Back to School Again - College Humor

Paramount, 1933
Starring Bing Crosby, Richard Arlen, Jack Oakie, and Mary Carlisle
Directed by Wesley Ruggles
Music by Arthur Johnson; Lyrics by Sam Coslow

We jump ahead to the early 30's for our second musical on higher education. Bing Crosby was already an up-and-coming star when he made this major hit. Despite Oakie and Arlen being the nominal stars, he - and his crooning of several songs - are what the public really came to see. George Burns and Gracie Allen are hanging out in there too as daffy food workers. Let's take a trip down the Old Ox Road to Midwest University and see how this collegiate tale stands up today....

The Story: Barney Shirrel (Oakie) is excited to be starting his first semester at Midwest. His girlfriend Amber (Mary Kornman) wishes he'd just take some time to be with her. He's throwing himself into his law and engineering studies. After he joins a fraternity, the school's alcoholic football star Mondrake (Arlen) convinces him to join the team. Mondrake's having his own woman problems. He gave his football sweater to Barney's sister Barbara (Carlisle), but she's falling for the crooning Professor Danvers (Crosby). It starts to effect his performance, to the point where he ends up in jail before an important game.

Danvers does get him released in time for the game, but it doesn't make him popular with Midwest's president (Lumsden Hare). Despite Mondrake's stardom, he's expelled, and Danvers leaves. Barbara admits to Mondrake that she doesn't love him and returns to Danvers. Meanwhile, Barney has been sowing his own wild oats, to Amber's annoyance. He's so drunk at the big game between Midwest and Nebraska, he gets knocked out. Can Danvers and Mondrake get him moving again in time to make that all-important touchdown?

The Song and Dance: Bing's the main attraction, but there's a few others who stand out. George Burns and Gracie Allen do turn up for one bit and a song mid-way through, and they have a funny moment towards the end where George tries to explain the intricacies of football to his scatterbrained wife. Arlen is decent as the footballer who wins the game but loses the girl as well, especially when he finally lets Barbara be with the man she wants to be with. Kornman is cute as a button as the exasperated Amber.

Favorite Number: "Down the Old Ox Road" is a surprisingly creative chorus routine that starts with Oakie and Kornman singing about a romantic lane that exists only in the imagination of lovers. They pass it from student to student, until it eventually reaches the school, where Bing finishes it off. "Learn to Croon" is also fun, as Bing teaches his students the ins and outs of singing in the early 30's.

What I Don't Like: For a movie called College Humor, this college isn't especially humorous. Oakie's lumbering antics don't mix well with Arlen's cliched "alcoholic student makes a comeback" plot or Crosby's songs. Not to mention, Arlen and Oakie are way too old to pass for football players or college students, and Crosby is too young to be a professor.

Almost everyone else is misused. Burns and Allen, other than a couple of brief moments and one song, are barely in the film. I really wish there'd been more focus on the music - and more numbers like "Learn to Croon" and "Old Ox Road" - and less on the melodramatic romances.

The Big Finale: For fans of Crosby or pre-code musicals only.

Home Media: As with many other Bing titles, it is available solo as part of the Universal Vault collection, but your best bet is to pick it up as part of a 4-disc set with five other Bing movies from his 30's-40's heyday.

DVD
DVD - The Bing Crosby Collection