Sunday, December 10, 2017

Hollywood Hotel (1937), 6+

Ronny Bowers, a saxophonist in Benny Goodman's band has won a talent contest an got a ten week contract with a film studio. On his first evening he is supposed to go with the studio's star ... 
(109 min) Released 1937-12-20
Director: Busby Berkeley
Stars: Dick Powell, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane, Hugh Herbert, Glenda Farrell, Johnnie Davis, Louella Parsons, Alan Mowbray, Frances Langford, Allyn Joslyn, Grant Mitchell, Edgar Kennedy, Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Harry James, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson

Genres: Comedy | Musical | Romance

No, I didn't list the entire cast, just the majority of names I know. Also with a small part at 34:45, radio interviewer outside the movie premiere: wowser!, a very young, very handsome Ronald Reagan. He looks just a little taller than DP (they must be standing on different objects: DP 5'11, RR 6'1), but DP has a much bigger head.

Slogan at a studio entrance: Miracle Pictures - if it's a good picture it's a Miracle.

Whoa. I thought one Lane sister was playing a dual role. No, Rosemary plays the waitress and Lola the diva actress. They finally face off at the end, and LL has a more prominent nose? Looks a little older? Unfortunately they didn't face the camera together.
  • The opening scene is a parade of the Benny Goodman orchestra led by Johnnie Davis singing Hooray for Hollywood. I was surprised they kept the lyric with Donald Duck. A cartoon from Warner substituted Daffy Duck. You have to look carefully to find Harry James. He looks more geeky than suave; he obviously hadn't become a star player yet. Krupa is prominent.
  • 41:00 I'm Like a Fish out of Water sung by DP and RL in the fountain at the restaurant post-premiere party.
  • 57:20 Silhouetted in the Moonlight sung by RL in the shell of the Hollywood Bowl
  • 1:03:50 Let That Be a Lesson to You sung by JD with BG & Orch at Hollywood Hotel Orchid Room, sung by DP as carhop at drive-in restaurant, RL in a convertible, and more
  • 1:18:00 Sing, Sing, Sing by BG & Orch; Harry James is prominent for a few moments
  • 1:20:30 I've Got a Heartful of Music played by BG Quartet (Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson,  Krupa and BG)
  • 1:23:40 I've Hitched My Wagon to a Star sung by DP, dubbing for onscreen Alan Mowbry
  • At the Hollywood Hotel broadcast, all played by Raymond Paige and His Orchestra 
    • 1:33:40 Silhouetted in the Moonlight sung by FL, Jerry Cooper 
    • 1:38:30 Ochi Tchornya Sung by a chorus
    • 1:44:25 reprise I've Hitched My Wagon to a Star sung by DP
    • 1:46:10 Sing, You Son of a Gun sung by DP, JD, RL, GF, and more, with reprises of other songs so everyone can take their bow.
Sing, Sing, Sing is my favorite song of all time, especially the 12 minute version by BG & Orch at Carnegie Hall '38, which includes a sublime piano solo fairly near the end. (The link takes you to Amazon Prime for a free listen (use good speakers/headphones), free for how long I don't know; reviews complaining about wrong version... must have been fixed when I accessed it.) Ha, NPR has a year 2000 series of top 100 songs(?), moments in music history(?), and here's their 23 min on BG's Carnegie Hall concert (the first Swing band to play there), and SSS. They talk for 10 min, then play the track, talk for 1 more. Ugh, the NPR audio has the record scratches; not the Amazon track.

I'm sensing a pattern: when BB directs, he doesn't do ANY fancy dance sequences; ok, it's just a pattern of 2 movies. Director credits so far: 
Although there are better ways to consume BG music and get more of it for your time invested, it is a pleasure to see them perform.

Warner, dir. Berkeley; 6+

The 3 Lane Sisters, from imdb.com; blonde Priscilla was not in this film.
Which would you cast as the diva, which as the doe-eyed waitress?


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