This little ten-minute comedy short with a song is priceless if only for the rare chance to see Helen Kane, one of the iconic pop singers of the late 1920's and early 1930's. Miss Kane was the Clara Bow of vinyl, her sassy, sexy, and adorable records included such legendary songs as "I Want to Be Loved By You" and "He's So Unusual", covered a half century later by Cyndi Lauper. She was 78rpm sensation in the last days of the flapper era and Paramount put her under contract in 1929 and featured her in seven feature films 1929-1930, sadly her contract with the studio ended with this short subject in 1931. The studio soon borrowed her personality, look and even her "boop-boop-a-doop" for a new cartoon character who was to become a sensation herself.
LESSON IN LOVE stars Helen as "Helen Lane", a rather pea-brained college student with a big crush on her psychology professor. Her utter ignorance wears him out ("You should have taken arsenic rather than psychology!" he snaps, to which she responds "Who teaches that?") and they snap at each other leading Helen to storm out and quit the class. Later at the school dance however Helen can't get over her feelings for Professor Hotchiss (or "Professor Hot Kiss" as Helen bumbles.)
Helen has only one song in this short "I Love Myself Cuz You Love Me". This thin little story is slight but highly appealing with some good comic lines from both Helen and the unknown actor playing the youngish professor (he's not credited, nor are the two other cast members who have lines.) Helen's a bit plump in this film but she's utterly adorable and one regrets she was so locked into the flapper era in the public's mind that her vogue passed all too quickly.
LESSON IN LOVE stars Helen as "Helen Lane", a rather pea-brained college student with a big crush on her psychology professor. Her utter ignorance wears him out ("You should have taken arsenic rather than psychology!" he snaps, to which she responds "Who teaches that?") and they snap at each other leading Helen to storm out and quit the class. Later at the school dance however Helen can't get over her feelings for Professor Hotchiss (or "Professor Hot Kiss" as Helen bumbles.)
Helen has only one song in this short "I Love Myself Cuz You Love Me". This thin little story is slight but highly appealing with some good comic lines from both Helen and the unknown actor playing the youngish professor (he's not credited, nor are the two other cast members who have lines.) Helen's a bit plump in this film but she's utterly adorable and one regrets she was so locked into the flapper era in the public's mind that her vogue passed all too quickly.