Musicals On Streaming - Christmas On the Square

Warner Bros/Netflix, 2020

Starring Dolly Pardon, Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis, and Josh Segarra

Directed by Debbie Allen

Music and Lyrics by Dolly Pardon

Our first live-action holiday musical of the season is about as traditional as you can get. Despite the pandemic still raging when this came out, this was a surprise hit on Netflix in 2020, and even won an Emmy for best TV movie in 2021. Is it still as much fun five years later, when there's no health event going on, or is there just a little too much cheese here to enjoy? Let's begin in an obviously fake town square, as people are dancing and celebrating the start of the Christmas season...at least until one expensive car pulls into the Square...and find out...

The Story: Regina Fuller (Baranski) is more than happy to hand out eviction notices to every business in Fullerville two days before Christmas. She claims she wants to build a mall on the land, but she really just wants the town gone. The town is the namesake of her father Jack (Douglas Sills), whom she thought turned her away after she had a baby out of wedlock. She learns her lessons from an angel (Pardon), her angel-in-training Felicity (Jeanine Mason) who is working as Regina's assistant, and from Violet (Selah Kimbro Jones), the girl who works at her father's bar and is the only person to treat Regina kindly after the evictions come down, and from a scare with a possible brain tumor about the importance of life, of forgiveness, and seeing the big picture, even in our grief.

The Song and Dance: Baranski and Pardon are the thing here in this big, bright, bold musical. This is about as typical of a holiday musical as you can get, but Baranski's sarcasm, especially in the first half, cuts the sugar level. Pardon gets some funny moments too, especially with Mason when she's either not getting through to her angry employer or fed up with her attitude problem. Broadway singer Jenifer Lewis has some funny moments too as Regina's best friend Margeline who wishes she'd just cut the attitude problem and see what she's doing to the town. The bright-colored sets evoke a polished local stage show or an old MGM musicals, with their blatantly unrealistic old-fashioned look.

The Numbers: We open with "Christmas Is," as everyone in Fullerville prepares for the big holiday...just as Regina shows up with her eviction notices and the constantly apologizing Felicity. "You" is Pastor Christian Hathaway (Segarra) and his wife Jenna's (Mary Lane Haskell) duet as they admit that while they may not have been blessed with children, they still have each other. Salon owner Margeline is called to do Regina's hair, but she ends up calling her the "Queen of Mean" before telling her to do it herself. Regina's ex-boyfriend Carl (Treat Williams) who owns the local thrift shop calls himself a "Keeper of Memories," not merely a junk store owner.

When the homeless woman in the square reveals herself to be Angel (Pardon), she tells Regina that "Everyone Needs an Angel." Regina needs to "Light Her Lamp" and remember the good times with her father. The town calls Regina "The Wickedest Witch of the Middle" at a church meeting, then encourages everyone to "Try" to be the best they can be. Violet and Regina commiserate at the bar as they admit their lives haven't exactly been a "Fairy Tale." "Maybe, Just Maybe" is Regina's song, which she sings four times, in the opening and before, during, and after her brain tumor scan as she wonders if she can change her life and if she wants to. Jack gives "A Father's Prayer" when he takes his daughter's baby, then puts him up for adoption so he'll have a better life than his mother can give him.

"Christmas Is" turns up again for Felicity as she tries to point out to Regina what she's doing to the town again. Jenna reprises "Try" as she wishes she could conceive a child and have a home to give it. Angel performs "Angels Know" as her magic awakens Violet after a car accident and gives Jenna what she longed for. Margeline and the townspeople raise the roof with a gospel version of "Try." Angel sings of "An Angel's Prayer" as she hovers over the church pulpit on Christmas Eve. Regina sings for everyone to "Forgive Me," including her newly-found son, as she finally admits that the animosity she held to the town and her father was wrong. The movie ends with the entire town - including the two angels - reprising "Christmas Is." Pardon sings "Try" over the credits.

Trivia: The song "Try" was originally written for and featured on Pardon's 2014 album Blue Smoke.

What I Don't Like: Another award this one was nominated for was "Campiest TV Show"....and oh boy, did it deserve that. This is about as campy of a modern musical as you can get. There's so many numbers, it's practically an operetta. They lay on the forgiveness Aesop with the thickest, ripest cheese possible, and it can be way too much. There's also the obviously fake sets. This is not a real town. The square is obviously not a real square, the houses aren't real houses. It's more like a play you'd see at your local repertory theater than a TV movie. The dialogue borders on stiff and well-meaning to the point of being annoying sometimes, especially for the Pastor and his wife. Not to mention, there's the ridiculously melodramatic story that comes off as a cross between It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol, and The Bishop's Wife and veers between silly and predictable. 

The Big Finale: It's worth seeing at least once if you're a big fan of Pardon or Baranski or want to check out a modern version of those big studio-bound musicals of the 40's and 50's.

Home Media: Easily found on Netflix and on DVD.

DVD

Netflix

Hollywood Hotel

Warner Bros, 1937

Starring Dick Powell, Lola Lane, Rosemary Lane, and Ted Healy

Directed by Busby Berkeley

Music by Johnny Mercer; Lyrics by Richard A. Whiting

Back at Warners, Berkley was now choreographing and directing his films. Warners had cut back on the budgets when a few too many flopped, but this one had a pedigree beyond mere imitation. Hollywood Hotel was both a real hotel in Hollywood for the rich and famous (which was slightly past its prime in 1937), and a radio series where gossip columnist Louella Parsons would interview celebrities who would then perform condensed versions of the latest films. Since Dick Powell was a regular on the show, it made sense for him to appear in a film version. Parsons made her film debut here as well. How well does the film adapt a show made for a very different medium? Let's begin not in Hollywood, but with Benny Goodman and his orchestra as they cheer singer and saxophonist Ronnie Bowers and find out...

The Story: Bowers (Powell) just signed a ten-week contract with All-Star Pictures. His first assignment is to escort major screen star Mona Marshall (Rosemary Lane) to her latest premiere and out to the Orchid Room afterwards. Turns out he's not really escorting Mona, who threw a fit and refused to attend her premiere, but her double Virginia Stanton (Lola Lane). The real Mona figures it out and has Ronnie fired. 

Ronnie is reduced to working for a drive-in diner along with his newly-appointed manager Fuzzy Boyle (Healy). Director Walter Kelton hears him and hires him to dub Mona Marshall's usual screen partner Alex Dupre (Alan Mowbray). He's not thrilled about it, and is even less happy when called on to dub him on the Hollywood Hotel radio show. Fuzzy and Virginia finally find a way for him to be seen for the wonderful singer he is while on the air.

The Song and Dance: This is one of the better Warners musicals of the late 30's. It's too bad Healy, who died under shady circumstances less than a month before its premiere, didn't live to see his very funny performance as the photographer-turned-manager. I also like that the real-life Lane sisters look enough alike to fool people realistically, no illusion or lavish special effects needed. Lola is charming as the sensible Virginia, while Rosemary is a riot as spoiled, obnoxious, and ridiculously dramatic Mona Marshall. Not only do we get gorgeous sets and costumes depicting Hollywood during the 30's, we actually get scenes filmed in the real Hollywood. I also appreciate the relatively unique story for a Berkeley 30's musical. This one is less about putting on a show and more about who gets seen and who doesn't in Tinseltown.

The Numbers: We open with the movie's best-known song and major standard. Benny Goodman and his band sing "Hooray for Hollywood" while riding out to the airport in cars with boards claiming stars of the era could learn a thing or two from Ronnie. Virginia and Ronnie admit "I'm Like a Fish Out of Water" while splashing around outside of the movie premiere. Mona initially performs "Silhouetted In the Moonlight," which is eventually picked up by Goodman singers Frances Langford and Jerry Cooper. Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (including later orchestra leaders Harry James, Lionel Hampton, and Gene Krupa) perform "I've Got a Heartful of Music" and "Sing, Sing, Sing" at the club. 

"Let That Be a Lesson to You" is the sole large-scale chorus number, as Ronnie explains about his trouble in Tinseltown to everyone at the drive-in. Ronnie dubs Alex Dupre to sing "I've Hitched My Wagon to a Star" in Mona's big Civil War vehicle. The movie ends at the Orchid Room during the Hollywood Hotel broadcast with Ronnie insisting "Sing, You Son of a Gun" with the cast and both orchestra.

Trivia: Look fast for Ronald Reagan as the radio announcer at the premiere of the Civil War movie, Susan Hayward as a starlet, and Carole Landis as a cigarette girl.

Goodman was thrilled when the success of his band in this film gave him enough clout to pull off his famous Carnegie Hall concert in 1938. This movie is also the first time a racially mixed music group was depicted on the big screen.

What I Don't Like: The numbers here are a bit disappointing. Though some of the songs aren't bad, both the opening number and "Let That Be a Lesson to You" go on for way too long, and there's little of the playing with the camera and geometric formations Berkeley's known for. In fact, like Vogues of 1938, the movie is way too long for a fluffy 30's musical and some of the numbers could have been trimmed. No wonder Louella Parsons was so bad at remembering character names, it took all day to shoot one of her scenes. She's a much better gossip columnist and radio hostess than she is an actress. There's also Hugh Herbert and Mabel Todd, both annoying as heck playing Mona's starstruck father and sister. No wonder Mona's nerves are shot, with obnoxious relatives like these. And Herbert turns up blackface in Mona's Civil War vehicle to boot.

The Big Finale: For the most part, this is a surprisingly charming later gem from Warners with some decent music and a fairly unique plot. For fans of Berkeley's films, Powell, or the big lavish musicals of the 1930's.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

The Desert Song (1929)

Warner Bros, 1929

Starring John Boles, Carlotta King, Myrna Loy, and Johnny Arthur

Directed by Roy Del Ruth

Music by Sigmund Romberg; Lyrics by Otto Haurbach and Frank Mandel

This week we dive into the romantic, swashbuckling world of operetta, where every romance is a rhapsody, every duel a symphony. The Desert Song, inspired by the actual Riff tribe uprisings in North Africa, was a huge hit on Broadway in 1926. Warner Bros thought it would be perfect for their first all-talking, all-singing film and pulled out all the stops. There's lavish costumes and scenery, then-up-and-coming John Boles as the Red Shadow, most of those gorgeous songs recorded onto live Vitaphone discs, and originally, blazing two-strip Technicolor. While the color prints don't survive, how does the rest look in black and white today? Let's begin with "The Riff Song," as we see the tribes riding in the desert, and find out...

The Story: The Red Shadow (Boles) is the mysterious Robin Hood-like leader of the Riffs. He is in reality Pierre Birabeau, the son of the French General Birabeau (Edward Martindel) who came to Morocco in an attempt to impress Margot Bonavalet (King), a girl at his father's outpost. He took over the Riffs and now pretends to be a weakling in order to hide his secret identity. Margot is engaged to the General's dashing right-hand man Captain Fontaine (John Miljan), but she yearns to be romantically swept into the arms of some desert sheik.

She gets her wish when the Riffs attack the outpost and take her, Pierre's friend Benny Kidd (Arthur), and Benny's female friend Susan (Louise Fazenda) to their camp. Susan and Margot are quite surprised when the Red Shadow treats them with every Western courtesy. Margot eventually falls for the Red Shadow, while Benny dresses as a woman to escape and get help. The General comes to rescue Margot and challenges the Red Shadow to a duel, but Pierre can't harm his own father. Meanwhile, Captain Fontaine is told the location of the Riffs by jealous dancing girl Azuri (Loy), and Benny and Susan end up having their own fun when they get lost in the desert.

The Song and Dance: Oh boy, this was fun. The archaic stiffness of most early operetta is replaced by some of the hammiest acting I've ever seen in a major film musical. It's clear everyone knew darn well they were in a hoary old melodrama and just ran with the lunacy. Boles might be a little bit better as supposedly spineless Pierre than the dashing Red Shadow, but he and King do more than justice to their songs. Check out King's incredible high note on "The Sabre Song!" Some of the supporting cast works too, including Loy as the traitorous Azuri and Roberto E. Guzman as the Red Shadow's second-in-command Sid El Kar.

The Numbers: We open with "The Riff Song" as they explain who they are and why they follow the Red Shadow. "Girls, Girls, Girls" and "French Military Marching Song" are Margot and the women of the barracks' lament that their men are perpetually away fighting. Margot has modern dreams of romance, but Pierre's are more courtly. "Then You Will I Know," he tells her after she explains her dreams of being swept off her feet. "Why Waste Your Time?" The Red Shadow wonders, before he and Margot go into the rapturous title song. One of his men, Sid El Kar, sings "Soft as a Pigeon Lights Upon the Sand" as Azuri and her girls dance in traditional Arabian garb. Margot and The Red Shadow reprise the title song when she's being abducted to end the first half.

The second half starts with Spanish dancers performing "My Little Castagnette." Clementina, the lead Spanish dancer, also performs "Song of the Brass Key." Head of the Riffs Ali Ben Ali (Jack Pratt) tells the Red Shadow to "Let Love Go." This goes right into Sid's big ballad, "One Flower Grows Alone In Your Garden." Red Shadow counters with one of the big standards from this, the ballad "One Alone." The Red Shadow insists to Margot when she complains about the desert that "I Find the Simple Life Entrancing." "The Sabre Song" is Margot's soliloquy as she wonders about the Red Shadow and who he really is. "You Love Me" Margot and the Red Shadow declare before going into another reprise of the title song. The Red Shadow sings "One Alone" before going off into the desert...and it's how Margot knows it's really him when he sings it in the finale.

Trivia: Though this was completed in late 1928, it was held back until May 1929 due to Warners' release schedule at the time. It was a hit when it came out, but critics thought it stilted compared to movies that had been released in the interim like The Broadway Melody. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, though this is probably the most complete version of this show on film or TV, there's still a few songs missing, notably Margot's solo "Romance" and Benny's two comedy numbers. Second, Warners really needs to take a crack at restoring this, even if they can't find the color. The black and white copies on YouTube are horribly blurry. Third, this is not for those who want their musicals quieter or more subtle. This is a romantic adventure drama where everyone shouts their lines to the non-existent balconies. 

King sounds better than she acts. She's stiff as a board in the first half unless she's singing, until she really gets into "The Desert Song" and "The Sabre Song." There's this being an early talkie, too. People do stand around and just sing a lot. We also have all your attendant Arab stereotypes, mixed in with your obvious gay stereotypes with Benny (how he ultimately ended up with Susan I will never know). 

The Big Finale: Great for early talkie enthusiasts and operetta and action fans like me who may be willing to sit through some of the baked ham to enjoy some truly fine singing. 

Home Media: Best place to find this one is on YouTube. 

YouTube

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) 

Serenade

Warner Bros, 1956

Starring Mario Lanza, Vincent Price, Joan Fontaine, and Sara Montiel

Directed by Anthony Mann

Music and Lyrics by various

Lanza's temperamental and erratic behavior on the set of Because You're Mine didn't make him popular with pretty much anyone on the MGM lot. His difficulty with his ballooning weight and his temperament ultimately cost him the title role in the operetta The Student Prince, where he had the indignity of dubbing another actor. Warners picked him up when MGM put him on suspension and tossed him into this cauldron of opera sequences and overheated melodrama. They also gave him the up-and-coming Mann as a director, a James M. Cahn story, and Fontaine and Price, two of the biggest actors in Hollywood, in the cast. How does an opera singer's affair with an older socialite look today? Let's begin at the grape vines of Napa Valley, California, where one young opera hopeful is about to get a job that will change his life, and find out...

The Story: Damon Vinceni (Lanza) gets a job at a local restaurant known for hiring opera hopefuls. It's here that he meets socialite and producer Kendall Hale (Fontaine) and her companion Charles Winthrop (Price). She tags him for an opera star the moment she sees him. He gets singing lessons she paid for and, with their help and hers, is able to make his debut at the San Francisco opera. He truly loves Kendall, but she's known for being fickle. When she turns her attention to handsome young sculptor Marco Roselli (Vince Edwards), he has a nervous breakdown and walks off-stage during a performance of Otello. 

Traveling to Mexico to recover and regain his voice, he falls for beautiful bullfighter's daughter Juana Montes (Montiel) and marries her. His manager Tonio (Harry Bellaver) calls him back to perform at that same local restaurant again. Damon brings Juana, but she feels out of place among San Francisco's opera elite. She thinks she's lost him when Kendall and the San Francisco opera seemingly take him back. It's not until tragedy strikes and Damon almost loses Juana that he finally realizes which woman he truly cares about.

The Song and Dance: Lanza and Fontaine make a surprisingly sharp couple in this operatic melodrama. Her brittle sass helps cut through his temperamental bravado. Vincent Price plays off both of them beautifully as the sarcastic friend caught in the middle of their tryst. Gorgeous costumes (especially in the opera sequences) and vivid cinematography of the real Mexico helps ground the romance. Mann, mostly known for his action movies, does manage the occasional interesting touches, once again mostly during Damon's sojourn in Mexico.

The Numbers: We open at the vineyard, with Damon singing "Nessun Dorma" to the other workers while driving a tractor. "Dio Ti Giocondi" from Otello is his number at the restaurant. He sings "Serenade" and "My Destiny" for Kendall and Charles. We get "Il Mio Tesoro" from Don Giovanni at singing practice, then a lovely "Ave Maria." Next up is a montage of Damon's great opera roles, including the Italian Tenor Aria from "Der Rosenkavalier" and "Di Quella Pira" from "Il Trovotore." The Otello number is reprised...but not finished before Damon walks off the stage in frustration. "Tono a Surrento" is Damon's big number in Mexico after he's recovered his voice and married Juana. "O Paradiso" is his number at the nightclub after he gets his job back there. He sings "O Soave Faniculla" from La Boheme before tragedy strikes. We end the movie with him reprising the title song onstage.

What I Don't Like: Not only is this overheated melodramatic mush, but it apparently doesn't have much to do with the James M. Cain book that inspired it. There, the impresario and socialite is male and gay, Damon is far less ethnic, and the Mexican woman he falls for is a prostitute who wants to open a brothel for him. The movie is also way beyond too long at over two hours. This load of operatic hogwash barely has enough going on for one hour, let alone two. Montiel lacks the charisma of her co-stars, coming off as bland rather than young and passionate.

The Big Finale: Unless you really love Lanza, I'd leave this one stranded onstage. You're better off looking for the film's soundtrack instead.

Home Media: Once again, easily found on streaming and DVD, the latter from the Warmer Archives.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Gold Diggers In Paris

Warner Bros, 1938

Starring Rudy Vallee, Rosemary Lane, Allan Jenkins, and Hugh Herbert

Directed by Ray Enright

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Al Dubin and Johnny Mercer

The Busby Berkeley extravaganzas continued pretty much through the rest of the 30's, but by 1938, they were starting to run their course. Most of the stars who appeared in them had left Warners or moved to other genres, and even Berkeley would be gone by 1940. This would be the last movie in the series Warners made with "Gold Diggers" in the title, and it's telling that, other than Hugh Herbert, it largely has a very different cast from the earlier entries. Warners was starting to dial back the budgets, too - there's only one huge number in this film, and it comes near the end. How does the story of showgirls who end up replacing a ballet company at a Paris dance festival look today? Let's begin with the men who run that festival, including the one charged with finding the entrant for the US, Maurice Giraud (Herbert), and find out...

The Story: Giraud is supposed to bring over the Academy Ballet of America, but he's accidentally brought to the failing Club Balle instead. Although the owners Terry Moore (Vallee) and Duke Dennis (Jenkins) realize there's been a mistake made, they accept the invitation anyway when they realize there's cash prizes involved. They hire ballet teacher Luis Leoni (Fritz Feld) and his student Kay Morrow (Lane) on the boat France to teach ballet to their dancers. Kay falls for Terry, but his ex-wife Mona (Gloria Dickson) is rooming with her.

Trouble is, the head of the actual Academy Ballet of America, Padrinsky (Curt Bois) has figured out by this point what's going on. He cables Giraud on the ship, but the ventriloquist (Mabel Todd) who has been trying to get her big break with Terry and Duke and her "talking dog" convinces him that it's Padrinksy who isn't telling the truth. Trouble is, Padrinsky is already on his way to Paris with his patron, gangster Mike Coogan (Edward Brophy). Duke relates to Coogan when they arrive that they've been having trouble with the representative of the festival, Pierre LeBrec (Mellville Cooper). Coogan agrees to "take care" of the problem, but he "takes care" of Leoni instead of LeBrec. Padrinksy wants the group to be deported, but Mona arranges the order so he and Coogan are shipped out instead...but Kay has found out Terry's deception and is now angry with him, and there's still the fact that the ladies have never really picked up ballet that well...

The Song and Dance: This wound up being a lot more charming than I thought. It's the ladies and the character actors who carry the day here. Lane and Dickson frankly play off each other better than the men. Dickson in particular does well as the ex-wife who does have a softer side. Jenkins and Coogan don't do badly playing up New York and gangster stereotypes, either, while Herbert is slightly less annoying as a Frenchman here than he was as a righteous moral crusader in Dames. There's also The Snicklefritz Band and their wacky numbers adding much-needed musical levity to the first half in particular. 

The Numbers: We open with the number at the Club Balle. "I Want to Go Back to Bali" is a romance in the tropics chorus routine with Vallee as a Navy officer among South Seas beauties. (It's also heard briefly in the finale.) The Snicklefritz Band get their own "Colonel Corn" at the club and "Listen to the Mockingbird" later in Paris. Vallee and Lane sing "Dreaming (All Night Long)" on-board ship and "A Stranger In Paree" in Paris. "The Latin Quarter" was the hit song and is the big number in the finale. We get all kinds of artistic types and Parisian stereotypes joining in, along with the return of the Navy uniforms from the first number. We even get everyone dancing under a huge Navy officer's hat at one point.

What I Don't Like: First of all, Vallee has all the charm of a dead fish when he's not singing. He's so dull, it makes you wonder what Kay or Mona see in him. (He would come off far better as a character actor and comedian from the later 40's through the 60's.) Second, it's obvious this one is a bit lower-budgeted than the earlier entries. Of the three big numbers, only the finale goes full-on Berkeley kaleidoscope. "Back to Bali" in particular is a dull chorus number that could appear in any film. The story is piffle and a bit annoying; of the songs, only "Latin Quarter" is even remotely distinguished.

The Big Finale: Mostly for major fans of Vallee or the big Berkeley musicals of the 30's. Everyone else is better off starting with 42nd Street or Gold Diggers of 1933 instead.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Dames

Warner Bros, 1934

Starring Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, Joan Blondell, and Hugh Herbert

Directed by Ray Enright

Music by Harry Warren and others; Lyrics by Al Dubin and others

This week, we're diving into Busby Berkeley's signature kaleidoscope numbers in two of his lesser-known Warners films. Dames was a direct result of the massive success of Gold Diggers of 1933, 42nd Street, and Footlight Parade. Warners wanted more of the same and immediately put a lot of the actors from those three films at work on this one. Trouble was on the horizon, however. The new Production Code forbade scanty costumes and sexual ogling...and all of this is reflected in this movie. How does the lavish Berkeley sensibility mix with the story of an eccentric millionaire (Herbert) who is determined to raise morals and eliminate those he doesn't find upright, upstanding citizens...especially show business folk? Let's begin with Ezra Ounce and his principles and find out...

The Story: Ezra visits his cousin Matilda Hemingway (ZaSu Pitts) in New York City, which he considers the center of vice and immorality in the US. None of them are happy when they find out that Matilda's daughter Barbara (Keeler) is actually dancing in a show, or that she's in love with "black sheep" singer and songwriter Jimmy Higgens (Powell). Matilda's husband Horace (Guy Kibbee) ends up in trouble when he gives a showgirl named Mabel (Blondell) a ride home in his private train car. He's so terrified of scandal, he leaves her money and a note saying not to tell anyone...but Mabel uses his connections to her and to Barbara to blackmail him into backing their show.

The Song and Dance: The supporting cast definitely waltzes off with this one. Herbert's a supremely weird and enjoyable eccentric rich uncle, fluttery Pitts is hilarious as his stuffed-shirt sister, and Kibbee is all enjoyably flustered bluster as her husband whose kindness to a showgirl starts the trouble. We're still at the height of Berkeley's initial influence and popularity, too. One of the most famous songs from any of the Warners/Berkeley came from this film, and one of its most unique numbers. Berkeley's famous playing with the camera to turn showgirls into Ruby Keeler for "I Only Had Eyes for You" and girls in black and white frills tapping in formation for the camera in the title song.

The Numbers: "I Only Have Eyes for You" is the standard ballad here, and it gets not one, but two numbers worthy of it. The first, less lavish has Jimmy crooning the hit to Barbara on the ferry to Manhattan with other couples looking on. The second is far more elaborate. Powell dreams of every girl dancing in white frills looking like Keeler, with Keeler's face being held up by chorus girls. "Dames" shows said ladies sleeping, dressing, and showering before going into their ruffle-and-black stocking kaleidoscope tap dance for the camera. 

"The Girl at the Ironing Board" is more whimsical. Early 1900's laundress Mabel dances with laundry after wishing for more romantic love. It's funny and charming, and Blondell looks like she's having fun with it. "Try to See It My Way" is Barbara and Jimmy again, and there's the satirical "When You Were a Smile On Your Mother's Lips and a Twinkle In Your Daddy's Eyes."

What I Don't Like: Not one of the better Berkeley comedies. The story is silly and kind of annoying, even by the standards of 30's musicals. Keeler and Powell are fine, but they're not nearly as much fun as the hilarious supporting cast.The songs don't start until nearly 20 minutes in, and while they are good, there aren't that many of them. 

The Big Finale: The great numbers and supporting cast are fun for fans of Berkeley movies and 30's musicals, but casual viewers will likely want to start with 42nd Street or Gold Diggers of 1933 first. 

Home Media: The solo DVD is pricey, but it can be found on several Berkeley collections and on streaming.

DVD

DVD - TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Busby Berkeley

Amazon Prime

Lucky Me

Warner Bros, 1954

Starring Doris Day, Robert Cummings, Phil Silvers, and Nancy Walker

Directed by Jack Donahue

Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

Our next vacation was anything but smooth sailing for Day. By 1954, she was suffering from panic attacks and delayed filming several times to rest. Even when she did resume filming, the panic attacks continued, making things difficult for everyone involved. On the upside, this would be the first musical film to make use of the new wide CinemaScope screen and featured a great cast that included later TV favorites Silvers, Walker, and Cummings. How well do they do with the rather strange story of a superstitious singer who falls for a songwriter and tries to help her troupe get in his show? Let's begin in Miami, as Candy Williams (Day) admits just how superstitious she is, and find out...

The Story: Candy and the members of the troupe she belongs to - Flo Needly (Walker), Hap Schneider (Silvers), and Duke McNeely (Eddie Foy Jr) - are stranded in Miami without a penny to their names after their show folds. They end up working off a huge dinner in a lavish hotel. Maid Flo sees songwriter Dick Carson (Cummings) working on songs for a new Broadway show and thinks they might be able to audition. Candy already met him. She thought he was an auto mechanic named Eddie, thanks to the name on the jalopy he was driving when he met her. 

She's furious when he does finally admit who he really is, thinking he was just trying to take advantage of her. The others do finally arrange to sing one of Dick's songs so Candy can audition for the show. It works, and though Candy is still skeptical, he does hire them...until Lorraine Thayer (Martha Hyer), the daughter of the show's backer Otis Thayer (Bill Goodwin), walks in and sees them together. She has her own interests in Dick and refuses to let her father back the show with Candy in it. Dick's ready to give up, but Candy and the others finally disguise themselves and enter Otis' birthday party to show him what he's missing if he doesn't give Dick and this shows a chance.

The Song and Dance: For all the trouble during filming, Day is honestly rather charming. She and the three comedians are most of the show and really do carry the day here. Silvers and Foy have their own fun as the conniving head of the group and the more elegant one, while Walker does her best with the material as the other female member. The costumes are lovely, too, with some attractive 50's gowns for Day and Walker and suits for the men. 

The Numbers: We open with Candy relating everything she worries about as she wrecks havoc in downtown Miami with "The Superstition Song." "High Hopes and Men" is Silvers and Day's number at the empty show downtown, with the two of them relating how they distrust the opposite sex. "I Speak to the Stars" was a hit at the time, and no wonder with this lovely production. Candy literally "speaks to the stars" as she dreams of singing the number in a silvery landscape, with glittering specs of stars over her. "Bluebells of Broadway" is the troupe's Scottish-themed audition number. The romantic "Take a Memo to the Moon" the ballad Lorraine catches Candy and Dick performing that convinces her Candy is a threat. Candy performs the title song in the end.

What I Don't Like: I'm afraid Day was right. No wonder she had panic attacks while filming this piffle. No amount of CinemaScope or pretty dresses can cover the fact that the story is utterly preposterous and annoyingly silly, even by musical standards. Cummings is more smarmy than charming, and despite some location filming in Miami, most of the movie is incredibly studio-bound. The songs are cute but nothing special as well. 

The Big Finale: Definitely not Day's best; recommended mostly for her fans or fans of the three comedians. 

Home Media: Can be found on DVD via the Warner Archives and streaming; the latter is currently on Tubi for free with commercials. 

DVD

Tubi

Romance On the High Seas

Warner Bros, 1948

Starring Janis Paige, Don DeFore, Doris Day, and Jack Carson

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

This week, we go on vacation with Doris Day in her first movie, and one of her lesser-known ones. Day started off as a singer with several big bands during the mid-40's. She was called in by Curtiz to replace a pregnant Betty Hutton. Curtiz was so impressed with her emotional performance of "Embraceable You," he gave her a contract on the spot. Janis Paige was another last-minute addition and was technically the star, but it was Day who got the spotlight and the great songs. How well does she do with her first film, a complicated romantic comedy involving misunderstanding and fear of infidelity? Let's begin with the wedding of Elvira (Paige) and Michael (DeFore) Kent, which they spend suspecting each other of looking more at the wedding party than them, and find out...

The Story: Three years later, Elvira is setting up a cruise to Rio de Janeiro for their third anniversary. Michael canceled vacations for their previous anniversaries, supposedly to handle various deals. Elvira believes he's really having affairs at his office. She gives her tickets to singer Georgia Garrett (Day), who hangs around the travel agency dreaming of the vacations she can't afford, as long as she goes under her name. 

Georgia is delighted to do so at first, but then she falls for charming Peter Virgil (Carson). He's a private detective Michael hired to make sure Elvira wasn't having her own affairs on vacation. Not only does he really think Georgia is Elvira and he's having an affair with his client's wife, but Georgia's would-be boyfriend Oscar Farrar (Oscar Levant) turns up on-board looking for her. When Georgia gets a singing job onboard in Elvira's name, that finally brings Elvira and Michael to Rio to see this for themselves, too.

The Song and Dance: You can easily see why Day made such a big impression with both Curtiz and audiences. You'd never guess this was her first movie. She's just as ease in front of the camera as she is with a ballad and an uptempo dance number. Carson and Levant both play off her well as the private eye and nightclub owner who get caught up in the deception in spite of themselves. The gorgeous ballad "It's Magic" was a massive hit and remains associated with Day. Gorgeous production, too, including some really lovely gowns and hats for the ladies and attractive Technicolor cinematography in a romantically recreated Rio.

The Numbers: The Samba Kings get the title song over the credits. "It's You or No One" is Georgia's first number in the club. She sings the more uptempo ballad "I'm In Love" with the musicians on the ship. Avon Long sings about "The Tourist Trade" after the ship docks in Brazil. Georgia first sings  the standard "It's Magic" with Peter, and later reprises it on her own. Oscar shows off his piano skills with "Brazilian Rhapsody." Peter admonishes the Samba Kings to "Run, Run, Run" from women. Georgia's opinion on men is "Put 'Em In a Box, Tie 'Em With a Ribbon, an' Throw 'Em In the Deep Blue Sea," the other hit from this film. Georgia sings about how "She's a Latin from Manhattan" in the club near the end.

What I Don't Like: Paige and DeFore are the big problem here. Not only do they actually have less to play than the supporting cast, but their distrustful and obnoxious characters are so unlikable, you wonder how they ever got married in the first place. DeFore in particular comes off as more of an idiot than anything. In fact, the story can get both too silly and too convoluted at turns. By the end, you stop wondering what's going to happen and wish Georgia and Peter would give that spoiled, silly couple a good shaking.

The Big Finale: Even with the annoying story, there's enough good music here for Doris Day's first movie to be recommended to her fans and fans of smaller-scale 40's musicals.

Home Media: Easily found on all major formats. The Blu-Ray is from the Warner Archives.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

The Singing Fool

Warner Bros, 1928

Starring Al Jolson, Josephine Dunn, Betty Bronson, and Davey Lee

Directed by Lloyd Bacon

Music and Lyrics by various

The Jazz Singer was a big enough hit for Warners to rush Jolson into another tale of heartbreak. This one would be even bigger, with more pathos, more drama, and far more Jolson. Jolson was now the biggest star on the planet...and it's part of the reason that this movie, far more than The Jazz Singer, wound up being the reason the studios decided sound film was here to stay. How does the monumental blockbuster hit of 1928 look now? Let's begin at that most 20's of gathering places, the speakeasy, where waiter Al Stone's (Jolson) life is about to change, and find out...

The Story: Al's been trying to get into the big time for years. He finally rates notice when he performs a song he wrote for lovely but superficial Molly Malone (Dunn) and is spotted by a Broadway producer. Molly claims to fall for Al right there and then, but she's more interested in his success than him. 

Al does become a huge Broadway star, but his marriage with Molly is empty. She's more interested in her affair with the more traditionally handsome John Perry (Reed Howes). Al's only true loves are performing and his child Sonny (Lee). Fed up with him being more interested in his career and the kid than her, Molly takes Sonny to Paris and gets a divorce. Al loses his job and becomes a bum, until he returns to Blackie's Cafe and is encouraged back into the limelight by sweet Grace (Bronson), who has always really loved him. His big comeback is hounded by tragedy, but it's Grace who reminds him that, even when those we love can only be there in spirit, we can still sing for them.

The Song and Dance: Some of Jolson's best song performances can be found here. "Sonny Boy" would prove to be such a phenomenon, it launched a series of equally melodramatic sob stories and sad songs performed by similar nervy entertainers in early talkies. Jolson comes across much better on more vibrant songs, especially the opening "It All Depends On You." His interaction with Davey Lee really is genuinely sweet; they do seem like a fond father and son, making his reaction when he loses him totally understandable.

The Numbers: Our first sound sequence has Al admitting to Molly and the speakeasy audience that "It All Depends on You." After he's spotted by the Broadway producer, he sings about how "I'm Sittin' On Top of the World." His first Broadway number gets him into a tuxedo for "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder." The massive hit "Sonny Boy" first turns up as a lullaby for Sonny after Al argues with Molly and we see her indifference to husband and son. He sings it again twice more, when Sonny is in the hospital, and in the finale in blackface while his heart is supposedly breaking. 

Trivia: There was originally another number for Jolson, the Mexican-tinged ruffles-and-castanets routine "The Spaniard Who Blighted My Life." The song's writer Billy Merson claimed that he made his living singing the song, and Jolson's version would diminish his. The song was cut from UK prints of the film...which are currently the only prints to survive today.

What I Don't Like: Hooo boy. At least The Jazz Singer had Warner Oland as Jolson's concerned father and Alan Crosland's inventive direction going for it. All this one has is an overheated soap opera plot that's as distasteful as it is silly. The histrionics are way over Jolson's head, making him look less like a jazz singer who just lost his kid and more like the fool of the title. No one comes remotely close to his scenery chewing. Dunn is bitter but doesn't have much to do, and Bronson barely appears and fades into the woodwork when she does. The blackface is saved for the last ten minutes or so, but he does still wear it, and there's also his treatment of his slightly stereotypical black valet.

Also, there's the entire problem of it being a part-talkie. The sound lurches in and out. One minute, everyone is emoting in silence; the next, Jolson is blaring "Keep Smiling at Trouble" to the room. It's disconcerting, to say the least. They should have either gone full-talkie (which they would for Jolson's next vehicle, Say It With Music) or left it silent. 

The Big Finale: This may have been what convinced the studios to take a chance on sound film, but nowadays, it's only of interest to the most ardent fans of Jolson and film historians.

Home Media: DVD only from the Warner Archives.

DVD

The Jazz Singer (1927)

Warner Bros, 1927

Starring Al Jolson, May McAvoy, Warner Oland, and Eugenie Besserer

Directed by Alan Crosland

Music and Lyrics by various

Come with me this week, and explore the very first musicals on the silver screen. Experiments with melding film and sound go back almost to the dawn of cinema, but they weren't well-received until the 1920's. Warner Brothers took a chance on a series of sound short subjects. When those were successful, they added background scores and sound effects to feature-length films, using their Vitaphone process where the sound is recorded on a record, then played with the movie. This would be one of the first feature-length films with actual dialogue. Jolson wasn't the first choice for this tale of how a Jewish performer reconciles his culture and his love of popular music, but it's hard to see anyone else in this now. How does this look almost 100 years later? Let's begin with silent title cards explaining the central dilemma and find out...

The Story: Thirteen-year-old Jakie Robinwitz (Bobby Gordon) runs away when his strict orthodox cantor father (Oland) forbids him from singing popular music in beer gardens. Over a decade later, he's now Jack Robin (Al Jolson), a singer in local cafes. He's discovered by dancer Mary Dale (McAvoy), who insists on him appearing in the show where she's currently working, April Follies. He's a big hit, prompting him to return to his mother...but his father still disdains his singing "jazz" music. It isn't until his father's dying that Jack realizes where he belongs, and that he can be wholly Jewish and revel in his own kind of music, too.

The Song and Dance: The roots of The Jazz Singer go far deeper than it being one of the catalysts for getting dialogue on the big screen. You can see the foundation for everything from big star dramas like the many versions of A Star Is Born to biographies like last week's I Saw the Light in an embryonic form here. No wonder most critics praised Jolson's performance. While he's no actor, he is a personality. The screen lights up whenever he's there. The "Blue Skies" sequence, where he sings the Irving Berlin standard to his delighted mother, and the infamous "You ain't seen nothin' yet!" number near the end may be the best examples of his considerable talent. 

The Numbers: We open 13-year-old Jakie Robinwitz (Bobby Gordon) singing "Waiting for the Robert E. Lee" and "My Gal Sal," at the beer hall. The numbers so horrify the head of the temple's council (Otto Lederer) that he tells Jakie's parents what he's doing. The traditional Jewish song "Kol Nidre" is performed twice, by Cantor Rabinowitz (dubbed by a real Cantor, Rosenblatt) when he realizes he's lost his son, and later by Jakie when he realizes how much his religion is a part of his life. 

"Dirty Hands, Dirty Face" is his big number in the nightclub. The teary ballad prompts Mary to call him one of the few jazz singers who can elicit a tear along with a sigh. He's even more dynamic on his next number, leaping into "Toot Toot Tootsie Goodbye" with relish. The sequence where he talks to his mother while singing the Irving Berlin standard "Blue Skies" is likely the most famous now as the first dialogue sequence. He sings "Mother of Mine, I Still Have You" at the dress rehearsal and "My Mammy" at the actual performance in the Winter Garden.

Trivia: Jolson wasn't the studio's original choice for Jakie. The part was intended for the star of the original Broadway play George Jessel, but he wanted too much money and Jolson stepped in.

That's the real Winter Garden Jakie performs at during the finale. The Winter Garden still very much exists today, and in fact briefly became a movie theater shortly after this movie debuted. A revival of Mamma Mia! will be opening there this fall.

What I Don't Like: For all its influence, the melodramatic story hasn't really dated well at all. All of the actors pale besides Jolson and Oland as his strict father. Besserer doesn't have much to do besides look maternal (other than her slightly forced dialogue during the "Blue Skies" sequence), and McAvoy has even less as the lady who helps Jack become a success. It can all be a bit too much for many modern audiences, who may wonder what the fuss was about. 

There's also Jolson performing in blackface to contend with. Yes, it's history, it's part of Jolson's act, and it goes back to his days playing with minstrel troupes. That doesn't make it any easier to take for audiences today.

The Big Finale: No matter how dated this is or isn't, it's still history. Necessary viewing for cinema historians, musical fans, and major fans of Jolson and early talkie musicals.

Home Media: Easily found in all formats, including Tubi for free with commercials. The DVD is a three-disc set that also includes many sound shorts of the era. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd

Warner Bros, 1952

Starring Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Charles Laughton, and Hilary Brooke

Directed by Charles Lamont

Music by Bill Russell; Lyrics by Lester Lee

Lou and Bud didn't make too many flat-out musicals, and the few that they did make tended to be for other studios. Universal wouldn't make their films in color, so they insisted on making one independent film outside the studio a year that they financed and would be more lavished than the norm for their vehicles. Character actor Charles Laughton had starred as Captain Kidd in a popular 1945 film. He admired Lou and was eager to appear in a knockabout comedy. How well does Laughton's gravity work with the duo's usual slapstick shenanigans? Let's begin with the infamous Captain Kidd (Laughton) and his men pulling into port and find out...

The Story: Oliver "Puddin' Head" Johnson (Costello) and Rocky Stonebridge (Abbott) are working at the Death's Head Tavern when Kidd and his men arrive. Pretty Lady Jane (Fran Warren) wants Oliver to bring a love note to Bruce Martingale (Bill Shirley), the singer at the tavern. Oliver manages to get the love note mixed up with the map to an enormous treasure belonging to Kidd. Kidd's not the only one who wants that map back. Captain Ann Bonney (Brooke) doesn't appreciate Kidd raiding ships on her turf and wants her share of the treasure, too. 

Rocky convinces Kidd to bring them on board and share the treasure. Not only does Kidd have no intention of sharing the treasure with anyone - including Anne - but he forces Bruce onto his ship and kidnaps Lady Jane after he raids the ship taking her to the New World. Not to mention, Captain Ann thinks Lady Jane's love note was intended for Oliver and wonders what she sees in him. She may be the only one who can save them all when Kidd goes back on his word and all of them end  up in danger.

The Song and Dance: Laughton may be having more fun than you might think as the tyrannical Kidd, but Brooke does the best here as the lovely female pirate who is determined to get her share of the treasure...and of Oliver, too. The three-strip Cinecolor has a slightly softer look to it than Technicolor, giving this the feel of a painting in a book on pirate lore. Abbott and Costello have some decent gags as well, including the handcuff sequence taken from their 1942 mystery movie Who Done It? 

The Numbers: We open with Kidd's first mate Morgan (Leif Erickson) bellowing "Away Ay Aye Ay" as he and he pirates tell us about their life on the sea. "Meet Captain Kidd" brings in the tyrannical sea dog and shows why he's respected and feared. Morgan and Bruce claim they lead "A Bachelor's Life" at the tavern. Oliver and Rocky join Morgan sing to the chorus that "Tonight We Sail." Bruce and Lady Jane are kept apart, but the still manage to duet on "Speak of Me the Tall Pine" and "North of Nowhere."

What I Don't Like: For one thing, too many of their gags are recycled from older material, and not just the handcuff sequence, either. Laughton and Brooke dominate the proceedings so much, it's hard for anyone else to come across - including Bud and Lou. Laughton acts rings around both of them, and frankly there's too much emphasis on him and on the uninteresting Jane and Bruce in the second half and not them.

The Big Finale: Harmless hour and a half's worth of viewing for fans of swashbucklers, Laughton, or Abbott and Costello, but nothing you need to go out of your way to see. 

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD. The latter comes from the Warner Archives; the former is currently free with commercials at Tubi.

DVD

Tubi

Gold Diggers of 1937

Warner Bros, 1936

Starring Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Victor Moore, and Glenda Farrell

Directed by Lloyd Bacon

Music by Harry Warren and Harold Arlen; Lyrics by E.Y Harburg and Al Dubin

Despite the success of the 1935 Gold Diggers, Warners was starting to notice diminishing returns with its other Berkeley-esque backstage extravaganzas and lowered the budget on this one. Bacon took over the directing reigns here, letting Berkeley to concentrate on what he did best - creating elaborate dance numbers that let the cameras do the dancing. The studio initially wanted Arlen and Harburg to write the music, but they were so disappointed with the results, they brought Dubin and Warren back in. How well did they all do with the bizarre story of a life insurance salesman who convinces a Broadway producer to buy life insurance and has to keep him alive in order for him to continue to make money from it look today? Let's begin at an insurance convention in Atlantic City and find out...

The Story: Rosmer Peek (Powell) is the top salesman with his insurance company. He hires former chorus girl Norma Perry (Blondell) as his secretary and convinces Broadway producer J.J Hobart (Moore) to sign a million-dollar life insurance policy. His partners Morty Wethered (Osgood Perkins) and Tom Hugo (Charles D. Brown) squandered all of Hobart's money in the stock market. They want that million dollars to back a new Broadway show and do everything they can to push him closer to death, including sending gold digger Genevieve Larkin (Farrell) to seduce him. Genevieve ends up falling for him instead. Now there might not be a show, unless Rosmer and his friends can find another way to get the money without losing their million-dollar golden goose in the process.

The Song and Dance: I give them credit for going with a truly original story this time. I don't know of too many other musicals about singing insurance salesmen and the business of selling insurance. I also love how the insurance company eventually earns the money - via Genevieve's genuine gold digger girlfriends and the wealthy insurance men the snagged at the beginning of the film. Powell and Blondell had just gotten married a few months before this movie's release, and you can see that in their strong chemistry and playful performances. Moore's so adorable as the hypochondriac producer having the most fun he's ever had in his life, you can understand why Genevieve fell for him. Some great costumes, too, especially in the big Berkeley number in the finale, "All's Fair In Love and War."

The Numbers: We open with Powell singing the hit "With Plenty of Money and You" before and during the credits. He also gets our first chorus number, encouraging his fellow salesmen to increase their morale with "The Life Insurance Song." The first version of "Speaking of the Weather" is, surprisingly for a Berkeley musical, a plot number. Rosmer tries to flirt with Norma, even as a storm scatters the paperwork on  her desk everywhere. It's charming and cute, and Powell and Blondell have fun with it. 

"Let's Put Our Heads Together" is another chorus number as everyone at the party for the life insurance company find romance. We also get a bit of "Speaking of the Weather" here as Rosmer's buddy Boop Oglethorpe (Lee Dixon) shows off a wild, arms-and-legs tap routine and Genevieve dances with J.J. "Speaking of the Weather" is reprised again as part of the "All's Fair In Love and War" finale. This men against women military satire begins with all the lovers spooning in massive rocking chairs. This is traded in for military formations as over a hundred women in white uniforms create Berkeley's iconic overhead patterns.

Trivia: A sixth song, "Hush Mah Mouth," was apparently filmed but not used.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention how weird this is? Life insurance seems like a pretty odd subject for a musical, and mixing it with the backstage shenanigans doesn't make much sense. The "All's Fair" number is somewhat scaled-down compared to the bigger, more dramatic "Lullaby of Broadway" and "The Words are the Music In My Heart" from Gold Diggers of 1935. Considering "Plenty of Money" went on to be a hit in its own right, I'm surprised it only gets that quick run-through from Powell before the credits. You'd think Berkeley would have built that up into a big money-based number like in the earlier Gold Diggers of 1933. 

The Big Finale: Worth catching if you're a fan of the cast or the Berkeley backstage imitations of the 1930's for the good numbers and performances.

Home Media: Easy to find on DVD and streaming, the former currently from the Warner Archive.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Gold Diggers of 1935

Warner Bros, 1935

Starring Dick Powell, Gloria Stuart, Alice Brady, and Hugh Herbert

Directed by Busby Berkeley

Music by Harry Warren and Al Dubin

Warners and Busby Berkeley were on a roll with their series of backstage comedies featuring snappy repartee, Warren and Dubin's memorable music, and a rotating troupe of not-so-naive ingenues, tough dames, snooty rich backers, desperate directors, and husband-hunting chorus girls. Gold Diggers of 1933 was such a smash, Warners turned it into a series of unrelated backstage musicals revolving around show business folks butting heads with high society. How does the second Gold Diggers movie - and the first full directing assignment for Berkeley - look nowadays? Let's begin as the various managers of the resort hotel Wentworth Plaza admonish their staff on how to treat their wealthy guests and find out...

The Story: Among those wealthy guests are Matilda Prentiss (Brady), a millionairess who keeps her money by spending as little of it as she can. She's trying to encourage her daughter Ann (Stuart) to wed rich and eccentric T. Mosley Thorpe (Herbert), but Ann finds him and his constant talk about his snuff box collection to be insufferably silly and dull. Matilda has already had to bail Ann's brother Humbolt (Frank McHugh) out of four bad marriages and has no desire for her daughter go through the same, but Ann is bored and fed up with both Thorpe and her mother's stranglehold on her. 

Mrs. Prentiss hires desk clerk Dick Curtis (Powell) to escort her daughter around the resort and keep her out of trouble. Dick does it for the money, but he soon falls for intelligent and feisty Ann. Meanwhile, Mrs. Prentiss swears she'll throw the least amount possible into the annual charity show for the Milk Fund, but flamboyant Russian director Nicolai Nicoleff (Adolph Menjou) ends up spending her money like water on lavish numbers. He's hoping to skim off the earnings with the help of hotel manager Louis Lampson (Grant Mitchell), even as stenographer Betty Hawes (Glenda Farrell) blackmails Thorpe.

The Song and Dance: With a story that flimsy, "song and dance" are definitely the operative words here. Though Powell and Stuart have good moments as the star-crossed pair, the real stars are the supporting cast. Brady and Menjou are hilarious as the stingy older woman who laments losing even a penny of her vast wealth and the desperate Russian director who hopes her money will make a hit and put him back in the black. Herbert also has some good moments as the silly snuff box collector, while McHugh and Dorothy Dare as Dick's fiancee make a surprisingly cute second couple. There's some amazing sets and costumes in this film too, both in Berkeley's big musical numbers and in and around the massive New Hampshire resort.

The Numbers: Our first number is an instrumental dance routine for the many workers who keep the Wentworth Plaza humming and its guests happy, from dancing street sweepers outside the hotel to maids who are seen in Berkeley overhead shots. Dick says "I'm Goin' Shoppin' With You" as he and Ann purchase a whole new wardrobe from Berkeley chorus girl shop keepers and spend her mother's money. We originally hear "The Words are In My Heart" when Dick serenades Ann during a moonlit boat ride. It's reprised later in the Milk Fund show, this time in a far more elaborate Berkeley routine. The number starts with Dick and Ann singing in the woods before moving to three sisters playing the piano. This turns into rows and rows of chorus girls in whites performing with pianos that seemingly dance around them, thanks to the men obviously moving around under them.

The big number by far is "Lullaby of Broadway." We begin in darkness, as the camera moves in on Wini Shaw singing the number. She turns into an animated skyline, which becomes shots of the typical day of a working girl (Shaw). Eventually, she goes out with her tuxedo-clad lover (Powell) to a nightclub where we get massive lines of men in tuxes and chorus girls in surprisingly scanty black costumes for a movie made shortly after the Production Code began tapping their hearts out on enormous Art-Deco risers. The whole thing moves to conclusion that might be a little too dark for both the upbeat songs and this largely fluffy movie.

Trivia: Gloria Stuart did have some success in the 30's, including this film, but she's best-known to most audiences nowadays as the elder Rose who tells the flashback sequences in the 1997 Titanic. 

"Lullaby of Broadway" won Best Original Song and Best Dance Direction in 1935.

What I Don't Like: I wish they came up with a more interesting story to stuff between those crazy numbers. It lacks the Depression grit of the 1933 entries and has more in common with the runaway heiress screwball comedies that were also popular in this era. "Lullaby of Broadway" is such a brilliant number, it feels totally disconnected from - and out of place in - the rest of the film. It's also a lot darker than the rest of the movie, including that downer ending.

The Big Finale: Worth seeing for the numbers alone if you're a fan of Berkeley or the big backstage musicals of the 1930's.

Home Media: It's currently pricey on DVD. Your best bet might be streaming.

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Musicals On TV - Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas

NBC/Warner Bros, 2014

Voices of Jim Parsons, Ed Asner, Mark Hamill, and Kate Miucci

Directed by Mark Caballero and Seamus Walsh

Music by Matthew Sklar; Lyrics by Chad Beguelin

The film Elf, about a human who was raised as an elf and goes to New York to get his father off the naughty list, was an instant sensation in 2003. Comedian Will Farrell had one of his biggest roles as Buddy, the enthusiastic, Christmas-loving human-sized elf who inspires the holiday spirit even in jaded New Yorkers. It became a Broadway show in 2010, and even then was popular during the holiday season. How does this story work as an animated holiday special? Let's begin in Christmastown as Santa (Asner) explains how Buddy (Parsons) was the happiest elf in the North Pole despite also being the clumsiest and find out...

The Story: As it turns out, Buddy isn't an elf. He's a human whose mother gave him up for adoption before her death. Santa sends him to New York to find his birth father Walter Hobbs (Hamill), who is on the naughty list. Walter is a high-powered publishing executive who spends more time trying to create a blockbuster Christmas children's book than with his wife Emily (Rachel MacFarlane) and son Michael (Max Charles) and thinks Christmas means nothing but making money.

Buddy doesn't have a pleasant introduction to the Big Apple. He's thrown out of Walter's office in the Empire State Building when he mistakes him for a singing telegram boy, then ends up at the Hobbs' apartment after he accidentally reveals a mall Santa to be an impostor and starts a brawl. Emily and Michael take to him far more than Walter after he helps Michael with a science project. Buddy's thrilled, and is even happier on a date with sweet but cynical Jovie (Miucci). His father just gets angry with him after he excitedly tears up an important manuscript. Buddy runs away, but his new family bring him back when Santa crashes, and Buddy could be the only one who can drum up enough Christmas spirit to get him back in the air.

The Animation: I really like the unique cut-paper stop-motion work they did here. It looks like the pop-up book Santa reads in the beginning, complete with fluffy clouds made of actual cotton and Wooly yarn or curly nylon hair. While a bit on the jerky side, that once again does kind of work with it being a pop-up book read by Santa. Some of the designs - notably Buddy and Walter's obnoxious boss Mr. Greenway (Gilbert Gottfried) - can be awkward or a little scary, though that was probably intentional in the case of the latter.

The Song and Dance: This wound up being much cuter than I thought it would be. Jim Parsons has just as much fun playing the energetic Buddy as Will Farrell did and sings the heck out of his numbers to boot. Hamill matches him as the executive who is so focused on making a blockbuster by Christmas Eve, he's forgotten what's important. The songs are a lot of fun too, especially Buddy's big decorating number with his family at their apartment and "The Story of Buddy the Elf" over the closing credits.

The Numbers: Santa's a bit annoyed with how the elves are "Happy All the Time" as they work in Christmastown, especially Buddy! Buddy's excited when he goes to find his father,  hoping he'll be the "World's Greatest Dad." Emily and Michael wistfully admire a department store display, telling Santa "I'll Believe In You" if only their husband and father would pay attention to them. They and Buddy use the cards in their house and a few umbrellas to make the austere Hobbs apartment "Sparklejollytwinklejingley." 

"A Christmas Song" explains Buddy's feelings on the holiday to Jovie as they dance on their date and why he loves it so much. After his father rejects him, Buddy joins a group of department store Santas (including Jay Leno) to lament "Nobody Cares About Santa." Emily and Michael rally the New Yorkers in Central Park by claiming "There Is a Santa Claus." This leads into a reprise of "A Christmas Song," ending with the cast singing Buddy's tale over the end credits in "The Story of Buddy the Elf."

Trivia: Elf: The Musical debuted on Broadway as its big Christmas show for 2010. It would return to Broadway in 2012 and is currently playing there again through January. It was on the West End during Christmas in 2015, 2022, and 2023. It's toured extensively during the holidays on both sides of the Atlantic and is a popular holiday attraction for regional theaters as well.

What I Don't Like: Fans of the movie will note many changes, from the narrator being Santa instead of the head elf who adopted Buddy to the elimination of Buddy wrecking havoc in the mail room at the Empire State Building, mistaking a short author Walter is trying to impress for an elf, and helping Michael with bullies in Central Park. I can understand losing the first two, but I wish they'd kept the last one in. We really don't get to see Buddy bond much with any of his family, including the father he's traveled so far to find. It also eliminates a few songs from the musical for time, notably Jovie's solo "Never Fall In Love" and Buddy's "Just Like Him," moves "The Story of Buddy the Elf" to the finale, and uses the opening number created for the 2012 Broadway revival "Happy All the Time."

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the original film or the musical, or just want to show your kids a unique modern animated special, you can do far worse than Buddy's frantic Christmas tale.

Home Media: Easily found on every format, including all over streaming.

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Joker: Foile a Deux

Warner Bros, 2024

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Catherine Keener, and Harry Lawtey

Directed by Todd Phillips

Music and Lyrics by various

We leap into rougher territory this week with a mystery and a psychological thriller that explore the darker side of the traditional musical. Joker, with Phoenix as a failed stand-up comedian-turned killer, was not the first movie you'd associate with musical numbers. In fact, DC originally intended it to be a stand-alone movie, though there was talk of it launching a "DC Black" series. Director Phillips was the one who thought there was more to the story and brought in Gaga as Joker Arthur Fleck's love interest and added the dance routines in their heads. Was he right that there's more to Fleck's story, or should he have let sleeping clowns lie? Let's begin in Looney Tunes-style animation as Fleck (Phoenix) tries desperately to avoid his nefarious shadow and find out...

The Story: Fleck first encounters Harleen "Lee" Quinznel (Gaga) in the choir room at Arkham Asylum. They're attracted to each other at the start, despite Harleen lying to him about her home life and where she comes from. Arthur has more problems than her obsession with him, though. His lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Keener) wants to argue that he's mentally unstable and created the Joker personality to cope with his abusive childhood. Lee insists that he IS the Joker, and so does devious district attorney Harvey Dent (Lawtey). 

The media hype and clown-masked fandom surrounding Arthur's trial is so intense, it's one of the first to be broadcast live. Under Lee's influence, Arthur briefly reverts to his Joker persona, leading a revolt at Arkham and firing Maryanne. The guards at Arkham, however, are not amused. Their damaging attack makes Arthur wonder if Lee really wants to build a mountain with him...or only wants to be entertained by the Joker.

The Song and Dance: And that and the genuinely cool opening cartoon sequence are the highlights here, along with Lady Gaga and Phoenix's intense performances as the troubled pair in question. The lounge acts and R&B songs parody both the cheesy scarlet and gold variety aesthetic of the movie's 70's-early 80's setting and the cheerier numbers from 50's and 60's musicals like The Band Wagon (which is seen twice, including when Lee sets Arkham on fire) and Sweet Charity. The terrific period-appropriate costumes add a much-needed shot of color to the depressing gray sets and dark score.

The Numbers: We open with a medley of "Slap That Bass," "Get Happy," and "What the World Needs Now" in the cartoon sequence as the Joker tries to dodge and fights with his shadow, who ultimately takes over his act. Our first number proper is "For Once In My Life," as Arthur revels in Lee's attention to him. They perform "Get Happy" with the choir after he's declared sane enough to join. Lee is thrilled as they dance for the first time, literal sparks coming from the fire as she crows "If My Friends Could See Me Now." Lee also gets Lady Gaga's own "Foile et Deux," written directly for the film and performed during the sequence when Arthur imagines them dancing in the moonlight Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers style, with him in his Joker costume. 

Arthur goes into the Rogers and Hart standard "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" during a talk show interview to explain his feelings for Lee. Lee sings "That's Entertainment" twice, the first time after the show. "When the Saints Go Marching In" is heard three times, notably as Arthur leads his revolt in the cafeteria, dancing on tables. Arthur sings the standard "When You're Smiling" on his way to the trial, revealing how happy he is with Lee. They do the R&B standard "To Love Somebody" on a stage surrounded by musicians, with her in ruffled early 70's garb and him in his Joker outfit...until she shoots him in the gut. 

She sings "Close to You" when she comes to see him at Arkham; he joins in, but it doesn't seem to reach his eyes like before. He laments being "The Joker" in a shadowy night club act parody. They're "Gonna Build a Mountain" in a huge variety act that includes her on the piano while he tap-dances in his big clown shoes for the crowd. Lee and his follower at Arkham claim "I've Got the World On a String" after Arthur fires his lawyer and returns to his Joker persona. "If You Go Away" is Joker's song after he's attacked and he's decided who he really is. "That's Life" is heard twice, earlier in a montage at Arkham performed by Frank Sinatra, and near the end by Lee. Arthur finishes with "True Love Will Find You In the End."

What I Don't Like: For a flashy musical inspired by cheesy variety shows, this is one depressing as heck movie. Lee and Arthur's colorful fantasies and the terrific music aren't enough to offset the dull sets and relentlessly grim outlook. The ending isn't much fun, either. Though I do appreciate that Lee and Arthur's relationship isn't as abusive as it tends to be elsewhere, I also fully agree with Lee and think Arthur should not have renounced his Joker persona. It doesn't suit the character or, from what I gathered, the first film. 

In fact, I haven't seen the first movie, but apparently a lot was changed between films, including some plot threads there that aren't picked up here. There's also the fact that, despite being second-billed, Lady Gaga simply doesn't have quite as much to do as Phoenix, and the movie runs way beyond too long and should have left some of those numbers on the cutting room floor. 

The Big Finale: There's a reason this is flopping big-time right now. Good numbers aren't enough to offset the grim plot, obnoxious characters, and a movie that is as confused about its identity as Arthur is. For major fans of Lady Gaga or DC Comics only. Everyone else can look for the soundtrack or Lady Gaga's album "inspired" by this film, Harlequin. 

Home Media: It's currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

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Animation Celebration Saturday - Scooby Doo and the Goblin King

Warner Bros, 2008

Voices of Casey Kasem, Frank Welker, Hayden Panettiere, and Wayne Knight

Directed by Joe Sichta

Music and Lyrics by Thomas Chase Jones

We kick off the Halloween season with the first attempt at a musical Scooby Doo story, and one of their two direct-to-home-media movies to revolve around the holiday. Truth be told, this is kind of an odd story for them in several respects. The monsters and magic are real, not just people in magic and special effects, and Shaggy and Scooby are the ones who don't believe in it. Just how unique is this strange fantasy adventure? Let's start on the horror-themed roller coaster at the Coolsville Halloween Carnival and find out...

The Story: Scooby (Welker) and Shaggy (Kasem) sabotage the Amazing Krudsky's (Knight) act when he won't let Scooby into the show, revealing him to be a fraud. The kids get thrown out of the carnival, and Krudsky swears revenge. He thinks he gets his chance when Fairy Princess Willow (Panettiere) tells him about the powerful Goblin Sceptor that belongs to her father the Goblin King (Tim Curry). Krudsky manages to capture her and absorb her magic.

Scooby and Shaggy are trick-or-treating when they encounter Mr. Gibbles' (Wallace Shawn) Real Magic Shoppe. They learn just how real it is when Krudsky appears, steals the magic equipment, and turns Gibbles into a rabbit. Gibbles sends them to the Spirit World disguised as monsters. The cowardly duo discover just how real magic is when the Grand Witch (Lauren Bacall), a talking Jack O'Lantern (Jay Leno), and a town filled with fairies all join them to rescue the Goblin King and stop Krudsky from taking over the world.

The Animation: Honestly not bad for the Scooby Doo direct-to-home-media movies. There's some wonderful details at the Halloween carnival and in the Spirit World, from the opening horror roller coaster to the fairies' town. The characters move well enough, and the fantastical ones, like Fairy Princess Willow, the Goblin King, and the Grand Witch, have genuinely nifty designs.

The Song and Dance: If you love 80's fantasy adventures like Labyrinth or Shaggy and Scooby's antics, you'll get a real kick out of this one. It also somewhat resembles the 80's Scooby show The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, with its very real monsters and focus on Scooby and Shaggy. There's an impressive voice cast for one of the Scooby movies, too, with Knight the stand-out as the fake magician who gets way in over his head when he goes looking for real power. (And at the very least, the members of Mystery Inc themselves don't actually sing  here.) 

The Numbers: Mr. Gibbles asks "Who's at the Door?" when Shaggy and Scooby turn up in his shop. He proves that yes, magic is real as the enchanted equipment in his store comes to life. The monsters of the Spirit World sing about how a "Bump In the Night" can scare off most humans. The Goblin King's henchman Glob (Jim Belushi) does the "Goblin Oogie Boogie" with the residents of his master's palace as Shaggy and Scooby try to infiltrate his castle.

What I Don't Like: This is one of the least-typical Scooby Doo movies. If you're looking for something closer to the show, with Mystery Inc chasing criminals in masks, you'll want to go elsewhere. Daphne, Fred, and Velma are barely seen in the beginning and the end. Shaggy and Scooby in particular seem a bit out of character here. They're usually the ones who believe every monster is real. 

The Big Finale: Fantasy fans, fans of the cast, and those who love Shaggy and Scooby's antics will likely get the most out of this Hanna-Barbara Halloween fairy tale.

Home Media: Like all the Scooby Doo films, this is easily found on DVD and streaming. 

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Having a Wild Weekend (Catch Us If You Can)

Warner Bros, 1965

Starring Dave Clark, Barbara Ferris, Yootha Joyce, and David Lodge

Directed by John Boorman

Music by Dave Clark; Lyrics by Lenny Davidson and Denis Peyton

This week, we rock the British Invasion with two movies featuring popular bands from overseas. The success of the first two Beatles films suddenly made rock bands from England all the rage. One of the most popular on both sides of the Atlantic was The Dave Clark 5. In fact, they were the second biggest band in England during the mid-late 60's, with 12 top 40 hits in the UK and 17 in the US. Warners, seeing their success and that of Hard Day's Night, contracted them to make their own rock-based movie. How does their film debut look today? Let's begin with stuntman Steve (Clark) and his buddies as they begin their day to the title song and find out...

The Story: Steve is tired of doing stunts for a series of TV meat commercials with his friends, but he does enjoy working alongside "The Butcher Girl" Dinah (Ferris), the campaign's spokeswoman. She too has had enough of fame and joins Steve when he steals a Jaguar being used as a prop. Dinah wants to see an island she's purchased and convinces Steve to take her across a lovely wintry English landscape to see it. 

They end up among hippies squatting in a bombed-out abandoned town, spend time with a wealthy couple in the upper-class Royal Crescent housing row in Bath, and frolic at a party with Steve's buddies and at a costume ball. The police and Dinah's manager Zissell (David De Keyser) believing that Steve's kidnapped her and chases them across England. Steve already has a crush on lovely Dinah, but it may turn out that, despite her complaints, she loves her time in the spotlight more. 

The Song and Dance: This didn't end up at all like I expected. I figured we'd get a goofy comic romp, like the Beatles movies or the Beach Party films made in the US around the same time. What we got was a charmingly bittersweet romance between two people who are tired of the fame machine and just want peace and quiet. 

As with the Beatles films, having a genuinely good director who was in tune with the material made all the difference. John Boorman would later go on to direct classics like Deliverance and the original Point Break, and he brings his darker sensibilities to this teen romance. Some of the cinematography is breathtaking, and Boorman shoots it in a way that shows its majesty and plays up the darker edges in the script. 

The Numbers: We open with the Dave Clark Five giving us their daily morning work out to the tune of the original title song, "Catch Us If You Can." An instrumental montage shows us the meat ads that feature the Five and made Delilah famous popping up all over London. A second instrumental montage shows Delilah and Steve stealing the car and wrecking havoc around London, including painting glasses and beards on Delilah's ads. "Having a Wild Weekend," the title song for the US release, provides the background for the actual wild party as Dinah borrows clothes from a friend of hers. 

The hippies play a short, moody guitar-and-harmonica piece as Delilah and Steve arrive.  "Catch Us If You Can" returns during the big masquerade ball where Dinah and Steve hide with the help of his friends. We also hear the moody ballad "Sweet Memories" and the wild "I Can't Stand It" after the police arrive. "On the Move" provides the backdrop for the wild chase through the baths that end with half the guests in the swimming pool. "When" is the background music as Dinah and Steve hike and chase each other across the frozen English landscape. The movie ends with "Sweet Memories" as the others drive Steve away, leaving Dinah to her real love - the spotlight.

Trivia: Dinah would be happy to know that the abandoned hotel on her sandbar Burgh Island has since been restored and is now in operation as Bigbury-By-the-Sea.

In real life, British military training and target areas are fenced off with clear signage indicating what they are. There's no way Dinah, Steve, or the hippies would end up there. If nothing else, the military would have checked for trespassers before they opened fire anyway. 

Dave Clark 5 member Lenny Davidson is the only one with no lines in the film.

What I Don't Like: There's a lot of negative reviews for this online, and I suspect most of them were expecting this to be more like the upbeat Beatles films or a feature-length Monkees episode. It works best when it stands out from the crowd as a gentle, moody, meandering romance. The attempts to ape Hard Day's Night, including the party at the guys' apartment, the opening title song sequence, and the goofy masquerade party, don't work nearly as well and come off as trying too hard to be funny. There's also that "meandering" thing. Dinah and Steve's wandering all over England can get kind of dull, especially in the second half and for people expecting a more linear and traditional musical. 

There's also the problem of Clark himself. He's handsome and clearly knows how to play to the camera, but he's also not much of an actor and has the personality of a dead fish. Ferris does somewhat better as flighty Dinah, and the rest of the Dave Clark Five have their moments, but there isn't nearly enough of them. I kind of wish Clark had relinquished a little of the spotlight and allowed them to do more with the guys and Dinah as a group. 

The Big Finale: This may not be the wildest weekend ever, but it is a surprisingly sweet and moody romance that deserves to be far better-known. Highly recommended for fans of European cinema in the 60's or British Invasion rock. 

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

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