(100 min) Released 1936-01-16
Director: Norman Taurog
Stars: Eddie Cantor, Ethel Merman, Sally Eilers
Robert Alton ... director: dances and ensembles
Comedy | Musical
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028321/
Wow, so much to write about! I still don't care for EC, but this one has LOTS to like: Ethel Merman, Robert Alton, Dona Drake and Sunnie O'Dea, plus the special effects and stunts.
Merman is gorgeous, dressed to the teeth (actually, through to the hat), sings THREE numbers, and doesn't overdo the vocals. She also gets to act, helping the bad guys manipulate Pink (EC).
Robert Alton makes his debut as dance director, and it's eye-popping! When Dona Drake lets loose during The Lady Dances, I thought she was Joan McCracken, but Good News (1947) is too far hence. It wasn't just the face, but the way she moved that reminded me of JM. During Shake It Off with Rhythm, Sunnie O'Dea dances with her reflection on the shiny black floor, while backed with a male dance chorus. So when the screen splits, and her reflection goes a different way, those men had to be very still to match their reflections - or was that another optical effect? The screen splits and rejoins twice. Then they use the reflective floor to another good effect with, um, double chorus girls. It's gorgeous to look at, plus good dancing. (Of Alton's 25 musical films, I own 24, and the missing one is not released. I never deliberately collected Alton. My ratings are 6, 7 or 8, mostly 7. And I'm not that generous.) I hope I run into a featurette about him. (Total sidebar: what happens after a movie to dozens of identical chorus girl gowns?)
Title card: "Dances and Ensembles Photographed by Gregg Toland, High and Low Number Photographed by Merritt Gerstad, Special Effects Photographed by..." Toland, famously filmed Citizen Kane (1941), has credits starting in 1926; lived 1904-48. Gerstad was also the primary cinematographer for the film. The High and Low number has lots of cuts (some bits are one word long) and artsy camera angles. How much of that is Gerstad vs. director Taurog? Also, the lighting of that number is so dark it made me wonder if they were trying to hide the ethnicity of the ensemble (all black). Gerstad lived 1900-1974, but his last IMDb credit was 1945; no biography to explain his exit.
Special effects are not limited to the split screen dance; we have some rear projection and stunt work that rivals the most adventurous silent comedian. In the trivia section we get "Clarence Budington Kelland wrote his story as a vehicle for Harold Lloyd." Yup.
The non-musical and non-stunt majority of the film is skippable. But fastforward (not chapter-skip) to watch for the good stuff. Edward Brophy's brief dance to a bit of La Gioconda, and why he does it, is worthwhile.
Next viewing: look for dance duo Carol Chilton and Maceo Thomas, and note here the time of their appearance.
Goldwyn, dir. Taurog [+R.Alton], 7-
