(93 min) Released 1938-09-23
Director: Busby Berkeley
Stars: Pat O'Brien, Margaret Lindsay, John Payne
Genres: Comedy | Musical | Romance
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030171/
Not much to like here. The only dancing is social. John Payne's singing is not as good as I thought, or he needs a better vocal arranger, or songs better suited to him.
Oh, look, it's Busby Berkeley directing. When I saw that, I warned myself that we won't get any signature BB dance directing, and this is the most extreme example of that. I can imagine that my prior rating of 5 was due in part with the disappointment of having bought this from BB's filmo', and resented the expenditure. Comparing this with musicals from lesser studios, it's not so horrible.
Margaret Lindsay has lots of energy and good looks, but I don't care to open her filmo' to see if I'll run across her again. (She doesn't sing here. Don't have to mention that she doesn't dance, because nobody dances here.)
Soundtracks (assembled while the movie started; didn't feel the urge to record times):
- Garden of the Moon, Sung by Mabel Todd with Harry Seymour on piano, Also sung by John Payne with the orchestra
- Love Is Where You Find It, Sung by John Payne and Johnnie Davis with Davis on cornet
- The Lady on the Two Cent Stamp, Sung by John Payne, Jerry Colonna, Johnnie Davis, Ray Mayer, Joe Venuti and chorus
- Confidentially, Sung by John Payne and Mabel Todd, Reprised by Payne and chorus at the end
- The Girl Friend of the Whirling Dervish, Sung by John Payne, Jerry Colonna, Johnnie Davis, Ray Mayer, Joe Venuti and chorus
I'd say this film is only of interest if I'm doing a quest for one of the cast/crew. Because the story is about the band, we get plenty of music, but nothing that I care about. The comedy is minimal. We had TWO scenes where Margaret caught JP and Johnnie Davis in their underwear in their hotel room, and they don't realize their state of undress for a while. Was that comedy or an LGBTQ reference c. 1938? The plot is bad, because O'Brien plays a tyrannical club manager who profits from his mean machinations. Even when Payne stands up to him, that gets mean instead of heroic. Fortunately, actual physical violence is minimal.
Yeah, I've talked myself into keeping the 5. It's not horrible enough to warrant a 4.
Warner, dir. Berkeley; 5
