never quite attains the hilarity that some of her better films do, though once again West's "color blindness" may have helped attract Louis Armstrong to the production.

Every Day's a Holiday Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Every Day's a Holiday is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.35:1. The back cover of this release touts "2021 restorations of Go West Young Man and Every Day's a Holiday from 4K scans" (both features share the same disc). Though I probably sound like a broken record at this point, the "4K scan" needs to be understood within the context of an older element that has some built in deficiencies. Damage here is actually on the minimal side, with less of the prevalent scratching and nicking that afflicts some of the other transfers in this set, though that is not to imply that there's no damage here, since there is. But the overall appearance here is pretty soft, with fine detail levels in particular not overly convincing. Still, there's an appealingly organic look on display, with a nicely resolved grain field, and contrast and black levels are both secure throughout the presentation.

Every Day's a Holiday Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Every Day's a Holiday features an LPCM Mono track. This is another mid-thirties effort in this set which shows at least marginal improvements over some of the earlier films, especially in terms of a somewhat fuller sounding midrange, though the overall sound here is rather shallow and at least intermittently boxy. Music sounds decently full bodied, and all dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.

Every Day's a Holiday Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Powerhouse Films has packaged this release with both Go West Young Man and Every Day's a Holiday sharing a disc. The following is a complete listing of supplements on the disc:

• Go West Young Man Audio Commentary with Nora Fiore


• The Only Way is West (HD; 18:46) is an overview of West's work and persona by Christina Newland.


• Every Day's a Holiday Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:26)


• Go West Young Man Image Gallery (HD)


• Every Day's a Holiday Image Gallery (HD)

Every Day's a Holiday Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There's unfortunately a certain tired quality to Every Day's a Holiday, as if West and her team were struggling to find new ways to present an almost monolithically established image. There are some fun moments here, but a lot of this effort seems listless and frankly not especially funny. Technical merits are generally pleasing within the context of an older element with some inherent limitations. The supplements are definitely weighted pretty heavily toward Every Day's a Holiday's "disc mate", Go West Young Man, for those who may be considering making a purchase.