Happy Halloween! - Sinners

Warner Bros, 2025

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, and Jack O'Connell

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Music and Lyrics by various

We celebrate Halloween with something truly unique, and one of the biggest surprise hits of the year. Director Ryan Coogler was mainly known for his adaptations, including the two Black Panther films. This is his first original. There was a lot of question marks surrounding this movie when it debuted this April, but it received some of the best reviews of the spring. Positive word-of-mouth turned it into a huge hit, a rarity for an R-rated movie and an original without a franchise behind it. Considering other musicals this year, including Snow White and Kiss of the Spider Woman, have struggled, what made this one stand out? Let's head to Clarksdale, Mississippi in 1932, where twin brothers Elijah "Smoke" and Elias "Stack" Moore (Jordan) are "Wanraising the roof in their father's church with "This Little Light of Mine" and find out...

The Story: The twins buy an old sawmill from smarmy landowner Hogwood (David Maldonado) to open their own juke joint, an African-American nightclub and dance hall. They bring in their cousin Sammie (Caton), despite his pastor father Jeddiah (Saul Williams) warning him against the sins of blues music. They recruit local field worker Cornbread (Omar Benson Miller) as the bouncer, Chinese grocery store owners Grace (Li Jun Li) and Bo (Yao) Chow as suppliers, and legendary blues man Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) as a musician. Smoke talks his wife Annie (Wunami Mosaku) into cooking for them, despite them being estranged after the death of their infant daughter, while Sammie admires pretty singer Pearline (Jayme Lawson) and Stack tries to court his white-passing ex-girlfriend Mary (Steinfeld). 

The opening night of the juke joint attracts a lot more than customers who only pay in company money. Sammie's music is so transcendent, it attracts the spirits of the past and future...and Remmick (O'Connell), a vampire looking for someone whose music can restore his lost community. He's already turned Hogswood's nephew Bert (Peter Dreimanis) and his wife Joan (Lola Kirke) into vampires, and he attacks Mary when she tries to reason with him. After she turns Stack, he becomes set on taking the entire African-American community. Smoke won't go down without a fight, but when Remmick rallies the rest of the town, it's up to him and those who remain to save the joint and their music from this supernatural menace.

The Song and Dance: Wow, no wonder this was so huge. First of all, the movie is gorgeous. The costumes and sets (filmed in Louisiana) are stunning and period-accurate, perfectly redolent of the sweat and grime of the real south in the early 30's. There's some fabulous performances, too. Jordan does well as both twins, especially the determined Stack, and Caton's performances at the juke joint are good enough to make you understand why Remmick wanted him to play his music, too. Maldonado is a good smarmy landowner, and O'Connell's Irish vampire obsessed with resurrecting his lost home is chilling. And I appreciate how much music is central to the story. It's the reason they want that juke joint, that Sammie defies his father, that Remmick attacks them.

The Numbers: We open with Sammie raising the roof (along with the DC6 Singers Collective and the Pleasant Valley Youth Choir of New Orleans) at his father's church with the traditional "This Little Light of Mine." "Wang Dang Doodle" is the song heard while the men are driving to discuss opening the juke joint with Hogwood. Sammie performs "Travelin'," "Juke," and "I Lied to You" at that "transcendent" juke joint opening night. "Can't Win for Losin'" is another number for Delta Slim and his musicians. There's also "Old Corn Liquor." "Pick Poor Robin Clean," "Will Ye Go, Lassie Go?" and "Rocky Road to Dublin" are the numbers for Remmick and Hogswood's nephew and his wife. The last-named turns into a chorus number when they bring the others vampires in on it. The eerie "Pale, Pale Moon" is Pearline's big number in the juke joint, while Mary gets "Dangerous." 

Trivia: This became the first movie to ever be offered by a streaming service with American Sign Language interpretation (which is how I saw it on Amazon Prime). 

What I Don't Like: First of all, heed that R rating. Given vampires and gangsters are involved, you probably won't be surprised to hear that there's a ton of violence, blood, and swearing in this movie. This juke joint is for adult revelers only. Second, frankly, the more realistic first half, where we learn about the relationships between the Moore twins, their family, and the community is slightly more interesting than the supernatural second half. The second half almost gets into horror Marvel territory and shows that Ryan Cooger hasn't quite left the Marvel action movies behind yet.

The Big Finale: If you're an adult who loves horror, black cinema, or the blues and are willing to take a chance on something different, you'll want to take a trip to enjoy the Moore twins' supernatural Halloween horror party, too.

Home Media: Easily found anywhere, on disc and on streaming.

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

Amazon Prime (American Sign Language Interpretation Only) 

Hard Rock Nightmare

Baio-Brascia-Venkour Productions, 1988

Starring Martin Hansen, Greg Joujon-Roche, Annie Milkan, and Lisa Elania

Directed by Dominick Brasica

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we explore how music and horror entwine with one relatively recent and one brand-new film about musicians dealing with supernatural forces. This is apparently low-budget filmmaker Brasica's second movie after the even less-well-known Evil Laugh. If it seems familiar, the story closely resembles another low-budget hard rock horror movie, Rock and Roll Nightmare, from the year before, down to having similar titles. Does it share that movie's (numerous) problems, or does it deserve to escape that cabin in the woods? Let's begin in black and white with a young boy's frightening memories of his grandfather and find out...

The Story: Jim (Hansen) ended up in a mental hospital after he supposedly killed his grandfather when he claimed to be a vampire as a joke. Over a decade later, he's out and now playing in a hard rock band, Bad Boys. When the cops tell them they're too loud to be practicing in a garage, they take their rehearsal to the cabin in the woods Jim inherited from his grandmother. 

Turns out that's not the best idea they ever had. There's something out there in those woods, and it's stalking the group one by one. Jim's horrified when he realizes that this furry menace may be a lot more than a werewolf who doesn't appreciate rock and roll. He may be the ghost of the grandfather he thought he killed...and the answer to what truly happened all those years ago.

The Song and Dance: While still a low-budget, direct-to-video cheese-fest that has "late 80's" stamped all over it, this is slightly better than the truly ridiculous Rock and Roll Nightmare. The pace is ten times faster (they don't spend most of the first half of the film driving) and the ending makes a heck of a lot more sense. The kids actually show a tiny bit more intelligence than usual for these movies, too. Some of them actually attempt to flee or get away, instead of just sitting there and waiting to be killed. 

The Numbers: We open with Bad Boys rehearsing the title song in the garage before the cops show up and complain about them annoying the neighbors. "Prince of Darkness" covers the actual drive to the woods where the guys discuss gimmicks and talk about the girls coming along. They perform "Tell On You" at the first rehearsal in the cabin. "I Think I Want You" is Jim's song for his girl Sally (Elania) before they make love for the first time. The satirical "Friends Forever" is heard over the credits.

What I Don't Like: Um, did I mention this is a low-budget slasher hard-rock horror movie from the 80's? You know what you're getting into here. The acting is dull (especially from the girls) and the dialogue is laughable at best. The special effects may have been passable in 1988, but they look almost comically cheesy now. The ending may make more sense than the one in Rock and Roll Nightmare, but it still comes off as too Scooby Doo-esque for a slasher horror flick.

The Big Finale: Unless you're a huge fan of hard rock or low-budget slasher flicks from the 80's, I'd pass right by this bloodsucker.

Home Media: On Blu-Ray from Grindhouse Video. Currently streaming for free with commercials on Tubi.

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires

Disney, 2025

Starring Meg Donnelly, Milo Manheim, Malachi Barton, and Freya Skye

Directed by Paul Hoen

Music and Lyrics by various

ZOMBIES has been one of Disney's most popular franchises since the original film debuted in 2018. I thought this one ended in 2022, but the subsequent animated show was enough of a success to revive interest in the films. Apparently, Disney was right to return to this well. This wound up being a hit this summer, on the Disney Channel and on Disney Plus. Is the fourth time the charm, or should this franchise be defanged? Let's begin back at Seabrook, just as zombie Zed (Manheim) and part-alien, part-human Allison (Donnelly) are finishing their first year at Mountain College, and find out...

The Story: Zed and Allison intend to spend the summer at separate camps to focus on joining the first-string football team and becoming head cheerleader. They're driving to the camp grounds with Zed's fellow zombie Eliza (Kylee Russell) and werewolf Willa (Chandler Kinney) when an energy surge damages Zed's band that keeps him human, causing him to lose control of the car. They have no idea where they've crashed and split up to find help.

Zed runs across the Daywalkers, led by Commander Bright (Jonno Roberts) and his sweet daughter Nova (Skye), while Allison befriends the live-by-night Vampires, headed by slightly nerdy Victor (Barton) and their eldress (Liza Chappell). The two groups subside on blood fruit and have been competing for the dwindling supply for centuries. Victor and Nova are being taught to follow in their parents' footsteps, but they end up bringing everyone together when they discover the gate to the orchard is locked. Zed and Allison encourage the two group to learn about each other at the abandoned Camp Rayburn, and Victor and Nova admit that they've been having visions of each other. 

Though the kids do come together, their adult leaders don't understand. Not to mention, the energy surges continue, threatening werewolves and zombies far beyond the camp. Zed and Allison have to teach Victor and Nova and their groups that working together is the best way to solve your differences, and there's more than one way to live.

The Song and Dance: At the least, the filming in New Zealand is gorgeous, with its emerald grass and sparkling forests, is absolutely gorgeous. You can understand why people would argue over this land. Donnelly and Manheim remain charming, and there's some terrific group dance numbers, especially in the second half. 

The Numbers: We open with Allison and the cheerleaders and Zed and the football players all claim to be "Legends In the Making" at Mountain College. The two different groups of Vampires insist that their valley home is "The Place to Be," but claim "Don't Mess With Us" when they learn about the dwindling food supply. It's a "Dream Come True" for Victor and Nova when they realize they've been having visions of each other. Nova insists she must lead the Daywalkers "My Own Way." Zed and Allison remind the vampires that anything is "Possible" when they search for the clues to open the way to the blood fruit orchard. They will "Show the World" that they call all work together, cause there "Ain't No Doubt About It," Zed and Allison make a great pair. They come "Together as One" in the finale.

What I Don't Like: Can we say "rehash?" This is basically the same idea as the first movie with a different type of monster and moved outside. The camp setting gives it mild echoes of the Camp Rock franchise, too. Frankly, while Skye and Barton are adorable, they aren't interesting enough to offset their cliched romance or the twice-told story. The music isn't really all that memorable, either. 

The Big Finale: Girls in the appropriate 8 to 12 age range who are already big horror or musical fans will likely get a lot more out of this supernatural love story than I did.

Home Media: It's a Disney Plus exclusive at the moment.

Disney Plus

Shock 'Em Dead

Academy Entertainment, 1991

Starring Stephen Quadros, Traci Lords, Troy Donahue, and Tim Moffett

Directed by Mark Freed

Music by Robert Decker; Lyrics by Mark Freed

We jump ahead 50 years to the height of the heavy metal craze of the late 80's and early 90's. Heavy metal was one of the two big up-and-coming musical genres of the time, with rap being the other. The sound was big, the hair was bigger, and the success was the biggest of all. Stories about the bands' wild lifestyles prompted a lot of jokes and parodies in the 80's and early 90's, of which this is one of the more obscure. Apparently, the script was written in three weeks, and it took a mere three weeks to shoot, monumental even for the era of direct-to-video horror opuses. How does this affect the Faust-like story of a young guitar fan who sells his soul to become a rock star? Let's begin in LA, as an up-and-coming metal band auditions a new guitarist, and find out...

The Story: One of the young men auditioning is Martin (Quadros), a nerdy metal fan who quit his pizza delivery job to join the group. He fails the audition, but falls for the group's beautiful blond manager Lindsay (Lords). Out a job and a home when he's kicked out of his trailer, he desperately goes to a voodoo woman (Tyger Sodipe) to get killer guitar skills. He gets them, all right, along with the insane huge hair, three groupies who are his best friends, and the biggest hair of all. 

Unfortunately, not only does he discover he's sold his soul, he can't eat human food. He can only consume human souls. Traci and her band are impressed with him when he auditions as Angel Martin and hire him on the spot. His incredible guitar skills are instrumental in getting them a record deal with an executive on a major label (Donahue), but people also start dying whenever he's with the group, including their original singer Jake (Jericho DiAngelo). Traci's boyfriend Greg (Moffett) doesn't like the attention Angel is giving her, either. He's determined to find out what's going on with this too-perfect embodiment of rock's excess, before he takes down both his girl and the band.

The Song and Dance: This may have been a quickie B-pic, but it has a few virtues. Quadros is genuinely funny as a parody of the ultimate heavy metal god, and though people may have questioned former soft-core star Traci Lords as the girl who falls under his spell, she's actually quite good. Love the costumes too, with all the requisite big hair, tight dresses, studded metal collars, and neon track suits. Some of the effects are surprisingly decent for a cheap movie, notably near the end when we see Angel's groupies turn back to what they'd been before.

The Numbers: We open with "Purple Haze" for the first audition. "Virgin Girl" is performed at least three times, notably at the first concert before the death of Jake. "I'm In Love With a Slut" and "Get a Band" are the band's other numbers. "Casualty Rap" is heard in the background when they're dragging bodies.

Trivia: As mentioned, this was written in three weeks and shot in another three weeks, with the cast and crew working anywhere from 14 to 20 hours a day. 

Last film for character actor Aldo Rey. 

What I Don't Like: Um, yeah, at other times, it's pretty obvious this is a cheap B-movie from the early 90's. The dialogue is laughable, and most of the characters are jerks or pretty dull. The rock-Faust story has been done better elsewhere, including Phantom of the Paradise from 1974. The rock songs Angel is so obsessed to play are completely unmemorable, too. Neither Donahue nor Rey have much to do, despite being pretty heavily advertised. Donahue only appears mid-way through the movie and vanishes once Angel goes on his killing spree. 

The Big Finale: Not the best thing ever, but if you're looking for a goofy, campy send-up of early 90's hard rock excess, you can do far worse than this piece of low-budget lunacy.

Home Media: On DVD and Blu-Ray from Olive Films. Tubi currently has it streaming for free with commercials. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Murder In the Blue Room

Universal, 1944

Starring Ann Gwynne, John Litel, Grace MacDonald, and Donald Cook

Directed by Leslie Goodwins

Music and Lyrics by various

We kick off our Halloween Horror-a-Thon this week with a spooky mystery and a more recent musical horror film that gives us two different sides of the horror genre. Most of Universal's musicals of the 40's and 50's were fluffy B-pics featuring singing groups like the Andrews Sisters and younger up-and-coming stars like Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan. This may be one of their more creative B-films of the period. How does this tight, goofy thriller look today? Let's begin as a party gathers in the old house owned by Nan's (Gwynne) family and find out...

The Story: Singer Nan Kirkland (Gwynne) returns to her family's spooky mansion for a party. She tells her writer friend Steve Randall (Cook) that her father was murdered sleeping in the Blue Room 20 years before. Nan's friends the Jazzybelles, Peggy (MacDonald), Jerry (June Preissler), and Betty (Betty Kean) arrive to perform for the party. They get caught up in a murder mystery when Larry (Bill Williams), who was in in love with Nan, disappears after sleeping in the Blue Room. They try to stay up and see who did it, only to be drugged, a body to turn up, and for Steve to disappear next. Now these three Belles need to figure out who done it, before they end up being the next ghosts tipping their hats on the patio!

The Song and Dance:  The Jazzybelles and a fairly interesting mystery are the main reasons to see this today. All three of the ladies are hilarious, but Kean gets top honors as the tallest and least-courageous of the trio. Cook has some good moments as the curious writer as well, especially in the second half when he insists on sleeping in the Blue Room. Goodwins does manage a spooky atmosphere with B-movie resources, despite some bobbles with continuity. 

The Numbers: We open with Gwynne (dubbed by Martha Tilton) singing "One Starry Night" with the band as the party goers dance. "A Doo Dee Doo Doo" is the first number performed by the Jazzybelles, with Kean doing some pretty impressive rubber-legged dancing. The Belles get a second instrumental dance routine later when they're rehearsing. "The Boogie Woogie Boogie Man" is their number singing for the butler Edwards (Ian Wolfe).

Trivia: This was originally set to feature The Ritz Brothers, but they'd left films by this point and were replaced with the Jazzybelles.

This is the second remake of the 1933 film Secret of the Blue Room. The first was The Missing Guest in 1938.

What I Don't Like: It's pretty much the Jazzbelles' show. Anything else takes a back seat to their antics, including the rather dull Gwynne. It's also pretty obvious this was originally intended for a more organic comedy team, given how much of the action calls on them to perform together. The copy currently on Tubi is not the greatest - Universal could give this one some more care.

The Big Finale: Fairly enjoyable mystery is not a bad way to spend an hour if you're a fan of the musicals or mystery movies of the 1940's.

Home Media: It is on DVD, but the disc is expensive. You're better off streaming this one. It can currently be found on Tubi for free with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

Musicals On TV - Hansel and Gretel (1958)

NBC, 1958

Starring Barbara Cook, Red Buttons, Stubby Kaye, and Hans Conried

Directed by Paul Bogart

Music by Alec Wilder; Lyrics by William Engvik

Let's take in one more fantasy before moving on to our Halloween Horror-a-Thon next week. The success of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella in 1957 prompted a series of fairy-take musicals on TV in the late 50's. NBC, who had originally commissioned Cinderella, gathered an impressive cast for this charming retelling of the famous Grimm's story about two children who end up in the clutches of a witch in a candy house. Does it reach the heights of Cinderella? Let's begin in the town square, as the Town Crier (Kaye) announces the beginning of Market Day, and find out...

The Story: A poor woodcarver (Rudy Vallee) and his wife (Rise Stevens) are having trouble selling their wares at the market. The witch (Conried) and her helpers Eenie (Will B. Able), Meenie (Paula Laurence), Miney (Shaike Ophr) and Moe (Sondra Lee) buys all of their wares after she discovers they have two children, Hansel (Buttons) and Gretel (Cook). The children, horrified when they drink all the milk and don't leave any for their parents, follow the witch into the woods. The town crier and their parents realize that the witch turns any children she gets her hands on into gingerbread and follows them.

The Song and Dance: Buttons and Cook may seem like an odd choice to play the young brother-sister duo, but they're both hilarious and adorable. Conried is a riot as the witch who eats greedy little children. What I can see in the terrible copy currently on YouTube indicates a charming fairy-tale production, with lavish peasant dresses for the ladies and lederhosen for the men. Some of the songs aren't bad, either, especially the siblings' song "Much Too Happy Dancing." 

The Numbers: We open with the Town Crier announcing "Market Today" and the town showing off its wares. Father, the Town Crier, and the shopkeepers in town insist there's a reason that "Men Run the World." "Morning Song" and "Evening Song" are Gretel's introductory numbers. She insists to Hansel that they're "Much Too Happy Dancing" to mind their empty stomachs. "Ernie, Meenie, Miney, and Moe" sing about what they do in the woods, and they wonder "What Little Girls are Made Of?" with Gretel.

What I Don't Like: First of all, I wish someone would take a crack at restoring this! The copy currently on YouTube is dreadful, barely viewable. More importantly, this is kind of strange for a TV musical production. Though some of the songs aren't bad, they really don't seem to relate to the story. They spend so much time with the Town Crier and the parents, we honestly don't see as much of Hansel and Gretel as you might think. 

The Big Finale: Between the bad copy on YouTube and this being just ok despite the great cast, you're better off looking for the soundtrack CD and letting this one be consumed by the witch.

Home Media: As mentioned, this can only be found in a blurry, faded black and white copy on YouTube. At the least, the copy does include the original commercials for Rexall Drug Stores. 

YouTube

Cult Flops - Cats (2019)

Universal, 2019

Starring Francesca Hayward, Judi Dench, Idris Alba, and Jennifer Hudson

Directed by Tom Hooper

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; Lyrics by T.S Elliot and Taylor Swift

Cats is another musical from the last 40 years that had a long road to the big screen. It had been a smash everywhere it played since its debut on the West End in 1981. Steven Spielburg had originally planned on turning it into an animated film in the early 90's, but then his studio Amblinmaion shut down. A taping of the stage show in London did make it to home media in the late 90's and received excellent reviews, but most people thought that was the closest Cats would ever get to the big screen...until 2013, when Andrew Lloyd Webber started talking about a film adaptation. The movie finally debuted in December 2019 to some of the worst reviews and box-office for a major film that year. Does it deserve that fate, or should this Jellicle Cat get another chance to ascend the Heavinside Layer? Let's begin on the streets of London with the arrival of something the cat let out of the bag, a scared white kitten named Victoria (Hayward), and find out...

The Story: Victoria was abandoned on the streets of London just in time for the Jellicle Cats to have their Jellicle Ball. This is where they decide which cat will ascend to the Heavinside Layer and be granted a new life. Victoria meets all the competitors - Jennyanydots (Rebel Wilson), a domestic tabby who can make mice and cockroaches dance, Rum Tum Tugger (Jason Derulo), known for his extravagance, Skimbleshanks (Steven MacRae), a ginger cat who works for the railroad, Gus (Ian McKellen), a kindly old cat who had once played major roles onstage, and Busterphous Jones (James Corden), a plump tuxedo cat who shares his food with the others. 

Each one vanishes before Victoria's eyes, to her horror and that of Old Deuteonomy (Judi Dench), the head cat who will decide which will make the ascension. Macavity (Alba) wants to be the one chosen, and he'll do anything to get that new life, including eliminate the competition. Meanwhile, at the ball, Victoria befriends Grizabella the Glamour Cat (Hudson), who had once been aligned with Macavity. When Macavity takes off with Old Deuteonomy, it's Victoria who suggests that magician cat Mr. Mistoffelees (Laurie Robinson) use his magic to retrieve her. It works, inspiring the other cats to rescue themselves. Old Deuteonomy doesn't need a song and dance to know which cat is truly worthy of the Heavinside Layer, and Victoria to know where she truly belongs.

The Song and Dance: While yeah, this is not a great movie, or even a decent one, a few good things do manage to sneak in. Swift and Webber's "Beautiful Ghosts" is a genuinely touching song that sounds gorgeous on Hayward. Swift, rather surprisingly, isn't too horrible as Macavity's current flame Bombilina, Dench gives Old Deuteonomy tremendous gravity under her thick fur, and Alba makes a perfectly slick and greedy Macavity. 

The Numbers: We open with Victoria's entrance to the first chorus number, which introduces us to "Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats." Mr. Mistofflees and Munkustrap (Robbie Fairchild) introduce "The Naming of Cats" and give "The Invitation to the Jellicle Ball." Munkustrap takes Victoria into a typical London home to introduce "Jennyanydots: The Old Gumbie Cat" and her dancing mice and cockroaches. She in turn introduces "The Rum Tum Tugger." Victoria stops several young cats from abusing "Grizabella the Glamour Cat," and befriends the exiled former animal star. Rum Tum Tugger takes Victoria to meet "Bustopher Jones: The Cat About Town" and his huge appetite. Victoria gets into major trouble - and almost gets attacked by a dog - thanks to the mischievous cat burglar twins "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer." 

"Growltiger's Last Stand" gives us the nasty old pirate cat who watches the kidnapped competitors for Macavity. Munkustrap brings Victoria to meet "Old Deuteonomy," who begins "The Jellicle Ball." Grizabella tells Victoria about her "Memory" of better times, while Victoria admits that all she has are "Beautiful Ghosts." Old Deutoeonomy talks about "The Moments of Happiness" and introduces "Gus the Theater Cat." Munkustrap takes us for a ride with "Skimbleshanks: the Railway Cat." Bombalurina (Swift) performs a lurid number about her current lover "Macavity: The Mystery Cat." Victoria and Munkustrap encourage "Mr. Mistofflees" to use his magic and free the missing cats. After everyone has been returned, Grizabella and Victoria reprise "Memory," while Victoria and Old Deutoenonomy reprise "Beautiful Ghosts." The movie finishes with "The Journey to the Heavinside Layer" and Old Deutoenonomy describing "The Ad-Dressing of Cats."

Trivia: Cats ran from 1981 through 2002 in London and 1982 through 2000 in New York. It had brief limited-run revivals in 2014 in London and 2016 in New York and saw a stripped-down off-Broadway production in 2024. The off-Broadway production is currently said to be moving to Broadway in April 2026. It also occasionally turns up in regional stages for theaters with a large amount of dancers or who are looking for a surefire audience pleaser.

What I Don't Like: The idea of humans dressed as cats and dancing in giant sets made to look like the back alleys and bourgeois homes of London is far more believable onstage, where you can feel the intimacy of all those people dancing almost literally around you, than it is on film. If they had to adapt it to film at all, they should have stuck to animation. Even with the revised special effects put out after the ones in the first version of the movie were said to be terrible, this still looks ridiculous. It's more like dancing AI animal paintings than human-sized cats moving around gracefully. 

Hayward dances beautifully and does do well by "Beautiful Ghosts," but she otherwise spends most of the movie looking scared or blank. Most of the cast, including Rebel Wilson as the languid Jennyanydots and lively Robinson as Mistofflees, are defeated by their silly dance numbers, the almost spooky uncanny valley CGI, or just not being onscreen for very long. The movie shares a problem with the Broadway show in that there's so many cats who do so much, none of them are on the screen for very long. You don't get to know the ones like Bombalurina or Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer you'd like to know better. Hudson's far too bombastic as Grizabella and certainly doesn't suggest an aging glamour cat. 

The Big Finale: I'm going to be honest and admit that, though I have the original cast album, I've never been a fan of the stage Cats, either. "Memory" aside, it all just seemed too silly and way too much. This certainly won't change my mind. Unless you're a really huge fan of Swift, Webber, or any of the stars involved, you can look for "Beautiful Ghosts" online and abandon the rest of this one on the streets of London without another thought.

Home Media: Easily found everywhere, including on disc (often for under $10) and on Netflix and Amazon Prime with subscriptions.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Netflix

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Lionsgate Films, 2025

Starring Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, Tonatiuah, and Tony Dovolani

Directed by Bill Conden

Music by John Kander; Lyrics by Fred Ebb

This week, we're jumping closer to the here and now to cover two adaptations of 80's and 90's Broadway musicals in the 21st century. This one's trip to the big screen was almost as tortured as its central couple. It began as a 1976 novel of the same name by Manuel Pug and had been adapted as a play in 1983 and an Oscar-winning film in 1985. The 1993 stage musical gave Chita Rivera one of her definitive roles as Aurora, the movie star in the stories woven by gay window dresser Luis Molina (Tonatiuah) while in prison. How well does the current film version measure up, especially in the current political climate? Let's begin by introducing Molina as he gets a new roommate in prison and find out...

The Story: Molina's new cell mate is Valentin Arregui Paz (Luna), a revolutionary who was jailed for his work with a revolutionary group. Valentin is annoyed by Luis at first, but finally lets him tell the story of his favorite Hollywood musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman. In the film, Aurora (Lopez), a glamorous magazine publisher who has never truly been in love, finally falls for Armando (Luna), a brilliant photographer. They return to the town where they were both raised for a photo shoot. This cements their relationship, but it also brings in Armando's old flame Paulina (Aline Mayagoita) and the gangster Johnny Desidero (Dovolani), whom Armando owes old debts to. 

Molina, as it turns out, is spying on Valentin for the warden in exchange for parole, so he can return to his sick mother (Graciela Daniele). He's supposed to get information from him while taking care of him after he's poisoned, but he ends up falling for him. Molina continues the story as their relationship deepens, revealing how the village is protected from evil spirits by the Spider Woman (Lopez), who demands the sacrifice of a native woman's lover. Aurora is afraid it'll be Armando and pushes him away, not realizing her assistant Kendall (Tonatiuah) loves Armando, too. Kendall betrays both of them to Johnny after Aurora admits her love. Paulina helps them escape into the jungle, where the Spider Woman gets her sacrifice...but not the man she expected.

As the story ends, so does Molina's time in the prison. He got his longed-for parole, but he's a changed man. So is Valentin. Molina's ready to admit that he can't hide in dreams forever, and maybe Kendall isn't the only one willing to make a sacrifice, while Valentin realizes that the imagination can be a very powerful place to be, and there's more than one type of love in this world.

The Song and Dance: Jennifer Lopez wanted to make this movie for years, and while she certainly goes to town in the gorgeous numbers, the real heart here is the surprisingly sweet love story between Luna and Tonatiuah. The men are gentle and charming in their banter in the prison despite the brutal setting, and utterly gorgeous in the musical numbers. The use of color here is stunning, whether it's the lush Technicolor jungle or the pop of pastel on Luis' robe and the old movie posters in the prison cell. Gorgeous costumes, too, with Argentina in 1983 and South America by way of Hollywood in the late 40's equally well-represented. 

The Numbers: We open with "Prologue," as we get an explanation for the story to come. Our first Technicolor chorus number is "Her Name Is Aurora," as Aurora dances her way through men and life in gorgeous costumes, wondering why she can't fall in love. We hear it again at the nightclub where Aurora meets Armando and falls in love with him...and Molina imagines Valentin as Armando. Aurora sings about how "I Will Dance Alone"...but Molina performs it, too, as he's equally worried that he's doomed to a life of loneliness. Armando and Aurora sing about how he's "An Everyday Man," both in the town and in his workroom as they develop the photos. Molina as Kendall drapes himself in Aurora's beads and perfumes, singing about how "She's a Woman," the pinnacle of soft perfection that he wants so much to be. 

"Where You Are" brings in Aurora to remind Molina, frightened of the beatings in the prison and worried for Valentin, insists that it's better to be "Where You Are" and live in your head than deal with the troubles outside. Two men in the compound sing "Dear One (Quiredo)" during a rest period as Valentin begins to wonder about his feelings for Molina. "I Do Miracles" insists Aurora when Armando has been beaten nearly to death and she's caring for him at a house in the jungle...and Valentin sees his beloved Marta when Molina encourages him to use his imagination to get through the pain of the beatings.

"A Visit" brings in Aurora's Spider Woman persona as she sings to Molina about how she wants him...or his lover...and needs the sacrifice. "Gimme Love" is the Gene Kelly-esque dream ballet. Aurora imagines herself in a red artwork-stage-like nightclub set as she dances with the chorus boys, then with an Armando who looks distinctly like Kelly in most of his ballets. It degenerates into a nightmare, with Aurora hounded by men in animal masks...just as Molina is beaten. Aurora and Armando embrace in the jungle as she claims that it was "Never You" who walked away from her. Kendall makes his sacrifice to the tune of the Spider Woman performing the title song. The movie ends with Molina's own sacrificial death...and his final dream, as he imagines himself as the object of beauty he always wanted to be "Only In the Movies."

Trivia: The original Broadway show debuted in 1993 (after a run in London the year before), with Chita Rivera in her last great stage role as Aurora. It was a hit, running two years in New York and a year in London. It hasn't been seen in either city since, but does occasionally turn up in regional stagings. 

The movie is dedicated to the memory of Fred Ebb (who died in 2004), original musical writer Thomas McNally (who died of Covid in 2020), and Chita Rivera (who died in 2024 during production). 

What I Don't Like: As with the film version of Chicago, almost all of the musical numbers set in the prison were eliminated to further establish the line between reality and fantasy...but it means we don't get to know the two men as well as we'd like. Frankly, Valentin's right. Their touching romance in the gray prison is far more interesting than Aurora's Hollywood camp fluff, and frigid, stiff Lopez, while fabulous in the musical numbers, lacks Rivera's spicy old-time glamour. Also, keep in mind that, despite the lavish musical numbers, the language, sexuality, and general themes makes this very much a Technicolor romp for adults. 

The Big Finale: I can kind of understand why this isn't doing well in theaters. This is the kind of movie you're either really going to get, or really won't get at all. At the very least, it's far better than last year's prison-set fantasy musical with similar themes, Joker Pas et Deux. Highly recommended for fans of Lopez, Luna, the Technicolor Hollywood fantasies this refers to, gay cinema, or those with a taste for adventurous musicals that go way outside the box.

Home Media: Currently for streaming pre-order at Amazon Prime.

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Once Upon a Forest

20th Century Fox, 1993

Voices of Michael Crawford, Ellen Blain, Benji Gregory, and Paige Gosney

Directed by Charles Grosvenor

Music by James Horner; Lyrics by Will Jennings and others

Concern for the environment was so prevalent during the early 90's that it even seeped into animation. Having had mild success with Ferngully: The Last Rainforest the year before, Fox returned to the well with an even more emotional story about taking care of our earth. It wasn't a hit at the time, but is it worth checking out 30 years later? Let's begin with dawn at a lovely meadow called Dapplewood, as the animal residents are starting to awaken, and find out...

The Story: Cornelius the badger (Crawford) mentors four little "Furlings," Abigail the energetic mouse (Blain), Edgar the sweet and shy mole (Gregory), Russell the always-hungry hedgehog (Gosney), and his sweet little niece Michelle (Elizabeth Moss). One day, poison gas from a ruptured truck leaks into the forest. The children are with Cornelius and are unharmed, but Michelle loses her parents and inhales the gas. Cornelius sends Abigail, Edgar, and Russell to retrieve Lung-wort and Eye-bright, the only herbs that can save the little badger. The trio learn to work together to avoid a barn owl, cross a construction site, help a wren (Rickey D'Shon Collins) get unstuck from the mud, and retrieve the lung-wort from a cliff, and discover their own hidden talents in the process.

The Animation: Extremely Disney-esque and very typical of this time period and of Hanna-Barbara. The woods are beautiful, with their sun-dappled forests and blooming plants...but then you get the ultra-realistic construction site and the devastation wrought by the poison gas. The animals look like a cross between The Secret of Nimh and some of the cutesier Hanna-Barbara TV shows of the 1980s like The Biskitts or Shirt Tales. They're designed to be adorable, especially little Michelle, but they can get some darker expressions out of them - check out when they realize Michelle is sick.

The Song and Dance: I do give Hanna Barbera some kudos for daring to go this dark. Even Ferngully: The Last Rainforest didn't kill off characters or completely destroy the forest. This is darker than some Disney movies of the 90's. Crawford makes an appropriately gruff mentor, and Ben Vereen does get into his big number with the birds and the Furlings after they rescue the wren from the mud. 

The Numbers: Our first number isn't until 15 minutes in, but it's the devastating "Please Wake Up," sung by Cornelius to the comatose Michelle after she's gassed. Even Crawford had a hard time performing this emotional ballad of love and loss. "He's Gone" is the birds' number when they think they're losing the wren to the mud. They change this to the joyous "He's Back" after the kids get him out. Florence Warner Jones performs the gentle "Once Upon a Time With Me" over the closing credits.

Trivia: This would be the last Hanna-Barbera movie released to theaters.

What I Don't Like: See that "dark" thing above. Um, what audience did Hanna-Barbera intend this for again? The cutesy kid animal characters and bucolic setting indicate a children's movie, but the poison gas, construction site, and bird stuck in the mud mourned by his family at a funeral are more likely to give them nightmares, or at least upset them quite a bit. No wonder it was a massive flop in 1993. Some audiences today might not know what to make of this, let alone then. The sequence with the birds and the wren is totally out of left field and feels like it was dropped in from another movie entirely to give Vereen something to do. 

The Big Finale: That said, there are quite a few people who saw this on video in the 90's and found it profoundly moving. Frankly, while it can be moving, the clash of tones and utterly depressing plot was a bit too much for me. Your mileage may vary on whether your elementary school kids are up to this one; might actually be better for tweens if you can get them past the cute animals.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

New Faces

20th Century Fox, 1954

Starring Eartha Kitt, Ronny Graham, Alice Ghostley, and Robert Clary

Directed by Harry Horner, John Beal, and Eugene Anderson Jr.

Music and Lyrics by various

Revues saw a revival on film and stage in the 40's, when they entertained the troops going overseas. Though they continued on Broadway for a few years after the war ended, they ended up being superseded by that upstart rival, television. Variety shows were among the most popular genres on TV in the 1950's, casting the same wide net over show business that revues once did. Why go see a theater show when you could watch the same type of acts on Ed Sullivan or Milton Berle - and even more - for free? There were a few revues on Broadway in the early 50's that did manage to do relatively well, this among them. Leonard Stillman had been putting out New Faces revues since the 1930's, always on the cheap. He struck gold with the 1954 edition, rounding up a genuinely talented cast and some great material. It was so well-received, it was adapted as a film two years later, one of Fox's earliest ventures into Cinemascope. How well did they pull this off? Let's begin backstage at the New Faces show and find out...

The Story: Wealthy Texan Mr. Clayton (Charles Watts) insists that he'll back the show if he's impressed with the talent and numbers involved...and with his daughter Virginia's (Virginia de Luce) performance. Virginia is not only frustrated that her big number keeps getting cut off, but she's fallen in love with one of the dancers. Meanwhile, diminutive Frenchman Robert Clary (himself) locks a bill collector in a dressing room before he can collect or stop the show.

The Song and Dance: And yeah, this one is all about the song and dance. There's admittedly some impressive talents here. Eartha Kitt became a recording superstar, Ghostley, Clary, Graham, and Paul Lynde were TV sitcom stalwarts, and June Carroll and Carol Lawrence were among the most popular leading ladies on Broadway in the 50's and 60's. Some of the more memorable non-musical sketches include a spoof of dark stage melodramas of the 50's featuring Lynde as the criminal father, Ghostley as his wife, and Graham as the son who'd rather play baseball than follow in his father's footsteps and Graham in a fairly amusing takeoff on Truman Capote and the southern Gothic stories he specialized in.

The Numbers: We open and close with "We're the New Faces," with said new faces stuck into a black set as they sing about why they love what they do and what we're going to see. Kitt gets the first actual number, "C'est Bon," a sultry French ditty. Virginia deLuce keeps trying to sing "He Takes Me Off His Income Tax," but never actually gets through the song before the next act is announced. Clary is "Lucky Pierre" when he's joined by the female dancers (including Carol Lawrence and Patricia Hammerlee) for a typical girls-and-guy routine. Weary woman of the world June Carroll sings wistfully about "Penny Candy" as she sees the ghosts of her childhood and recalls how others made fun of her desire to be an actress.

Alice Ghostley is a plain woman whose "Boston Beguine" may be the closest thing she gets to exotic excitement. Robert Cary is joined by Eartha Kitt and Rosemary O'Reilly to show why "Love Is a Simple Thing." Mother and daughter June Carroll and Alice Ghostley say it's "Time for Tea" as they recall how the daughter almost fell in love...but her parents drove her suitor off, and she never married. Clary's joined by Lawrence and the chorus girls again, this time offstage, to perform the traditional French song "Alouette." Eartha Kitt introduces the show's big standard, the seductive "Santa Baby," as a woman who wants a lot more than candy and an orange in her stocking for Christmas.

Graham, Ghostley, and the chorus spoof operetta waltzes as they describe the delights of damp "Waltzing In Venice," then "Taking Off the Mask." For Robert Clary, everything is "Raining Memories." Kitt is a Turkish woman singing about "Uska Dara." Robert Clary is a school boy who claims "I'm In Love With Miss Logan," but gets quite disappointed when he realizes Miss Logan has someone else. The chorus gets the world's only hoedown dedicated to the trial of that infamous murderess "Lizzie Borden." Kitt and Clary go back into French mode with "Bal, petit bal." Kitt finishes things off with "Monotonous,"as a star who is bored with her life of fame.

Trivia: Film debuts of Paul Lynde, Alice Ghostley, and Carol Lawrence.

What I Don't Like: For all the wonderful numbers and performances, this doesn't really belong on film. It's a filmed play and doesn't pretend to be anything else. This intimate revue didn't need the widescreen and made no use of it whatsoever. There's a lot that hasn't dated well, too, notably Lynde's rather annoying safari sketch and Graham's Truman Capote takeoff. (No matter how funny Graham is in that segment, a lot of people aren't that familiar with Capote's work nowadays.) The story is piffle and adds absolutely nothing to the numbers or the movie.

The Big Finale: Even with the above caveats, this is still worth seeing for the performances and songs alone if you're a fan of any of the above stars or of 50's musicals and revues. 

Home Media: In the public domain, so it's pretty easily found anywhere. Tubi currently has it for free (though in a rather blurry copy).

DVD

Tubi

Cult Flops - The Goldywn Follies

Samuel Goldwyn/United Artists, 1938

Starring Adolph Menjou, Andrea Leeds, Vora Zorina, and Kenny Baker

Directed by George Marshall and H.C Potter

Music by Vernon Duke and George Gershwin; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

Despite the initial success of The Hollywood Revue of 1929 and the decent showing of Paramount On Parade, revues fell out of favor rather quickly in Hollywood. It seemed people did want some semblance of a plot along with their songs and sketches. Even when musicals came back into style with the phenomenal popularity of 42nd Street, revues were not, conspicuously, part of the line-up. Most of the studios tried to revive them, but they tended to turn into something else, as with the decidedly peculiar Hollywood Party. Samuel Goldwyn's musicals had always been known more for their largess than their stories. With Eddie Cantor having left by 1938, Goldwyn opted to throw his focus into this million-dollar semi-revue that showcases some of the top acts of the day. How well do those acts work in this story of a producer who hires a young woman to give his films "the common touch?" Let's start in a small town, where producer Oliver Merlin (Menjou) is about to film a scene with his top actress Olga Samara (Zorina) and find out...

The Story: Sensible small-town girl Hazel Dawes (Leeds) tells Martin point-blank while watching the shoot that she thinks the whole romance is a lot of hooey. Samara doesn't look or act like a normal person in love. Merlin is so enchanted by her honest opinion, he hires her to be "Miss Humanity" and evaluate his films from the point of view of the ordinary, everyday theater-goer. He wants to keep Hazel free of Hollywood affectations, but she falls for sweet singing soda jerk Danny Beecher (Baker). Danny's such a wonderful singer that she gets him a job on the radio, which leads him to a Hollywood contract. Now Hazel is torn between her feelings for Danny and her "common" opinions. Not to mention, Martin has fallen for her, too, and there's a whole bevy of crazy comedians, nutty animal trainers, and wacky ventriloquist acts who are dying to get into Martin's newest show.

The Song and Dance: And with a story that fluffy, song and dance is pretty much the only thing of interest here. As goofy as the story is, some of the numbers are genuinely good. Ira Gershwin turned out a wonderful score, with his brother George and with Vernon Duke after George died. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy get a few good wisecracks as the ventriloquist act that manages to charm the passionate Olga, while Broadway comedian Bobby Clark also has his moments as Martin's randy assistant. The color is exquisite on the copy I watched, almost candy-like in its softer pastel charms. Menjou is the stand-out along with the music as the producer who is so delighted with his new "common" lady and how she's helped his pictures, he can't see she's falling for someone else.

The Numbers: The two big chorus routines are ballets for Zorina and the American Ballet of the Metropolitan Opera. The "Romeo and Juliet Ballet" turns the famous Shakespearean tragedy into the tale of a war between popular tap dancers and jazz performers and ballet dancers and violinists in Paris. It ends up with a happy ending when Hazel complains that it's too dark and not much fun. "The Water Nymph Ballet," with has Zorina as a supernatural creature in love with a human, is better-received by Hazel. The Ritz Brothers play Russian dancers in "The Volga Boatmen" to impress Zorina. They make use of their animal act to bring in dozens of cats for "Here Pussy Pussy." Their "Serenade to a Fish" turns them into Romans, then mermen. 

Baker gets to introduce the film's three hit songs. He sings "Love Walked In" at the soda shop, and later on the radio. He also gets the standard "Our Love Is Here to Stay" and "Spring Again" in the finale at Hollywood. Scottish comedienne Ella Logan introduces "I Was Doing Alright." Poor Michael Day (Phil Baker), whose parts are perpetually cut or changed, finally gets his chance to play the accordion with "I Love to Rhyme." Opera star Helen Jepson sings numbers from "La Traviata" with baritone Charles Kulllmann and "La Serenada." 

Trivia: George Gershwin's last film project. He died during production. 

What I Don't Like: Despite having an actual story and some terrific Gershwin and Gershwin-Duke songs, this is even more of a mish-mash than the early talkie revues. Zorina is a block of ice with a strange accent, Baker and Leeds are bland as the "common people," and the comedians all seem to have walked in from other, better films entirely. The two ballet sequences are lovely, but seem out of place among the less lavish numbers. It's all just throne together with more budget than sense, despite its emphasis on finding humanity and making movies more "real." That simple story is also drawn out way beyond too long, and the ending drags like crazy. Some of the later numbers could have been trimmed with no one the wiser.

The Big Finale: In the end, this is probably of interest only to fans of ballet, the Gershwins, or the comedians in question. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, the former from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Paramount On Parade

Paramount, 1930

Starring Jackie Oakie, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Leon Erroll, Maurice Chevalier, and others

Directed by Edmund Goulding, Ernst Lubistch, Dorothy Arzner, Victor, Schertzinger, and others

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we're going to do something entirely different and investigate three different versions of a musical genre that doesn't often turn up in films after 1930. Revues have been a part of musical theater going back centuries. These collections of songs, skits, and lavish showgirl parades were wildly popular on Broadway in the 1910's and 20's. After the success of Ziegfeld's Follies, every producer in town created their own lavish spectacles, filled with gags, girls, and specialty numbers from star comics. When sound came in, the studios sought to continue this tradition with their own versions. Paramount, the most sophisticated studio in 1930, may also have the most fascinating of the revues. How does Paramount's parade stand out from the pack? Let's head to the theater just as the curtain is rising and see...

The Story: This is a revue, so there isn't one. Comics Jack Oakie, Skeets Gallagher, and Leon Erroll introduce a vast array of Paramount stars of the time in numbers and sketches suited to their unique talents.

The Song and Dance: And actually, one of the places this stands out is in the sequences where there's no song involved at all. If you're a fan of vintage mysteries, you'll love "Murder Will Out," which spoofs popular detectives right in the very start. If you ever wanted to see Sherlock Holmes (Clive Brook), Philo Vance (William Powell),  and Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) solve a mystery together, here's your chance...and it's hilarious. George Bancroft tossing shade at his own bad guy reputation in "Impulses," as we see what party guests really want to say to each other, is pretty funny too. Some of the musical numbers that survive are among the most enjoyable of the era - Maurice Chevalier, Clara Bow, Nancy Carroll, and Jack Oakie and Zelma O'Neal are among those who make the biggest impressions musically.

The Numbers: Alas, the movie's Technicolor opening number "Showgirls On Parade" is totally lost except the sound, so our first number defaults to our MC's. "We're the Masters of Ceremony," say Gallagher, Erroll, and Oakie. They're clearly enjoying it, and tend to be far looser MCs than the ones on other early revues that try too hard or not enough. With "Showgirls" missing, our first chorus number we can actually see in current prints is "Anytime Is the Time to Fall In Love." Buddy Rogers and Lillian Roth woo each other on a giant clock while other young people dance under it. It's cutesy, but the song is fun and Roth and Rodgers are adorable.

Following "Murder Will Out," we have Maurice Chevalier and tough-lady character actress Evelyn Brent introducing the "Origin of the Apache" in a satire of the famous passionate French dance, directed by none other than Ernest Lubistch. The next number in the surviving print brings in another tough-love couple. Jack Oakie and Zelma O'Neal spar in more than one way at a gym, insisting "I'm In Training for You." The dancing here almost matches their hilarious performance - the snappy chorus routine is surprisingly good for the early talkie era. Ruth Chatterton, as a French tart among doughboys (including a very young Fredric March) sort-of sings "My Marine." Chevalier gives us a far more pleasant French interlude as a randy gendarme who admits "All I Need Is One Girl." Mitzi Green comes off as a lot less annoying than she generally did in movies of this era doing impressions of him.

Helen Kane is probably the least-likely teacher you can imagine, which is likely how her "What Did Cleopatra Say?" history lesson turns into her teaching the kids to boop-oop-a-doop. Nancy Carroll's "Dancing to Save Your Sole" starts out with her and Abe Lyman's band being pulled from a shoe box, but Carroll's sexy swinging and the catchy song makes this one of the film's best numbers. The fleet's in, and rowdy Clara Bow wants her pick of the cadets, claiming "I'm True to the Navy Now." Chevalier return for the Busby Berkeley-esque finale, with chorus girls doing overhead formations as he plays a French chimney sweep leaping among rooftops, "Sweeping the Clouds Away." 

Trivia: Alas, more than a quarter of the film remains missing from even the longest copies currently on YouTube, including all but one of its original Technicolor numbers. Of the missing footage, only sound has turned up for the opening "Showgirls" chorus parade. "Dream Girl," with Gary Cooper, Richard Arlen, Fay Wray, and Jean Arthur singing "Drink to the Girl of Your Dreams," and Dennis King singing "Nichavo!" have Techincolor footage existing, but no sound. "Come Back to Sorrento" with Nino Martini and "I'm Isodore the Torredor" with Harry Green and Kay Francis have picture and sound, but have yet to turn up online.

The Marx Brothers and Jeanette MacDonald supposedly had short sequences in this, but their parts were either cut or only turned up in international versions. 

Paramount On Parade filmed Dutch, German, Romanian, Spanish, French, and Scandinavian versions. 

The "Sweeping the Clouds Away" finale was originally in color, but survives in black and white.

 

What I Don't Like: First of all, note everything that's mentioned as missing in the Trivia section. In the copy I watched on YouTube, "Dream Girl" is introduced but not seen, and they don't even mention "Nichavo!" or "Come Back to Sorrento." "Isdore" and "Showgirls" have sound but not picture. The black and white footage doesn't look so hot, either. Universal really needs to take a very big swing at restoring this. 

Second, not everything lands. Errol's hospital sketch is annoying, Ruth Chatterton's "My Marine" is too dark for this light-hearted film, and the "Anytime" dance routine can come off as a bit too sweet. Not to mention, if you're not a fan of this era in general or Chevalier in particular, this movie probably won't change your mind. You really need to be a fan of Chevalier and/or understand what was going on in Hollywood and the world in 1930 to get a lot of what's going on.

The Big Finale: There's enough remaining here that's good to put this in the "recommended for fans of Maurice Chevalier, old-time mysteries, or the early talkie era musicals" column.

Home Media: To my knowledge, only on YouTube in copies of varying length and quality - this is the longest length I could find. (It includes two numbers from the mostly-lost Scandinavian version, one only with sound.)

YouTube