So few of Alice White's films have survived that it is especially delightful that such an entertaining star vehicle should pop up on home video. This pert, vivacious blond easily carries this film about love and gangsters. At a time when Ruth Chatterton earned her pay by rolling her "R"'s and making you wait for each word, Alice White stands out for her lack of hesitation. As "Goldie", she is caught "riding the rails" by a cop [Robert Elliot, who played ALL the WB/FN cops since Lights Of New York]. He need only ask one question and Goldie comes across with all the straight dope. So impressed is he by her veracity that he buys her a ticket. The plot is thusly advanced rapidly, and the film does its business in under an hour. David Manners is fine, but to see him really act try '31's The Miracle Worker. Director Cline includes a lot of rear projection and Alice does a fine song and dance which prefigures Busby Berkeley by 3 years. If you ever wondered who the Warner Brothers/First National diva was before Bette Davis, Sweet Mama will satisfy more than your curiosity.
