(82 mins.) Released 1933-02-03
Director: Lewis Milestone
Stars: Al Jolson, Madge Evans, Frank Morgan, Harry Langdon
comedy, drama, musical
originally posted 8 Oct 2017 01:11
Jolson made 6 films between The Jazz Singer and this one; I just don't own any of them (yet). Lewis Milestone directed some very good movies; his best is probably All Quiet on the Western Front (1930); this is his 18th feature film. Ben Hecht wrote this film and The Front Page (1931), which was also directed by Milestone; this is his 20th writing credit of 136, one of which is "announced". (He died in '64.)
Songs and Musical Dialogue by Rodgers and Hart, but none of the song titles evoke a "standard" tune. Both appear in minor roles.
Edgar Connor, a short man with a distinctive voice, only made 2 features and 3 shorts, and the other feature was The Kid from Spain (above). He died in 1934 at age 41, like Mildred Washington (Torch Singer, above), from complications of an operation. This is before penicillin.
Tyler Brooke, the mayor's assistant here, had a brief role in Love Me Tonight (above) during the Isn't It Romantic virus. Also a R&H film.
Harry Langdon, usually ranked in the top 4 (among Chaplin, Keaton, Lloyd) solo silent comedians, has a speaking role here, billed 4th, just after Frank Morgan (The Wizard of Oz, 1939).
This film has a lot of charm. The story is fairly unusual and engaging, and the theme (life is better without money) is understandable during the depression. But apparently this was a box-office flop; it's been 3.3 years since the Crash.
The bigger gimmick is that much of the dialogue is sung and/or rhythmically recited. So Hart contributed much more than the usual song writer, as he did in Love Me Tonight.
I like Jolson's acting: he has to convey a range of emotions, and he does, and he doesn't oversell his songs. He doesn't black up, and his (black) companion is not heavily stereotypical, although he leans toward Ebonics.
The print doesn't look great, although this is an MGM release.
UA distr, dir & prod Milestone, 8
