Cult Flops - Red Garters

Paramount, 1954

Starring Rosemary Clooney, Jack Carson, Guy Mitchell, and Gene Barry

Directed by George Marshall

Music by Jay Livingston; Lyrics by Ray Evans

Can't Help Singing wasn't the last time Hollywood attempted to mix westerns and musicals. This one trades romantic comedy trappings for a straight-on, stylized satire that makes it more closely resemble the limited animation of the time than a typical musical. The eye-popping sets and costumes were made to be seen as a 3D "theater" experience. By the time this finally came out, a year late, the 3D fad was on the wane, and the movie was released on the regular 2D screen. Audiences at the time didn't quite understand what they were going for...but how does this truly bizarre spoof look today? Let's begin with Paramount's spiel that flat-out tells you this isn't to be taken seriously and find out...

The Story: A stranger (Mitchell) arrives in fictional Lingo County, California, and ends up taking pretty young Susan Martinez De La Cruiz (Pat Crowley) to the local barbecue. Turns out the barbecue is also a funeral for local bad man Robin Randall, whom almost no one is unhappy to have seen shot in the back. Turns out the stranger is Reb Randall, Robin's brother, who is searching for his killer. He thinks it may have been Mexican local Rafael Montero (Barry), who was one of several men to have taken a shot at Randall the last time he was seen alive. 

Saloon singer Calaveras Kate (Clooney) just wishes her boyfriend and Susan's guardian Jason Carberry (Carson) would end this madness, but there's a strict "Code of the West" that says all men have to kill their brother's murderers, even if they weren't fond of the guy. Not to mention, the killing is good for Carberry's saloon business. When the visiting Judge Wallace Winthop (Reginal Owen) from Boston proves to be ineffectual at making Randall and the townspeople see to reason, Kate takes it on herself to stop the violence and make sure no one joins Robin six feet under.

The Song and Dance: Hoo boy, is this a weird one. The eye-popping two-dimensional sets, with primary colors that go on forever, is the real-stand out. It was made for 3D, to give the audience the sensation of watching the movie in a live theater. The flat cardboard buildings and brilliant colored walls and floors give the film a truly unique identity that you won't see anywhere else. Look for goofy little throwaway details like Reb's horse thinking he's human and hating his own species. 

Clooney comes off the best of the cast as Kate, who wishes Carburry would get his mind off codes and onto her. Owen and Carson also do relatively well as the prudish judge who doesn't understand all this macho western violence and the saloon owner who stands to profit off that "code."

Favorite Number: "Dime and Dollar" introduces us to Reb and the lemon-yellow set as he rides into town, singing about his horse and what he plans on doing. He and Kate argue about the differences between "Man and Women" at the barbecue funeral. Kate laments that Carburry has "Good Intentions" that often lead him to be overprotective of his ward. Rafael boasts of being a "Lady Killer" to most of the townspeople, but Judge Winthrop's daughter Sheila isn't impressed. When she finally admits she loves him, she claims "This Is Greater Than I Thought." 

Clooney does the spirited title song with the chorus in appropriately scanty scarlet costumes; a later instrumental version brings bartender Ginger Pete (Buddy Ebsen) in for a quick number with the girls. Kate's dark "Bad News" is a fairly touching rumination on how violence gets out of hand...and how loved ones deal with their grief when it does. 

What I Don't Like: If you're not into satire, westerns, or musicals, this is not the place for you. It's definitely not for someone looking for a darker or more sharply-plotted musical, either. There's a reason this flopped in 1954, despite earning an Oscar nomination for those sets. Even today, many people who aren't familiar with western or musical clichés probably won't be able to roll with the theatrical vibe they're going for. 

We also need to discuss the stereotypes. Once again, they're supposed to be part of the fun, but some folks today might find white people playing hot-blooded Latin lovers and comic Native squaws more offensive than funny. Cass Daley as Minnie Redwing does get some funny bits, especially in the second half, but she's mostly annoying.

The Big Finale: This is too weird to be for everyone, but if you love satire and can understand that this is basically a live-action 50's cartoon, you may find it as cute and (mostly) funny as I did. 

Home Media: Was re-released last June on made-to-order DVD from the Warner Archives; can be found streaming for free at Amazon.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Can't Help Singing

Universal, 1944

Starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Paige, Akim Tamiroff, and David Bruce

Directed by Frank Ryan

Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg

Other than the 1936 Show Boat, Universal didn't really do any major musicals after the early talkie era...until they signed teen soprano Deanna Durbin later that year. Her first vehicle 100 Men and a Girl was such a massive hit, it helped save Universal from bankruptcy. By 1944, they were ready to give Durbin the full glamor treatment, with Technicolor, their most expensive production yet, outdoor location shooting, and a Jerome Kern score. How does this Gold Rush romance look today? To find out, we begin in Washington DC in 1844, just as a political rally begins, and find out...

The Story: Caroline Frost (Durbin) is the willful daughter of Senator Martin Frost (Ray Collins). She's so in love with Calvary officer Lt. Robert Latham (Bruce), she takes a train and a steamboat to follow him west after he's assigned to guard gold owned by wealthy Jake Carstairs (Thomas Gomez) in California. The only way for her to get to California is by wagon, but she's swindled out of her money almost as soon as she finds passage. She hitches up with notorious gambler Johnny Lawler (Paige) when it turns out he's bought part of the wagon, too. They also end up saddled with two stowaways who think there's money in her trunk, Prince Gregory Strovanosky (Tamiroff) and his servant Koppa (Leonid Kinsky). 

Hoping to join a wagon train, Johnny tells the leaders that Caroline is married to the prince. She's not thrilled about having to share her wagon and her quarters with Johnny...but realizes on the road that he's not such a bad fellow. She told Johnny she's engaged to Carstairs to get him off her back, but there's repercussions when they all make it to California and she realizes which man now truly has her heart.

The Song and Dance: I'm glad they took this outside. It was worth any headaches and delays in filming. Durbin looks gorgeous, singing with the real Utah and California glowing in the background. She has a great deal of fun here as the spoiled and naïve politician's daughter who learns a lot about herself and her own strengths during her long trek. Tamiroff and Kinsky have some nice moments as the two hustlers who are convinced there's gold in Caroline's trunk and keep trying to take off with it. Collins is even funnier as her blustery father, who is just as much of a fish out of water on the wild trails. The costumes and sets ably recreate the world of 1844, with its rickety wagons, grizzled prospectors, and tough ladies in hoopskirts as wide as the scenery.

Favorite Number: Of the many times we hear the title song, my favorite version is the sequence with Durbin singing it while she washes in a tub full of bubbles...not knowing that we're being introduced to Paige doing the same in the stall next-door. "Elbow Room" and "Swing Your Sweetheart" are the big chorus numbers for the folks on the wagon train. The first is sun as Durbin explores the group and they prepare to depart. The second is at night, as they enjoy music and a hearty meal by the fireplace. Durbin gets to introduce two lovely ballads. She sings "More and More" after she falls for Johnny, and later with Johnny before he sends her off with the train. "Any Moment Now" is the one she performs while exploring the glorious emerald scenery of Utah, looking like an angel against the rugged backdrops. 

Trivia: Durbin's only color film. 

What I Don't Like: At heart, this is a glorified romantic comedy set in the Wild West, with all the attendant clichés, from the runaway rich girl falling for the "bad" boy to their meeting cute in the saloon. It's western fluff that doesn't pretend to be anything else. Neither Paige nor Bruce match Durbin in charisma or vocals. Paige does try hard, but Bruce is so bland, you wonder what Caroline saw in him to begin with. 

The Big Finale: Worth hitting the trail for if you love Durbin, big 40's musicals, or are willing to give a musical western a shot.

Home Media: Currently DVD-only, as a solo Universal Vault title and as part of a Deanna Durbin collection.

DVD - Universal Vault

DVD - Deanna Durbin Sweetheart Pack

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Lorax (2012)

Universal, 2012

Voices of Danny DeVito, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, and Taylor Swift

Directed by Chris Renaud

Music by John Powell; Lyrics by Cinco Paul

Let's celebrate Earth Day this week and Arbor Day next Friday with a story about a little fellow who speaks for the trees...and how important they are to our well-being. The Dr. Seuss picture book The Lorax debuted in 1971, just as many Americans were becoming more concerned about the environment and how badly much of it had been damaged. Controversy came with the book's message about "trees being something that everyone needs" and it's anti-deforestation stance, and it intensified after a TV special was released in 1972. With concern for the environment and our world once again in the news, how does this look today? To find out, we begin in the all-plastic world of Theedville, where a harmless request from a teen girl to the boy who has a crush on is about to change their lives forever...

The Story: Ted Wiggins (Efron) would do anything to impress pretty artist Audrey. She wishes she could see a real, live tree instead of the artificial ones in Thneedville. Inspired by his Grandma Norma's stories about a "Once-ler" (Helms) who knows what happened to the trees, Ted sets out beyond the walls of the town in search of the elusive recluse. 

The Once-ler lives in a ramshackle shop out in the smog infested badlands. This was once a glowing paradise of animals who subsided on the rainbow Truffula Trees and their fruit. Hoping to use the colorful leaves to make his multi-purpose Thneed, the young Once-ler chops down a tree. That tree is the home of The Lorax (DeVito), a mystical forest guardian who isn't happy with the Once-ler's thoughtless destruction. The Once-ler claims it won't happen again, at least until his Thneed becomes a sensation and his obnoxious family takes over his business. His obsession with short-term profits ends with every single Truffula tree being chopped down. The animals are forced to leave; even his family and the Lorax abandon him. 

Meanwhile, Ted keeps sneaking out more and more to hear the rest of the story. The town mayor, Aloysius O'Hare (Rob Riggle), doesn't want trees in his town. Vegetation will create air...and keep people from buying his bottled air. It'll take the help of Audrey and his family for Ted to make use of the Once-ler's gift and prove that "unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, things aren't going to get better, they're not."

The Animation: As bright and colorful as one could wish in a movie based after a Dr. Seuss picture book. The twisty Seuss aesthetic is everywhere, from the swirly designs of the buildings in Thneedville to the fluffy Truffula trees that wave in the breeze in the Once-ler's paradise. We also get a glimpse of the darker side of Seuss in the intense sequence when Ted travels through the mechanical corridors beyond the town and in the ruins that the Once-ler now inhabits. 

The Song and Dance: Along with the animation, Helms and DiVito stand out as the kind and optimistic young man corrupted by greed and sudden riches and the forest spirit who watches the change in his attitude to his friends and their beloved home. Betty White also has a great time in a rare big-screen role, playing Ted's wise and funny grandmother who gets the ball rolling when she sends him out to the Once-ler. 

Favorite Number: "Welcome to Thneedville" introduces us to the residents, who claim everything is perfect when it's obviously anything but, in this cheery spoof of opening numbers in musicals. The Once-ler has three numbers in his flashback that reflect his changes, as he goes from an innocent and optimistic young man who hopes to change the world ("This Is the Place") to a despondent entrepreneur who is happy to have his friends ("Everybody Needs a Thneed"), to a corporate tycoon who only cares about the bottom line ("How Bad Can I Be?"). "Let It Grow" brings together the entire town as they introduce themselves and admit that maybe their lives aren't so perfect...and that maybe, they do need a little bit of something real in their lives.

Trivia: Ted and Audrey were named for Ted "Dr. Seuss" Geisel and his wife Audrey. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, Audrey and Ted aren't nearly as interesting as their elders. Swift doesn't have much to do (including sing), and Efron's a bit stiff and not terribly believable as a 12-year-old. The whole movie seems to treat the original special and book more than a little condescendingly, talking down to some of the original lines. Many people were also angry that they revealed the Once-ler's face and background. He's seen only as a disembodied furry hand in the original book and special. 

And...truth be told, no matter how much Universal tries, the whimsical simplicity of the Dr. Seuss books doesn't seem to translate well to the big screen. They were never meant to be drawn out into 90 minutes, complete with unnecessary cute critters, songs, and slapstick. To date, Horton Hears a Who!, the Seuss movie that came out before this one, has probably come the closest to the spirit of the book it was adapted from. 

The Big Finale: Cute enough time-waster on Earth Day or Arbor Day if you love the cast or the original Lorax book or special. 

Home Media: As a major hit and a relatively recent movie, it's easy to find in all formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Meet Me In Las Vegas

MGM, 1956

Starring Cyd Charisse, Dan Dailey, Agnes Moorehead, and Jim Backus

Directed by Roy Rowland

Music by Nicholas Brodszky; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

In the post-war years, Las Vegas became a mecca for entertainers, gamblers, and anyone looking to have a classy good time. Everyone who was anyone played snazzy night clubs like the Copa Room and the Arabian Room, dancing the night away as top headliners performed with electric lights blinking on slightly startled gamblers from the casino floors. They had class, style, and a real sense of elegance, even with unsavory gangland folks often pouring money into them. That classier side of mid-century Vegas is reflected in this fluffy showcase for dancers Charisse and Dailey. How does this look at Vegas at the height of its "Rat Pack" era look now? Let's head to the Sands Hotel, just as down-on-his-luck rancher Chuck Rodwell (Daily) arrives, and find out...

The Story: Chuck's superstitious as well as broke. He grabs what he thinks is a random lady's hand to give him confidence while playing roulette...and he wins. And wins again when he holds it again. The lady in question, ballerina Maria Corvier (Charisse), isn't amused at first...at least until they keep winning. Now everyone in Vegas wants in on their good fortune, including Chuck's old flame Kelly Donovan (Cara Williams) and Sands promoter Tom Culdane (Backus). The two find themselves falling in love for real, at least until Maria's manager (Paul Henried) appears on the scene.

The Song and Dance: That and some nice shots of Vegas in its "ring-a-ding-ding" prime are the chief interests here. Charisse may not be much of an actor, but she looks great in the lean slit-skirt dresses she wears and has some really lovely (and occasionally rather strange) ballet numbers. Dailey's having even more fun as the down home rancher who can't believe he had the luck to find such a dish. Look for cameos from Jerry Colona, Frank Sinatra, Lena Horne, Frankie Lane, Debbie Reynolds & Eddie Fisher, Peter Lorre, and Vic Damone. 

Favorite Number: The Four Aces open the movie singing the title song superimposed behind ace cards. Jerry Colonna performs "My Lucky Charm" with a bevy of chorus girls dressed as good luck charms...which a drunk Charisse proceeds to invade with her own version of their slinky moves. Dailey joins adorable Japanese girl Mitsuko Sawmura for a more charming soft-shoe version of "Lucky Charm." Cara Williams stubbornly claims "I Refuse to Rock and Roll" as she wriggles to hot jazz in another nightclub number. Frankie Laine headlines a more original one, as "Hell Hath No Fury" like four ballerinas in devil scarlet dancing stylized anger behind him. Horne makes her final appearance in an MGM musical with the lovely ballad "If You Can Dream." Charisse joins Dailey and the boys on the ranch for the psuedo-country ballad "The Girl In the Yaller Shoes" as they toss her and her Victorian-by-way-of-50's style petticoats all over the veranda. 

Charisse appears in three ballets, two of which are among the most unusual to ever grace the silver screen. We first meet her at "The Rehearsal Ballet," as Maria and the troupe practice for their show, with Maria standing out in a sizzling red leotard and major pirouettes. About mid-way through, we get a modernized "The Sleeping Beauty Ballet" that somehow manages to have Maria's Sleeping Beauty fall under the spell of a mis-thrown volley ball in the middle of a choreographed volleyball game. The last is a re-written "Frankie and Johnny," with Sammy Davis Jr. performing the traditional song of a woman scorned and how she gets revenge on her unfaithful lover.

What I Don't Like: There's not much to this one besides the numbers. The story's some of the silliest fluff ever concocted for a major musical, and the songs don't really have much to do with it. This is another one that feels like MGM randomly grabbed anyone hanging around the lot who could be transported to Vegas (or already headlined there) and stuffed them in wherever they did (or didn't) fit. It doesn't help that neither Henried as Maria's calculating manager nor Williams as Chuck's blousy ex-girlfriend are threatening enough to make you believe they could break up these lucky lovers. 

Dailey is an excellent dancer in his own right. I really wish he'd been given more dance numbers than his one (admittedly cute) number with sweet little Mitsuko and his part in "Girl In the Yaller Shoes." 

The Big Finale: Worth checking out at least once if you love the MGM musicals of the 50's, Charisse, Dailey, or want a glimpse of Vegas when it was the height of all things cool. 

Home Media: Can be found in a remastered DVD from the Warner Archives and on streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Springtime In the Rockies (1942)

20th Century Fox, 1942

Starring Betty Grable, John Payne, Charlotte Greenwood, and Carmen Miranda

Directed by Irving Cummings

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

Grable's vehicles were the ultimate in escapism during the World War II years, with legs, laughs, and good songs stuffed around a just-enough story. Her movies tended to either be set in the (then) recent past of the late 19th and early 20th century, or in some exotic location, like this one. Usually, when movies in this era wanted to get away from Hollywood, they traveled south of the border, but this one takes us north to Canada's Lake Louise area. How does this tale of romance at a mountain resort manage to fit in Harry James and his Orchestra, a major hit song, Charlotte Greenwood at her most acerbic, a young Jackie Gleason, and Carmen Miranda? Let's start in New York, as a show - and a relationship - is about to end, and find out...

The Story: Broadway dancer Vicky Lane (Grable) is tired of her partner Dan Christy (Payne) chasing socialites and takes off with her former partner Victor Prince (Caesar Romero), who still loves her. Dan tries hard to get a backer for his new show, but they won't take him without Vicky. While he's drinking himself into a stupor, his agent (Jackie Gleason) tells him Victor and Vicky are appearing with Harry James and His Orchestra at the Lake Louise resort in Canada. Dan says he'll get her, but also insists on not mentioning the producers who want to back his show.

He wakes up at Lake Louise with no idea of how he got there. On the way, he somehow acquired a valet named McTavish (Edward Everett Horton) and a feisty Brazilian secretary named Rosie Murphy (Miranda). They end up trying to help him get back with Vicky, even though she insists she and Victor are engaged. Meanwhile, Vicky's friend Phoebe (Greenwood) is interested in McTavish, and Rosita may have her own eyes on Victor as well.

The Song and Dance: This one is all about the great cast performing the heck out of some nifty Big Band numbers. Horton has a great time as a naïve perpetual student who's been in college for 20 years, thanks to his aunt claiming he'd get his inheritance only as long as he was learning. Miranda's equally funny as the South American bombshell who's a lot smarter than she lets on, and Greenwood gets to show off both her deadpan comedy and signature high kicks as Grable's best friend. The Technicolor is radiant, especially the sparkling dance costumes and Miranda's rainbow wardrobe once they hit the Rockies.

Favorite Number: We open with an adorable chorus routine at Vicky and Dan's Broadway show. They dash through the rain, dodging puddles, other dancers, and each other in "Run Little Raindrop Run." Miranda wriggles through a Portuguese version of "Chattanooga Choo Choo" with her brothers in Dan's room at Lake Louise. She gets a second one on the veranda, "O Tic Tac do Meu Coracao." Grable and Romero have a nice little dance routine to the instrumental "A Poem Set to Music" towards the end. 

The big hit song was the ballad "I Had the Craziest Dream." It's heard several times during the film, notably performed by singer Helen Forrest with Harry James and His Orchestra on the veranda shortly after Dan arrives and in an instrumental version with Charlotte Greenwood getting to show off her incredible mile-high kicks in the nightclub.

Trivia: Remake of the 1937 non-musical romantic comedy Second Honeymoon with Tyrone Power and Loretta Young. 

What I Don't Like: This is about as typical of a Grable vehicle as you're going to get. It's all a good-natured jumble of goofy types and cliches, surrounding Grable and her golden legs. Payne's not much more interesting here than he is in most of his musical appearances, and other than his numbers with Grable and one sequence when he almost runs into Dan in Vicky's room, Romero doesn't have that much to do. 

The Big Finale: Some good numbers are enough to recommend this to fans of Grable, Miranda, or the wacky escapist musicals of the 1940's. 

Home Media: Currently DVD-only on the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.

DVD

Animation Celebration Saturday - Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers

Disney, 2004

Voices of Wayne Allwine, Bill Farmer, Tony Anselmo, and Russi Taylor

Directed by Donovan Cook

Music and Lyrics by various

Disney tried for years to get a feature-length movie featuring Mickey Mouse and the regular shorts characters off the ground. This originally came into development in 1983, but languished in the back of the studio vaults until their ambitious The Search for Mickey Mouse with cameos from many other characters was scrapped. This finally made it to home video in 2004 as one of the last direct-to-home-media Disney animated films. How does this adaptation of the famous Alexandre Dumas book fare with animal protagonists? Let's start onstage with our turtle narrator (Rob Paulsen) and find out..

The Story: Mickey (Allwine), Goofy (Farmer), and Donald (Anselmo) long to become Musketeers, like the ones who saved them from being attacked as children. Mickey is considered to be too small for combat, Goofy not intelligent enough, and Donald too cowardly. Princess Minnie (Taylor) demands bodyguards after a safe nearly lands on her, and Captain Pete (Jim Cummings) decides Mickey and his buddies are perfect. Mickey and Minnie fall in love right away, but her lady-in-waiting Daisy (Tress MacNeille) reminds her that she must marry royalty. 

The trio have bigger problems than Mickey's love life. Someone is determined to eliminate or imprison Minnie before the night of the big opera. Mickey and the other three have to figure out who's behind these dastardly doings...and learn the true meaning of "one for all, and all for one!"

The Animation: Nothing spectacular, but it gets the job done. It's colorful and often very funny, with little comic details like characters fixing plumbing and talking on phones that wouldn't have existed in 17th century France. 

The Song and Dance: If you're a fan of Disney's "Sensational Six" or the shorts and comics revolving around the regular characters, have I got a treat for you. This is fast and funny, with some hilarious gags and really cute numbers based on opera and classical music. Allwine and Taylor (who were married for years in real-life) do well showing the sweeter and feistier side of Disney's famous mouse pair, while Anselemo has more fun with all the vocal pyrotechnics of Donald's freak-outs. Cummings has a ball as the hilariously evil Pete, and April Winchell gets a rare chance to play Clarabelle Cow as a villain in what amounts to the Lady DeWinter role. 

Favorite Number: We open with the actual Musketeers marching and dueling in time to their credo "One for All, and All for One." Minnie and Mickey fall for each other hard on "Sweet Wings of Love." Goofy gets an appropriately, well, goofy ballad later as he charms Lady Clarabelle with "Chains of Love." The finale is based around songs from The Pirates of Penzance, and it's a literal riot, with Mickey and his friends trying to keep Pete and the Beagle Boys from sneaking off with the trunk holding the royal ladies. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, the turtle narrator is unnecessary and a bit annoying beyond taking part in a few numbers. Many opera and operetta aficionados may not be pleased with the often-silly lyrics added to opera and classical music scores, either. Oh, and did I mention this is a direct-to-home-media movie? While the animation is nice and the script is decent, it's still not on a par with what you'd expect from Disney on the big screen, or even later on streaming. 

The Big Finale: Recommended for younger kids (and kids at heart) who love the Disney characters and opera fans who can get in the right satirical spirit. 

Home Media: Easy to find on all formats; it's at Disney Plus with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus 

Cult Flops - Flying High

MGM, 1931

Starring Bert Lahr, Charlotte Greenwood, Pat O'Brian, and Kathryn Crawford

Directed by Charles Reisner

Music by Jimmy McHugh; Lyrics by Dorothy Fields

Bert Lahr is today best known for his very funny performance as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 Wizard of Oz. He got his start as a low comic in burlesque, where he honed a lot of his noisier schtick. He hit the big time with a Broadway role in 1927; by 1931, he was one of the most popular stage stars in New York. MGM brought him over to film his big 1930 hit, replacing singer Kate Smith with her complete physical opposite, dancer and comedienne Charlotte Greenwood. Does this wacky comic musical fly high like Lahr's "Aerocopter" today, or should it be grounded? Let's head to a diner frequented by pilots and mechanics as waitress Pansy Potts (Greenwood) laments about her marital state...or lack thereof...and find out...

The Story: Pansy has just offered a $500 dollar dowry to the man who'll marry her. That money looks mighty good to Sport Wardell (O'Brian), who's trying to push goofball mechanic Rusty Krouse's new "Aerocopter" that can go side to side as well as up and down. Rusty spent all his money on his invention, and now they're so broke, they can't pay their bills or rent. Even when Sport does manage to find an investor (Guy Kibbee) and fall for his daughter Eileen (Crawford), the investor is broke. They both may end up behind bars for selling illegal stocks...unless Rusty can get Pansy's money and enters the Aerocopter in a race at an air show and keeps her in the sky.

The Song and Dance: This may be intended as a vehicle for Lahr, but he's overshadowed by Greenwood and one of Busby Berkeley's earliest choreographic assignments. Even here, you can see how well Berkeley does with playing to the camera, including the same kind of kaleidoscopic overhead shots he'd use two years later in the Warners backstage movies. Greenwood's having a great time chasing Lahr all over the Oakland Airport, and later when she jumps in the aerocopter with him and has to retrieve an important part from the wing and the landing wheel.

Favorite Number: "Happy Landing" is the big one...and unlike most musicals, it can be found in the first 20 minutes. Crawford performs this huge routine with the chorus, who hold wooden airplane silhouettes over their heads for the camera and form airplanes and the names of famous pilots. It's a nifty number, and a good preview of things to come for Berkeley. He does something similar with the nightclub routine "Dance Until the Dawn," this time letting the chorus dance in until they start making those airplane formations. Lahr tries to explain why he's not fond of the idea of marriage, while an eager Greenwood tries to rope him into a union in "It's the First Time for Me."

Trivia: The music for the original Broadway show was by DeSylva, Brown, and Henderson, but none of their songs were used for the film.

Film debut of Bert Lahr. 

The photo Sport shows Pansy of "Rusty" is actually of Clark Gable. 

"Happy Landing" and "Dance Until the Dawn" were later edited into the MGM Three Stooges short Plane Nuts. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, O'Brian comes off no more interesting here than he would in later musical outings at Warners like In Caliente. Musicals just aren't his forte. Crawford is even more colorless, other than her bit singing "Happy Landing" and "Dance Until the Dawn." This is very much a Pre-Code musical, with some scanty costumes. a few mild swears, lots of slapstick, and one sequence where doctor Charles Winninger examines a roomful of would-be aviatrixes who are more than happy to strip for him. 

The biggest problem, other than some lingering early talkie stiffness, is Lahr himself. No wonder he tended to work better in later films as a fantasy character or second banana to slightly less loony comedians like Red Skelton. He's way too much, mugging to the camera and jumping all over and yelling and ducking away from Greenwood like there's no tomorrow. It gets wearing and very annoying after a while. 

The Big Finale: Mainly for those interested in Berkeley's style, Lahr, Greenwood, or the early talkie musicals. 

Home Media: One of the earlier Warner Archive releases, this remains DVD-only at the moment. 

DVD

Spring Is Here

Warner Bros/First National, 1930

Starring Bernice Claire, Alexander Gray, Lawrence Gray, and Inez Courtney

Directed by John Francis Dillon

Music by Richard Rodgers and others; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart and others

First National was a major movie studio in it's own right, with it's own lot and stars, when sound came in. Paramount tried to buy them in the early 20's, but nothing came of it. Flush with the vast returns from blockbusters like The Jazz Singer and Gold Diggers of Broadway, Warners finally purchased the majority share of stock in 1929, then bought them outright later that year. This would be one of their last movies released as a separate company before they were folded into Warners. How does this romantic comedy about a young woman and her two very different beaus look today? Let's start at the home of the Braleys with peppy younger sister Mary Jane (Courtney) and find out...

The Story: Mary Jane's older sister Betty (Claire) is a flirtatious beauty who is in love with Terry Clayton (Alexander Gray). Terry's handsome and sweet, but he's also shy, clumsy, and sings better than he talks. She's also stringing along Steve Alden (Lawrence Gray), whom her blustering father Peter (Ford Sterling) doesn't approve of. Terry's discouraged by Betty's brushing off his timid overtures. Mary Jane tells him to encourage her feelings by making her jealous. He flirts with many girls - including Betty and Mary Jane's mother Emily (Louise Fazenda) - at the party. That works too well. Not only is Peter Braley fed up, but he may have scared Betty off as well.

The Song and Dance: This is about as simple of a romantic comedy as one could wish. That very simplicity is actually rather refreshing, especially for the early talkie era. No extra trappings, no big chorus routines, barely any dancing besides Courtney's one little number. Just a girl, two guys, her sister, and a couple of goofy parents. Sterling and Fazenda walk off with the picture as the hilarious Braleys. They get most of the good lines, whether he's flustered over being woken up by Terry's late night pursuit of Betty, or she's giggling at Terry's advances. 

Favorite Number: We start off with Courtney as she woos her own beau (Frank Albertson) with "Spring Is Here (In Person)." Terry's nervous letter to Betty to reveal his feelings turns into one of the two standards from this show, "Yours Sincerely." Lawrence Gray relates his case to Bernice Claire and her stunning voice for a duet on the other, "With a Song In My Heart." The Brox Sisters perform the cute southern ballad "Cryin' for the Carolines" at the party. Courtney asks Albertson "What's the Big Idea?" as she tries to enlist him to help her sister choose the right guy, complete with a short but very cute dance number. 

What I Don't Like: This is about as much of a filmed play as you can get. It's very talky and static, with barely anyone doing much more than sitting and singing. It's also not the most exciting or dynamic musical in the universe. As lovely as Claire is, her two beaus are about as interesting as Dillon's dull direction and are pretty interchangeable. Lawrence Gray isn't much of a singer, either, especially pitted against operetta star Claire. We never find out what Albertson has to do with anything, either, other than someone for Courtney to sing comedy songs with.  

The Big Finale: Charming piece of early talkie fluff is short, sweet, and worth checking out if you love Rodgers and Hart, the early sound era, or romantic comedy. 

Home Media: DVD only from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Animation Celebration Saturday - Bambi

Disney, 1942

Voices of Bobby Stewart, Paula Winslowe, Peter Behn, and Will Wright

Directed by David Hand and others

Music by Frank Churchill; Lyrics by Larry Morey

In the 1930's and early 40's, the Disney Studios worked hard to take animation from the comic "rubber hose" characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse to something far closer to real-life. Disney bought the rights in 1937 and intended it to be his second full-length animated film, but World War II and the challenges of animating realistic dear caused it to be put on hold. Critics found it too dark and a bit too true to life for their liking when it finally came out, but how does it look now, at an equally grim time? Let's begin during summer in the forest, just as the new Prince is about to be born, and find out...

The Story: Bambi (Stewart) is befriended almost at birth by energetic rabbit Thumper (Behn) and bashful skunk Flower (Stan Alexander), who teach him to walk and talk. He's very close with his mother, remaining almost constantly at her side. He's also naturally curious, always asking questions about the world around him. The woods and meadows are beautiful, peaceful places for Bambi and his friends to grow up...but they're dangerous, too. Even as he meets giggly doe Faline, Bambi, his mother, and his father The Great Prince of the Forest are chased off the meadow by an intangible threat his mother only refers to as "man." 

The cold winter months are a more visible problem, as food becomes scarce and the sheltering leaves vanish. "Man" returns on a bitter stormy day, leaving tragedy in their wake and Bambi alone with his father. Even as he and his friends grow to adulthood and find their mates, "man" continues to lurk in the background, leaving destruction in their wake.

The Animation: Some of the best Disney ever did. Details of the forest - blowing leaves, shining rain drops, fluttering birds, blossoming flowers - burst from every frame. The watercolor backgrounds are utterly stunning, bringing the dark world of nature to blooming life. Disney's work on animating realistic animals paid off. While their features are exaggerated just enough to allow for facial expressions, they move and run and skate like real deer and rabbits and skunks you'd see on a stroll through the woods.

The Song and Dance: One of Disney's simplest, most beautiful, and darkest movies. The story of the balance of nature - and how us humans tend to wreck havoc on it - is rendered in some of Disney's finest artwork and most adorable characters. Kudos to the kids performing Thumper, Bambi, and Flower as babies - they're so funny, with dialogue that sounds true-to-life for children even now. The hilarious Thumper gets most of the best lines and has always been my favorite character. A gorgeous score by Churchill more than matches the animation with its soaring orchestral sound that knows when to be silent and when to celebrate. 

Favorite Number: "Love Is a Song" is the soaring ballad on life and rebirth that open and closes the film. "Little April Showers" plays in the background as Bambi dashes for home with his mother and witnesses those showers falling all over the woods. Bambi and Faline are "Looking for Romance" in the lovely ballad for the chorus that provides the backdrop for their romp through the woods after they meet up again as grown deer. 

Trivia: "Love Is a Song" was nominated for an Oscar in 1942, along with the sound mixing and the lovely original score. 

Disney announced a photorealistic CGI remake in January 2020. 

What I Don't Like: Critics at the time complained noisily about the lack of fantasy and the dark story, including the death of Bambi's mother. Even now, the story may be a little too heavy for very young children who would otherwise be attracted by the cute and funny baby animals. 

The Big Finale: This may have been a flop in 1942, but it's now considered one of Disney's most charming and beautiful movies. Check it out with older kids who can handle some of the heavier moments. 

Home Media: Once one of the movies Disney pulled in and out of the "vault" from time to time, this is now easily found in all formats, including on Disney Plus with a subscription. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Broadway to Hollywood

MGM, 1933

Starring Frank Morgan, Alice Brady, Russell Hardie, and Eddie Quillan

Directed by William Mack

Music and Lyrics by various

Dancing Lady wasn't MGM's only attempt to imitate the new Warners-style backstagers then in vogue...but this one has an unusual pedigree. In 1930, MGM producer Harry Rapf filmed a series of enormous dance numbers in 2-strip Technicolor for what he intended to be his biggest revue yet, The March of Time. Filming began in mid-1930...just as musicals began to fall out of favor with the viewing public. He tried for the next three years to figure out how to get those numbers to the public. Some ended up in a movie made for the German market; others were dumped in shorts. The rest finally went into this through-the-years melodrama...or at least, they originally did. How does this tale of three generations of a show business family look now? Let's begin at the theater, as Lulu (Brady) and Ted (Morgan) Hackett begin their performance, and find out...

The Story: Lulu and Ted raise their son Ted Jr. (Hardie) to be part of their vaudeville act, The Three Hacketts. He's even more popular on the vaudeville circuit than they are, and is soon offered a starring role in a Broadway show. He also goes against his parents' wishes and marries the lovely Anne Ainsley (Madge Evans). Mistrust and his big head after his success tears apart him and Anne, even after they give birth to a son, Ted III (Quillan). When tragedy strikes, he turns his son over to Lulu and Ted Sr. to raise and joins the army. Years later, when Ted III becomes and even bigger success in talking pictures, he brings his grandparents out to be a part of his success...but his grandfather ends up having to save him from following the same path of drink and degradation as his father.

The Song and Dance: Brady and Morgan dominate the film as the central Hacketts. Brady has some hilarious moments, especially early in the film, where she has to keep her husband on the straight and narrow and away from conniving chorus girls. Morgan does equally well; he has a wonderful speech to his grandson in the finale where he reminds him of just how much show business is in his blood.

Favorite Number: "We are the Two Hacketts" introduces us to Lulu, Ted, their old-fashioned song and dance act, and the running gag of some unknown admirer always tossing Lulu flowers. Later, it becomes "We are the Three Hacketts" when first Hardie, then a fast-tapping young Mickey Rooney joins the act. "The Honeysuckle and the Bee" is the big dance routine for Evans and the Albertina Rasch Dancers. Evans gets to show off some amazing limber acrobatic work at one point as she turns cartwheels in a huge dress. The brief "Snow Ballet" returns us to the Albertina Rasch girls, as chorines in fluffy winter wear prance in a winter landscape. The finale has us "Knee Deep In Rhythm," as the girls join Quillan for a big dance routine that shows just what Ted III learned from his vaudeville roots.

Trivia: For all the fuss over using the March of Time numbers, they're mostly missing from the copy currently shown on TCM. 

Moe and Curly Howard of The Three Stooges have cameos as the clowns who strip off Ted Jr.'s costume when he's fired from a show. They're virtually unrecognizable in the makeup. 

Nelson Eddy debuts, briefly singing "In the Garden of My Heart," though it's mostly heard in the background.

The film also features many similarities to the life of Buster Keaton, who was working at - and feuding with - MGM at the time. He was all too aware of it, and it only added to the growing friction between him and the studio. Didn't help that his March of Time scenes were cut from the film. 

What I Don't Like: Oh lord, the melodrama runs thick and fast here. I love the "through the years" theme that focuses on one family, but neither Hardie nor Quillan can handle the dramatics and come off as silly and dull next to Morgan, Brady, and even Madge Evans. You'd never believe these apple-cheeked pretty boys would drink anything worse than an ice cream soda on a Sunday, let alone allow their families to fall to ruin. 

I wish director William Mack would focus on the musical numbers. He keeps cutting away to everyone's reactions to them and things going on in the background...which is why we don't get to see any number complete and in full. The movie is really something of a mess. It was created to showcase those huge March of Time numbers and seems dull and pointless without them. 

The Big Finale: Completely unnecessary unless you're a huge fan of 30's musicals, historical show business stories, or anyone involved.

Home Media: At the moment, it can only be seen occasionally on TCM.

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Dancing Lady

MGM, 1933

Starring Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, and Winne Lightner

Directed by Robert Z. Leonard

Music and Lyrics by various

Once 42nd Street was a hit early in 1933, all of the studios resumed making backstage musicals. This time, however, a tougher, grittier sheen replaced the innocent sherbet-colored antics of the early talkie backstagers. The Depression suddenly made putting on a show not only something to do for the tired businessman, but a vital part of the economy that provided jobs and hope for dozens of performers, stagehands, and musicians and gave people something to take their minds off the crisis. MGM responded by throwing everything they had into this glittering vehicle for Joan Crawford. How does this slightly tough confection look today? Let's start in downtown New York at a burlesque joint and find out...

The Story: Janie Barlow (Crawford) and her roommate Rosetta "Rosie" LaRue (Lightner) just finished a strip number when the theater is raided and they're arrested for indecency. Wealthy playboy Tod Newton (Tone) bails them out, having seen the show and been attracted to Janie's moxie. Janie spends weeks trying to see big-time director Patch Gallagher (Gable), who keeps brushing her off. Tod finally offers to finance the show if he'll put Janie in the chorus. Patch is so impressed with her when he does see her dance, he gives her a featured role, then moves her into the star spot. 

Ted, however, isn't happy that his "dancing lady" seems to be growing further away from him, and he'll even shut down the show to keep her closer. Patch, however, isn't willing to let go without a fight...and even Janie admits she'd rather dance than live in a love nest with a man who can't understand that performing is her life. 

The Song and Dance: You can't fault the cast for this one. Crawford is surrounded by some of the best MGM had to offer. Tone begins what would become a career of playing similar playboys with his playful yet selfish man about town. The Three Stooges have a few slapping-around bits that preview many of the routines from their later Columbia shorts. Crawford is fine when she's not called on to actually dance, especially in the end, when she explains to Tone why "dese things" and "those things" can't work together. Lightner also has a few funny lines, and there's Robert Benchley as Gable's buddy and a Walter Winchell-style gossip hound and Fred Astaire and Nelson Eddy doing tiny parts in the finale. Some of the Art Deco sets, especially in the finale, are amazing, and the costumes are absolutely gorgeous. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Hold Your Man" at the strip joint. Lightner performs the number as the women parade around her, but Crawford has more problems when her zipper gets stuck while she's trying to strip. Singer Art Jarrett gets the one standard to come from this film, "Everything I Have Is Yours," to Crawford as she dances with Tone at the party. 

The major numbers come at the end. We kick off with none other than Fred Astaire joining a white-clad Crawford for "Heigh-Ho, the Gang's All Here" as a formal-dressed chorus dances and drinks around them. Somehow, a magic disc whisks them off to Germany, where the peasant-clad chorus now drinks beer and sings the virtues of that drink in "Let's Go Bavarian." Rogers and Hart's "The Rhythm of the Day" begins with a chorus clad in 17th century dress lead to a modern New York by Nelson Eddy in a tuxedo. This eventually encompasses an amazing Art Deco mirror merry-go-around, with chorus girls riding on horses going around the glittering sunbursts. 

Trivia: The debut film of Fred Astaire and Lynn Bari, who is in the chorus. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, no amount of constant praise can turn Crawford into a dancer. With her flailing arms and wobbling legs, she more closely resembles someone trying to kill flies than perform a dance routine. It's especially awkward next to the genuinely talented Astaire. She just cannot keep up with him in the complicated "Heigh-Ho." Doesn't help that her singing was dubbed, too. Gable's miscast as the Warner Baxter-type tough director and is definitely not happy to be here. 

The movie wants desperately to be Busby Berkeley, but the glossy MGM style just can't figure it out. Those big finale numbers may be shiny and fast-moving, but they also make absolutely no sense whatsoever, lurching from one big set piece to the next with no form or function. They're just not about anything, not even the sexual undercurrents that often ran through Berkeley's numbers. 

The Big Finale: The cast alone makes this worth seeing at least once for fans of Crawford or 30's musicals.

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

DVD

Amazon Prime

Happy Easter! - My Dream Is Yours

Warner Bros, 1949

Starring Doris Day, Jack Carson, Eve Arden and Lee Bowman

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Ralph Blaine

We celebrate Easter with Doris Day's third starring vehicle. Warners saw potential in her after her success in Romance on the High Seas the year before and wanted to build her into a major star. Day started out as a radio and big band singer; it made sense to star her in a film where she played a struggling radio singer, with Carson as her devoted manager. How does this on the air romantic comedy look now? Let's begin on the air, as the radio program The Hour of Enchantment reaches its conclusion, and find out...

The Story: Gary Mitchell (Bowman) is the star of Hour of Enchantment...and now that he's reached the top, he claims to no longer need the services of his fast-talking agent Doug Blake (Carson). Angry at being fired, he swears he'll find a singer that's even better. He finally discovers Martha Gibson (Day) singing while spinning records in a jukebox factory and convinces her, her son Freddy, and their scruffy dog to move west to California. Trouble is, sponsor Felix Hofer (S.Z Sakall) doesn't think she's a big enough name to star in the show. Doug won't give up on Martha and keeps trying and trying to get her through to him, or at least find her work. Meanwhile, Gary has his own interest in her...and is equally unwilling to take "no" for an answer...

The Animation: Mel Blanc voices Bugs and Tweety and joined Ralph Blaine to write spoof lyrics to Hungarian Rhapsody #2 for an Easter dream sequence. Bugs (and Tweety, who pops up later for a "puddy tat" joke) move pretty well, and there's birds in Easter bonnets who flutter over Freddy's head.

The Song and Dance: Charming look at how one became a star in radio, just as the industry was transitioning from audio to visual media. Though Day and Carson do well enough as the sassy widow who wants a better life for her son and the determined talent agent, Eve Arden walks away with the movie. The assistant to sponsor representative Thomas "Hutch" Hutchins (Adolph Menjou), she gets most of the best lines and ends up with a lot of the funniest scenes, including having to share her apartment with Martha and her family, wash her dog, and sell her car to get Martha on the air. This is also an early glimpse of Day before her later sunny screen persona really began to gel - indeed, she gets to play several dramatic scenes here, especially with her son. 

Favorite Number: The two big ballads "My Dream Is Yours" and "Someone Like You" are performed several times through the course of the film, by Day and by Hal Derwin (who dubbed Bowman). Day gets an especially nice run through of "Someone Like You" in the end, when she's realized which man she truly loves. "Tic, Tic, Tic" is the goofy upbeat number Martha sings when she initially auditions for producers, a very strange spoof comparing love to atomic bombs. 

"Freddy Gets Ready" is the dream sequence the night before Easter where Martha's young rabbit-obsessed son Freddy dreams Bugs Bunny comes and sings to him. The sequences with Bugs, Tweety, and the birds who twitter over Freddy are adorable, but it gets a little too strange when Day and Carson pop up, dressed as two of Freddy's stuffed bunnies in rather silly suits.

Trivia: Remake of the 1934 Warners musical Twenty Million Sweethearts.

What I Don't Like: Despite its unique radio setting, the plot is a mess of backstage and romantic comedy clichés we've seen many times before. Bowman is pretty obviously a heel from the moment we see him give Doug the brush-off after he's made the big time. It's a wonder Martha takes as long as she does to figure that out. 

The Big Finale: Cute enough way to pass the time on Easter Sunday if you're a fan of Day, Arden, Bugs Bunny, or 40's musicals.

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming, the former via the Warner Archives.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Happy April Fool's Day! - The Cocoanuts

Paramount, 1929

Starring The Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo), Margaret Dumont, Mary Eaton, and Oscar Shaw

Directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

We celebrate a day devoted to laughter with the debut of the most popular comedy teams of all time. The Florida land boom began in the early 20's, thanks to Florida's image as a tropical paradise, World War I cutting off travel for the very rich to the French Riviera, and new dry land created by draining the Everglades. Land prices were skyrocketing, and everyone and their grandmother wanted to come down and get a piece of the orange grove pie for themselves. Con-artists and honest workers mingling with the wealthy and famous in Miami set the stage for the Marx Brothers' second stage musical and their first sound film. How does their initial vehicle look today, as housing prices in Florida and elsewhere begin to rise once more? Let's start at the Hotel du Cocoanut in Miami and find out...

The Story: Mr. Hammer (Groucho) is trying desperately to get paying customers into his hotel. The bellhops are starting to demand their back pay. One of his few customers is filthy rich Mrs. Potter (Dumont) and her daughter Polly (Eaton). Polly is in love with hotel clerk and struggling architect Bob Adams (Shaw), but her mother would rather she married upstanding Harvey Yates (Cyril Ring). Turns out that, not only is Yates not socially connected, he's broke. He and his partner Penelope (Kay Francis) steal Mrs. Potter's diamond necklace and accuse Bob of the theft. Now, not only do Mr. Hammer and hotel guests Harpo and Chico have to sell land of their own, they have to get Bob out from behind bars and make sure the right groom ends up at the wedding.

The Song and Dance: The Marxes take over the movie from the second Groucho makes his entrance berating the help. They get some classic bits here, notably the "why-a-duck" sequence when Groucho and Chico discuss what land parcels they're auctioning off, Chico making way too many bids at the auction, and all three running around and trying to hide in Penelope's hotel room. Kay Francis also debuts in this film, giving a hint of her later glamorous drama queen as the nasty partner in the stolen necklace scheme. (And I have to admit, those opening credits shots of the "Monkey Doodle Doo" number run in negative are genuinely cool.)

Favorite Number: We open with shots of the rich living it up, dancing and romping through the sand in "Florida By the Sea." The Gamby Hale Dancers get a rather nifty and fairly well-shot dance routine on the stairs in their cute bell-hop costumes after Groucho tells them they should work and not worry about money. "The When My Dreams Come True Ballet" at the wedding begins with the first overhead shot in a sound film, more than a year before Busby Berkeley arrived in Hollywood. We get operatic when the local sheriff (Basil Ruysdael) complains about his dress shirt being missing, turning "The Tale of the Shirt" into an opera spoof for the full chorus.

Trivia: All of the paper in the movie made so much noise, it had to be soaked in water to keep it from rustling and damaging expensive early sound equipment. That's why the map Groucho holds in the "why-a-duck" sequence is so droopy.

It was director Robert Florey's idea to let Harpo eat the telephone and drink the inkwell to give him more to do. The telephone was made of chocolate, and there was soda in the inkwell.

This was filmed in Paramount's Astoria studios in Queens, New York. The Marx Brothers made this during the day while starring in their next stage vehicle Animal Crackers at night. Groucho almost calls Chico "Ravelli," his character name in Animal Crackers, during the "why-a-duck" sequence. 

This movie's been chopped up since before its release. It was filmed as over two hours. More than a half-hour of footage was cut and subsequently lost, including sequences with Zeppo and Groucho and a duet for Groucho and Margaret Dumont, "A Little Bungalow." Current copies were pieced together from three different prints, which is why the photographic quality varies dramatically from scene to scene.

The Broadway show eventually ran almost nine months, not bad for the time. It's made occasional appearances on regional stages (usually with songs from other Marx Brothers films added in) and has been revived twice off-Broadway. 

What I Don't Like: Though this is likely the most overtly musical of the Marx Brothers films, most of the numbers stand out like sore thumbs. "When My Dreams Come True," the love theme for Bob and Polly Berlin wrote expressively for this film, is silly and dull. It works all right for the ballet, but the lyrics are drippy and disappointing for Berlin, and no amount of instrumental solos can make it a hit. The "Monkey Doodle Doo" number is almost as bad, with out-of-step dancing, a too-goofy song, and ridiculous costumes. 

Overhead shot aside, this is just as static as most films made during the late 20's and early 30's, with everyone frequently standing around talking and the camera droning on. Eaton and Shaw tend to be a bit stiff as the lovers, though Eaton does have a nice dance solo in "Monkey Doodle Doo" where she pirouettes all around the auction. The cheap sets feel less like Florida and more like "someone poured sand and stuck a few fake palm trees on a small soundstage in Queens.

The Big Finale: The out-of-place music and stiff leads makes this for major Marx Brothers fans only. Casual viewers may want to start with their better-known entries like A Night at the Opera or Duck Soup before coming here. 

Home Media: The solo film is DVD only, but it can be found on Blu-Ray in a collection with the other Marx Brothers movies currently owned by Universal. 

DVD 

DVD - The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection

Blu-Ray - The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection