My Little Chickadee Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

My Little Chickadee 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 stratospheric movie career was in danger of flaming out by 1940, after a run of less than successful releases like Every Day's a Holiday. It's notable that My Little Chickadee not only paired her with W.C. Fields, for a supposed "must see" film event for fans of that era, but also that the film marked her first effort away from her longtime home, Paramount Pictures, which West wasn't shy about claiming she saved from bankruptcy due to the box office receipts of several of her films. It may have been a bit of jumping out of the fire and into the frying pan, since there are stories galore about Fields and West mixing together about as well as oil and water, though Fields' granddaughter puts the lie to some of those stories in a supplement included on this disc. As Harriet Fields does get into, though, this was a film where West and Fields each wrote their own dialogue and bits, and the result is, as Harriet Fields mentions, kind of a mishmash that can feel like two separate films kind of squished together for no apparent reason. If the story, which once again casts West as a late 19th century singer who supposedly marries a con man played by Fields, doesn't really make a whale of a lot of sense, there's undeniable fun to be had simply watching two larger than life performers attempt to "out chew the scenery" with each other. This returned West to the ranks of profit producing stars, though her performance was not appreciated by contemporary critics, and within just a couple of years, West's film career was more or less over.

My Little Chickadee Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

My Little Chickadee is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Film's Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.35:1. The back cover of this release touts a "2018 4K restoration", and this is one of the better looking transfers in this set, though it still has a few lingering signs of age related wear and tear which whatever restoration gauntlet was undertaken hasn't been able to completely remedy. Detail levels are quite pleasing a lot of the time, with fine detail on things like the feathered finery West wears looking generally precise. Contrast and black levels are both solid, and gray scale is generally nicely modulated. Grain is once again pretty thick, but resolves without any issues. My score is 3.75.

My Little Chickadee Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

My Little Chickadee features LPCM Mono audio, and the quality of the track is completely in line with the latter day productions offered in this set. This doesn't have as much of the overt musical offerings as some other West films, and as such this "talk heavy" enterprise probably sounds a bit more punchy and alive than some of the earlier films in this set. I noticed no issues whatsoever with regard to any major damage, and all dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English subtitles are available.

My Little Chickadee Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Love Hate Relationship: Dr. Harriet Fields on W.C. Fields, Mae West and My Little Chickadee (HD; 12:35) is an interesting Zoom like appearance by W.C. Fields' granddaughter, who offers her memories of her famous relative and her thoughts on West, a supposed feud she had with Fields, and the film itself.


• My Little Chickadee Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:40)


• Image Gallery (HD)


• Hollywood Bowl (HD; 6:45) is a fun black and white cartoon from 1936 which features a glut of caricatures of then famous stars. I have to say as someone who has spent a lot of time researching Frances Farmer, it struck me as a bit odd that this Universal cartoon would prominently feature three of Farmer's co-stars from Rhythm on the Range, Bing Crosby, Martha Raye and Bob Burns, in what seem to be clear references to that film, which would have admittedly been a huge hit at the time of this cartoon's release.


• Mae West (HD; 1:35:32) is a made for television supposed biography starring Ann Jillian as West.

My Little Chickadee Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The star pairing of Fields and West is the calling card here, and if the stars couldn't stand each other in real life, they're a ton of fun to see on screen together. Technical merits are generally decent, and this disc has some of this set's most appealing supplements. Recommended.