While his contemporary reputation may suggest otherwise, Raoul Walsh was one of our great masters of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Few directors were able to work so consistently across as diverse a range of genres as he did, nor were there many who could manage to attract some of the industry’s finest talents to take part in his ambitious works that feel like the creations of someone genuinely quite excellent at crafting unforgettable films. The common perception was that Walsh was more of a director-for-hire, someone brought on just before a film enters production to direct a script composed by a team of writers, and essentially acting as the guiding hand designated to bring the producers’ vision to life. This is awfully reductive, and distracts from the fact that Walsh was one of our finest formal filmmakers, someone who could pull together the most fascinating projects from the most seemingly simple premises. The Strawberry Blonde is not remembered as one of his greatest achievements, but it does represent the kind of well-constructed, entertaining films that the director was often known to make, being a very simple but evocative story of love succeeding despite the odds. Assembling a terrific cast of actors (several of whom were at their career peaks), and told with razor-sharp precision and filled with genuine emotions, it’s not difficult to understand the many reasons behind this film being fondly remembered, even if only by a small portion of the population who appreciate the unconventional charms that keep this film afloat and allow it to be such an effortlessly delightful work of pure romance distilled into a few meaningful moments shared between characters.

Simplicity is the most powerful tool a director can possess when making a film like The Strawberry Blonde. Films produced during this era had a very special quality that is quite difficult to imagine ever working in a contemporary setting, since we have grown so accustomed to every film (regardless of genre) being derived from either high-concept storytelling or generally having some deeper meaning. Films like this simply needed to tell a decent story in a way that was entertaining, and if it was done well, all of the cliches and conventions that went into its creation could be easily overlooked. It’s pure escapism, the kind that we don’t see all that often anymore, and which few have ever been able to fully recapture in this distilled, enchanting form. The narrative is exceptionally simple – a young man falls in love with a girl he knows he can’t have, then starts a relationship with her friend (who he uses merely as a placeholder), only to find himself falling in love with the one person he did not expect to steal his heart. It’s a straightforward premise that delivers exactly what is promised, and not anything more. It may seem pedestrian at a distance, but it works very well in context, and Walsh’s magical touch is so wonderfully utilized, we can look past the fact that very little of this film is actually all that impressive if we consider how it handles some of the material, which is nothing more than a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy, just with a biting sense of humour that helps keep it buoyant and entertaining, and avoiding too much overt dependency on the obvious elements that we’d find in such a film – and all credit must go to Walsh, who knows how to handle even the most trite stories, turning them into charming and enjoyable works that never feel overwrought or misguided.

Walsh consistently managed to attract a high calibre of actors to appear in his films, and the reasons are not difficult to decode – primarily, we have a director who made films that shone a spotlight on the actors more than anyone else, so regardless of their level of fame or acclaim, every actor that appeared in his films would be given a chance to prove themselves. This worked for both the major stars who were considered the marquee names that would bring audiences to the theatres, and the more obscure character actors who may not be all that recognisable, but helped carry the film through their spirited performances. The Strawberry Blonde is mainly of interest for the trio of James Cagney, Rita Hayworth and Olivia De Havilland, whose love triangle forms the foundation for the film and drives most of the plot forward. They are not always actors we associate with comedies, even though they were all known to dabble in more lighthearted fare from time to time, which made them perfect candidates to bring The Strawberry Blonde to life, especially considering this was a work that is as much an upbeat romantic comedy as it is a poignant, character-based melodrama. They work together in perfect synchronicity, capturing both the eccentricity of their characters, as well as showcasing a deeper and more profound attention to detail that the film easily facilitates. The Strawberry Blonde is also worth watching for the excellent work being done by journeyman character actors like Alan Hale, Jack Carson and George Tobias, who are all highlights of the film and easily blend into the world being created, making for a charming ensemble of peculiar characters that we cannot resist absolutely adoring.

They often say falling in love is easy; it’s maintaining the spark which is the real challenge. The film industry has been built on the idea of exploring romance as something that everyone should go through at least once in their life – and whether a relationship is fleeting or is seen to be the one true love that someone has been searching for their entire life, there is always something so compelling about watching the process of going through a relationship, with the ebb and flow of passion being extraordinarily captivating when done right. This is a film that pays attention to its emotions – a story like this could have so easily veered towards unbearable, heavy-handed melodrama, especially since it was clear that it was written to have moments of genuine conflict, which emerge exactly where we would expect them, but never in a way that feels like they are simply shoehorned into the narrative to add emotional resonance. There is a depth to this film that could only come from a work as profoundly attentive to how real people act, so its not surprising that many of the greatest ideas that underpin this film come in those moments of the most intimate introspection between characters – Walsh’s greatness as a filmmaker revolved around his ability to tell compelling stories without needing to depend too heavily on the smaller details that would derail the film by distracting from the broader picture, which accounts for some of the more compelling ideas embedded deep within this film, which is signalled by many moments that resound with a kind of genuine sweetness that would not have been possible without finding the balance between conventions and more experimental ideas, both of which are equally important to developing this charming comedy.

The Strawberry Blonde is the perfect example of the quintessential romantic comedy that takes a simple premise and makes it feel expansive and complex without actually being too overfilled with ambitious ideas. On the surface, it seems like any other conventional comedy from this era – it features humour drawn directly from the time in which it was set (but it is mercifully not too topical that modern viewers would likely be lost in terms of the references), and its sensibilities are very much about addressing life in America in the years immediately following the end of the Great Depression, when life was looking slightly more prosperous for these people. However, even if we take it as a product of its time, it’s difficult to ignore the charm that pulsates throughout this film – it’s such a wonderfully effervescent testament to the concept of love, as well as a resounding demonstration of the importance of not settling for the first bit of potential we see in a relationship, since it’s likely that the best experiences are still to come. The Strawberry Blonde is not a particularly daring film, but it is one that is filled to the brim with charm, humour and an eccentric sense of romance that feels like it comes from a place of genuine honesty, rather than just existing for the sake of satiating a particular set of ideas. Hilariously funny but also deeply heartfelt, this film is a true gem and a unique delight from beginning to end.