Tonight's Movie: I Like Your Nerve (1931) - A Warner Archive DVD Review

The young and oh-so-attractive Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Loretta Young star in the romantic comedy I LIKE YOUR NERVE (1931), just released on DVD by the Warner Archive.

I LIKE YOUR NERVE is a lightweight bauble set in a vague Latin American country. American Larry O'Brien (Fairbanks) sees lovely Diane Forsythe (Young) go by in a chauffeur-driven car and immediately comes up with a plan to meet her, which involves strewing glass on the lonely roadway so that her car will suffer flat tires on her return trip.

Diane is inexplicably engaged to a much older man (Edmund Breon). Larry eventually discovers the reason why and sets out to save Diane from her unpleasant fate -- which, of course, means they can live happily ever after!

There's very little to this film, with the chief fun being enjoying the beauty of the two leads, as well as the good time they seem to be having together. Short in length, it's a mildly entertaining time-passer for fans of Fairbanks and Young, but only just. It doesn't have much of a script or any substance; if only it were funnier or more romantic, with such appealing lead actors.

IMDb lists a 70-minute running time, but the Warner Archive print clocked in at the time given on the DVD case, 62 minutes. (Update: Raquel found some interesting information on this, which she shares in her review at Out of the Past.)

William C. McGann directed, with photography by Ernest Haller. The supporting cast includes Boris Karloff as a butler, plus Luis Alberni, Henry Kolker, and Claude Allister.

The print of this 1931 movie is somewhat soft, as films of this age tend to be, but is otherwise in good shape. The sound is slightly fuzzy, again in that "1931 way," but understandable. There are no extras on the disc.

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this DVD. Warner Archive releases are MOD (manufactured on demand) and may be ordered from the Warner Archive Collection Store at Amazon or from any online retailers where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold.