Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

HarlowMGM Delicious Hispanic comedienne Lupe Velez's iconic Mexican SPITFIRE series was seven years in the future when she made this movie in 1932, THE HALF NAKED TRUTH. A star since the late 1920's, Lupe was one of the most gorgeous women in Hollywood and had a great career despite the limited casting opportunities that came her way (unlike her contemporary Dolores Del Rio, she would never play anything but a Latina). I'm a big admirer of Lupe's and really looked forward to this film especially with one of the great comedy directors of the era, Gregory La Cava, at the helm and cohorts as talented as Lee Tracy, Eugene Palette, and Franklin Pangborn. The movie is all about hyping a modest talent (Velez's cooch dancer) into major stardom thanks to brash, shameless publicist Lee Tracy. I found this rather ironic because it's seems this movie itself is a classic example of hype, it gets raves in many corners in my opinion simply because the great La Cava is in charge, however the results are quite disappointing. Several of the situations are great but never live up to their potential, notably the early carnival segment.Lupe is one of the stars of a flea-bitten small time carnival show that plays small towns to indifferent audiences, Tracy and Palette have behind the scenes jobs at the carnival. When the carnival's publicist quits because of the late paychecks, Tracy sees it as his opportunity to step into the job and become a big shot. Acting as the carnival barker, he announces Lupe is traumatized by this visit to their locale as she has just learned a local man is her father, the results of a 20-year-old indiscretion involving her mother, then a carnival girl like she is today. Tracy proclaims Lupe will reveal the name of the man who fathered her at tonight's performance, which perks up the previously disinterested locals who come a packin' into the show later that night. Alas, it all falls apart (regrettably as it would have been fun to see it pulled off) and in the resulting big brawl, Tracy hauls tail out of town with Eugene and Lupe as they steal a car and head for New York and the big time where Tracy successfully passes off Velez as an eccentric princess with a pet lion and desire for a show business career, a stunt which quickly lands her a slot in a major Broadway revue.Despite her top billing Lupe's part is regrettably secondary not only to Tracy but also Eugene Palette in perhaps the largest role this great character actor ever played in a talkie. Tracy's con man will remind many of his similar part in the next year's BOMBSHELL (a vastly superior film) opposite Jean Harlow, unfortunately his character is even less likable here and when he maliciously sabotages Velez's stardom when she takes up with producer Frank Morgan he just seems mean. Palette, on the other hand, is hilarious at every moment and there's a funny quite racy running gag of something mysteriously written about him by Tracy on the hotel's guest book, perhaps so that he can share a room with La Velez, probably that he's a eunuch but possibly that he's gay or somehow less than a man. Tracy also gets a racy gem of a parting line in his last scene with Frank Morgan but this script honestly needed another rewrite, there aren't that many laughs although many scenes seem prime for them. A low point is the occasionally unimpressive production design, the ritzy New York hotel the gang is staying at is rather sparsely furnished and worse there's a shot of an airplane flying that is blatantly a toy; couldn't they have found some stock footage of a real plane? THE HALF NAKED TRUTH is a fairly decent time filler and enjoyable even if you've undoubtedly seen it all before. And that fact that the luscious Ms. Velez wears the skimpiest outfits she ever wrote in a movie will surely be enough of a reason to check this out.

kidboots "The Half Naked Truth" was just the boost Lupe needed to show everyone the sizzling comedian who had been hidden underneath a swag of melodramatic roles. Known more for her over publicized romance with Gary Cooper than for her thespian abilities, by 1932 the affair was definitely over. Earlier that year Lupe had wowed Broadway with her role as Conchita, a feisty Mexican charmer, in "Hot Cha!" and her popularity was able to keep the show going for a modest 119 performances. But "The Half Naked Truth" gave her a tailor made role as "Princess Exotica" a publicity hungry actress. Creating a sizzling partnership with Lee Tracy, to me the ultimate pre-code actor, together they reached a peak of witticisms, humour and extravagance. The movie also offered Lupe a chance to take advantage of her self mocking humor and caricature, which she did in a most wonderful way.Fast talking press agent Jimmy Bates (Lee Tracy) is tearing his hair out in frustration - at not being able to get out of this flea bitten carnival!!! Among his bright ideas is a ploy to get La Belle Sultana (Lupe Velez) to confess the name of her father to a crowd of worried hicks who have nervously gathered around the side show. This gag is one of the funniest in the movie. There is no long lost father but all the men sure look guilty, each one convinced they are the culprit!! It backfires and the three of them (Eugene Palette is the token buddy) are run out of town but by the time they hit Broadway, La Belle Sultana is now the Princess Exotica with Jimmy doing his best to pass her off as a Turkish harem girl and get her into the Merle Farrell (read Earl Carroll) Follies.There is also a hilarious bit with a completely stressed chihuahua - you'd be stressed too if you saw Lupe's antics, picking the dog up as if it was a handbag and throwing it around. Fortunately or unfortunately the little dog disappeared soon after this!!! Another publicity gimmick was displaying Exotica's pet lion to the disbelieving reporters (Lupe seemed more scared than anyone as she hid behind a lounge while the lion wandered around the apartment)!!! The "tamale" becomes the hit of the show with her jazzy, sexy hoochie dance to "Hey, Mr. Carpenter" - she has the male members of the audience eating out of the palm of her hand. But, as usual, she gets to big for her boots and feels she is now above these silly antics while exasperated Jimmy proclaims "I can put any dumb-bell in your place" - the dumb-bell happens to be the maid who is yearning to be a secretary when she learns how to spell!!! Suddenly Exotica is old news and must take a back seat to the new "Eve" but with Lupe not now the centre of attention the film loses a bit of it's zip, even though Tracy is peppy as ever. Lupe, for me, is the highlight.The film ends with Lupe back dancing at the carnival and Tracy promising to give her "what for" when the dance is over. Under Gregory La Cava's direction Lupe smoothly burlesqued her real public self, a lampoon that would stand her in good stead for her "Mexican Spitfire" series.

mrb1980 This funny little pre-Code film benefits greatly from the dynamite teaming of Lee Tracy and Lupe Velez. Tracy plays Bates, a carnival barker/con man whose carnival is run out of town for fleecing local residents. He comes up with the bright idea of billing his girlfriend Teresita (Velez) as "Princess Exotica" from Turkey, and heads for Broadway. In New York, Bates fast-talks his way into a contract with the perpetually confused Merle Ferrell (Frank Morgan), then admits that Teresita is not a Turkish princess after all. Teresita electrifies the audience with a rendition of "Hey, Mr. Carpenter", then begins to grow apart from Bates, who is busy blackmailing Ferrell into hiring him for a publicist position. Finally, Bates believes that he has lost Teresita, so he quits his job with Ferrell, returns to the carnival, where Teresita is singing and dancing. The wedding march song ensues, signaling an upcoming Bates/Teresita marriage and the end of the film.This movie is just hilarious, with great singing and dancing from Velez, very funny performances from Tracy and Morgan, and punchy direction by La Cava. The "Hey, Mr. Carpenter" number is terrific, the dialogue surprisingly fresh, and the gags quite good. The scene in which a frantic Morgan finds blackmail photos of himself and Velez all over his office is howlingly funny. The great Max Steiner has a small role as a befuddled orchestra conductor. My only complaint is with the strange subplot about a nudist colony, which seems out of place.Watching this film makes me wonder what might have been. Tracy destroyed his career with an infamous drunken 1934 incident, and sadly Velez committed suicide in 1944. Both should have been major movie stars, but are remembered as footnote Hollywood actors—especially Tracy, who has been all but forgotten. It's a shame, because both Tracy and Velez shine brightly in this excellent, happy film.

houndspirit Fast moving and very funny comedy loosely based on famous press agent Harry Reichenbach. A film to watch whenever your spirits need uplifting. Lee Tracy is always fun and is one of those rare performers who can lift any material out of the mundane. Here he has material and supporting cast worthy of his talents. A delightfull period piece which shows very little if any tendency to date. See it if you can and enjoy!