Jivin' In Be-Bop

Alexander Distributing Company, 1946

Starring Dizzy Gillespie, Freddy Carter, James Moody, and Helen Humes

Directed by Leonard Anderson and Spencer Williams

Music and Lyrics by various

Some race films bypassed flimsy plots entirely to document the popular black singers and orchestras of the time. Gillespie's career began in the mid-30's. He played on several big band orchestras and did arrangements for others before he struck out on his own in a small combo in 1944. He was riding the rise of both small combos and be-bop, then considered to be a jazz sub-genre, when he and his combo appeared in this film. How well do these numbers come off today? Let's let our master of ceremonies, Mr. Freddy Carter, tell us what we're about to see and find out...

The Story: There isn't one. Carter introduces Gillespie and his orchestra and a variety of dancers, from a modern dancer swinging scarves barefoot (Sahji) to a laid-back tapper (Ralph Brown). He does gags trades quips with the musicians between numbers.

The Song and Dance: And obviously, with no plot to discuss, song and dance are the only things of interest here. If you love Gillespie, you're going to have a great time here. We get some of his biggest early hits, including "Salt Peanuts," "Things to Come," and "I Waited for You." Some of the dancing is pretty incredible, too. Sahji can do some amazing moves barefoot, on the floor, and in a skimpy costume, while the jiggerbugging chorus mid-way through has to be seen to be believed. 

The Numbers: And we open with Carter introducing "Salt Peanuts," as played by Gillespie and his orchestra. Singer Helen Humes wrote, performs, and helps to introduce the rollicking "E-Baba-Le-Ba." Gillespie and his boys perform "Oop-Bop She-Bam" and an original instrumental, the latter of which provides the backdrop for comic soft-shoe duo Johnny and Henny. Johnny comes out later for an even more dynamic solo routine. "Shaw 'Nuff" is Sahji's modern dance routine, with her spending more time dancing on the floor than on her bare feet. 

"I Waited for You" gets into more romantic turf, as a handsome young gentleman performs the longing ballad to his sweetheart. Pianists Dan Burley and Johnny Taylor, aka the Burley-Taylor Duo, play their own "Hubba Hubba Blues" for a group of appreciative young ladies. We get a taste of African dance as a leggy duo in a low-budget idea of scanty native costume dance "A Night In Tunsia." Humes returns for another one of her compositions, the slower and sadder "Crazy About a Man." Gillespie's next number with the orchestra is the more jivin' "One Bass Hit." 

Burley and Taylor come back for "Boogie In C," wigged to by a lovely, slender dancer in a scanty white fringed costume with some amazingly high kicks. "Dynamo A" is accurately titled as the chorus takes the floor for some outstanding jitterbugging. "Ornithology" is the first of two tap numbers from Ralph Brown, this one done in top hat, tie, and tails. Gillespie himself performs "He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped" with his orchestra. The slinky "Boogie In C" returns for a faster-pasted number in a slightly more lavish black dress to "Droppin' a Square." 

"You ain't heard nothin' yet!" Gillespie tells Carter as we move on to "Things to Come" with Gillespie's orchestra. A less well-dressed Brown returns with a more laid-back tap routine to "Ray's Idea." The "dance creation" turns out to be "Bag's Boogie," as the "Tunsia" male dancer gives us a more polished and airy performance on a literal pedestal. We end back with Burley, Taylor, and the slinky female dancer, this time in scanty black and silver for "Hubba Hubba Boogie."

Trivia: There's a version of the film on DVD called Things to Come that cuts Carter's prattle with the musicians between the numbers. 

What I Don't Like: Obviously, this isn't for you if you're looking for an actual plot with your musical numbers. It's also not for those who don't love Gillespie or the jazz, be-bop, or dance styles of the mid-late 40's. This is another one that could use some restoration, too, especially given how much it relies on audio. The film is scratchy here too, the audio distorted in places.

The Big Finale: Mainly for huge fans of Gillespie or the be-bop, jazz, and dance from this era.

Home Media: This is another one in the public domain, making it easily found everywhere and in all formats.

DVD

Tubi

New Faces

20th Century Fox, 1954

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

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

Music and Lyrics by various

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DVD

Tubi

Paramount On Parade

Paramount, 1930

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

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

Music and Lyrics by various

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

YouTube

The Show of Shows

Warner Bros, 1929

Starring Frank Fay, Myrna Loy, John Barrymore, Nick Lucas, and many others

Directed by John G. Adolfi

Music and Lyrics by various

MGM's Hollywood Revue of 1929 was such a huge hit, all of the other major studios in Hollywood went to work on their own all-star variety shows. Warners' debuted first, hoping it would become a major showcase of all the wonderful song and dance talent then on the lot and just how big their musicals were. It was a showcase, all right, but not always the kind they hoped. How weird are some of these acts almost a century later? Let's begin in the theater, with a very strange French Revolution prologue, and find out...

The Story: It's a revue, so there isn't one. Masters of Ceremonies Frank Fay introduces acts featuring almost everyone at Warners in 1929. What he really wants to do is introduce his own singing, but various acts and comedy skits keep getting in the way.

The Song and Dance: Of the non-musical routines, the only one that even remotely comes across is John Barrymore, playing Richard III in an excerpt from Henry VI, Part 3. As static as it is, it's also a marvelous record of Barrymore in his acting prime, and is reason alone to see this. Some of the solo artists come across pretty well, too. Winnie Lightner may have been too rowdy for the movies, but here, she blasts through the static like a noisy cannonball. Nick Lucas and Irene Bordoni also come off fairly well, and Sid Silvers does a pretty decent Jolson imitation for "If Your Best Friend Won't Tell You." 

Favorite Number: Lightner has a great time blasting out her big "Pingo Pongo" cannibal solo. She has even more fun with the goofy "Singin' In the Bathtub." It gets the perfect number for it, too, with men in women's old-time bathing suits proving a nutty chorus and wrestler Bull Montana showing up to attempt to serenade Lightner with "You Were Meant For Me" from The Broadway Melody. Guitarist Nick Lucas gets the sweet "The Only Love I Know." French chanteuse Irene Bordoni's "Just an Hour Of Love" adds a little touch of elegance to the first half.

Along with "Singin' In the Bathtub," I have a soft spot for "Meet My Sister." Like most of the big chorus routines, it goes on for way too long and the song is silly and childish. Not to mention, two of the "sisters" (Marion Byron and Harriet Lake, later Ann Sothern) aren't real siblings. The "around the world" costumes are adorable, though, and it is cute to see the ladies do their little routines and hear them talk about their real or adopted country. I also found the Pirate Number, with Ted Lewis and His Orchestra rescuing Mary Astor and a bevy of damsels from a group of Warners baddies lead by Noah Beery, to be hilarious, especially if you're a fan of swashbucklers like me. 

"Li-Po-Li" is the big "Chinese Fantasy" number mid-way through. It's also the only number that still exists in its original two-strip Technicolor in the copy currently on TCM. The color looks absolutely gorgeous, with soft corals, orange, and turquoise enhancing some really lovely Asian costumes. Too bad the number has dreadful lyrics ("rice cakes" and "spice cakes?") and is riddled with Asian stereotypes, starting with the casting of white Nick Lucas and Myrna Loy, along with some of the worst dancing in a film filled with bad dancers.

Trivia: As mentioned, the movie was filmed almost entirely in two-strip Technicolor. (A few of the solo routines were in black-and-white.) Along with "Li-Po-Li," "Meet My Sister" also apparently exists and has been restored. Bits of "Bicycle Built for Two" and Frank Fay's solo and his number with Sid Silvers have apparently turned up as well.

Al Jolson was supposed to have appeared here, but wanted too much money. 

If you're a Looney Tunes fan, you may recognize "Singin' In the Bathtub." Warners used it as background scoring for any character scrubbing in a tub for 30 years. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, what in the heck was going on with that French Revolution prologue? It has nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the show, and even comes off as a little depressing. Really dark and very bizarre way to begin a variety show.

Warners is so determined to focus on pageantry, they don't let us know who anyone is. No one in the chorus numbers is introduced (besides the women of "Meet My Sister," who introduce each other). The many, many blurry long shots also make it difficult to recognize anyone. Genuinely talented folks like Beatrice Lille, who only turns up in a comic recitation with three other sophisticated comics, don't have enough to do, and others like French boxing champ Georges Carpentier don't belong in musicals period. 

As mentioned, the big numbers go on for way beyond too long. The opening military march is boring, the "Lady Luck" finale has too much going on, and Larry Cellabos' black-and-white girls are even duller until they complain to Fay about their costumes. Speaking of Frank Fay, comments on IMDb and YouTube prove that people either really like him, or think he's obnoxious. Put me in the latter category, I'm afraid. He does have a few good lines with the chorus girls, but other than that, he's so awkward, pushy, and annoying in front of the camera, it's a relief when other performers interrupt him. 

The Big Finale: In the end, this is only for the most ardent fans of Barrymore or the movies of the early talkie era. 

Home Media: DVD only from the Warner Archives. 

DVD

Cult Flops - King of Jazz

Universal, 1930
Starring Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, The Rhythm Boys, John Boles, and Jeanette Loff
Directed by John Murray Anderson
Music by various

Color has been an integral part of musical films almost since they debuted. Two-strip Technicolor, so called because strips of red and green were cemented together, was used frequently for musicals as late as 1932. This process couldn't show the full range of color - no blues or blue-based colors, and yellows could come out muddy - but it could still come out striking in the right hands. Theater director John Murray Anderson was renown for staging massive spectacles for Ziegfeld shows and would seem like the right person to helm this huge undertaking. Does this revue revolving around the music of the then-popular Paul Whiteman Orchestra still resonate today? Let's start with the first-ever color cartoon and find out...

The Story: There isn't one. Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra appear in or accompany a series of musical numbers and short comedy skits, hung together with the thread of Whiteman paging through his scrapbook of memories.

The Animation: The first cartoon is color gives us a good glimpse at the rubber-hose style of the Walter Lanz Studio at that time. Other than the color, it's pretty typical of the wacky shenanigans that turned up in shorts from the early 30's, with lots of slapstick, native stereotypes swaying in time to the music, and even a dance bit from Lanz's first major star Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

The Song and Dance: What a show! The difference between this and other static early talkie revues like The Hollywood Revue of 1929 is staggering. Anderson keeps everything moving as much as possible with the technology of the time, even managing some pre-Busby Berkeley overhead and colored kaleidoscope shots during the "Rhapsody In Blue" number. Some of the comedy shorts are actually pretty cute too, especially William Kent lamenting his lost goldfish in "Oh! Forevermore" and the All Quiet on the Western Front spoof. Producer and Universal studio head Carl Lammale threw everything the studio had into this one, and it shows, from the glittering ruffled costumes to the gigantic turquoise piano and tons and tons of extras.

Favorite Number: The opening credits and cartoon is accompanied by "Music Hath Charms," sung by none other than Bing Crosby. Crosby also joins the other Rhythm Boys for the jaunty "Mississippi Mud" and "When the Bluebirds and the Blackbirds Get Together." They get together with the Brox Sisters as one of the many couples who perform on "A Bench In a Park." John Boles goes romantic in the ballad "It Happened In Monterey" with lovely Spanish chorus dancers and rousing with a chorus of cowboys in "Song of the Dawn."

Soprano Jeanette Loff sings of her mother's "Bridal Veil" as beautifully bedecked brides and flower children of centuries past serenely glide past her, ending with her and her groom (Stanley Smith) showing off that massive veil on a wide staircase. "Ragamuffin Romeo" starts with singing street urchins Jeanne Lang and George Chiles and ends with amazingly limber dancers Don Rose and Marion Stadler as another urchin and his rag doll. Some incredibly rubber-limbed dancing, this time from Al Norman, also figures into the surreal and imaginative version of "Happy Feet," with women's heads singing from a shoe box.

The three big numbers all revolve around jazz or music history or making music. Whiteman appears to pull the members of his orchestra out of his pocket, then lets later-famous jazz men like Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang do their thing in brief solo bits. "Rhapsody In Blue" (or really in turquoise in the recent restoration) has Gershwin look-a-like Roy Bargy at the piano as dancer Jacques Cartier performs Hollywood's idea of a primitive native ritual, then joins lines of beauties with feather fans in a fanciful dance routine that ends with the fans becoming a kaleidoscope of turquoise. "The Melting Pot" is more problematic today, given how many European countries and their music are sited, complete with fanciful national costume and songs, but not one reference to jazz's start in African rhythms.

Trivia: This was originally going to a biography about Whiteman, then a linear backstage story. Whiteman and his band sat around for two months while Universal tries to think of a good plot to stuff his famous songs in. By the time they gave up and turned it into a plotless revue, Whiteman and his band had gone back east for other engagements and had to be coaxed back.

Anderson's work here did get good reviews, but he ran way over budget and feuded with Lammele. He was only called to Hollywood twice more, to devise water pageants for Esther Williams in her 1944 vehicle Bathing Beauty and three-ring glitter for Cecil B DeMille's Oscar-winning 1952 circus drama The Greatest Show On Earth.

Bing Crosby makes his film debut here. He was originally going to sing "Song of the Dawn," but got arrested for drunk driving shortly before shooting and was replaced by Boles.

Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra were one of the most popular groups of the 1920's. They were so huge at the time, Whiteman's nickname was "King of Jazz." Truthfully, Whiteman's style was more "20's pop music" rather than "jazz" as most people know it today. He was better known for being able to bring together genuinely talented musicians, like Lang, Bargy, Venuti, and Bix Beiderbecke. (The last-named had already left the outfit before they went west.)

The film was released at 105 minutes. Current restored prints run 99 minutes; most prior prints ran 93. It was cut to 65 minutes for a 1933 re-release, then returned to 93 minutes for home video. Older prints also "color correct" the "Rhapsody In Blue" number to accurately reflect the color blue.

What I Don't Like: Some of the more vaudeville-flavored routines are a little too goofy, especially Wilbur Hall playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever" with a bicycle pump and Jack White's "Oh, How I'd Love to Own a Fish Store." A few of the blackout sketches haven't dated well, either. There are also rare times when this being an early talkie does show, especially with many long shots of chorus girls doing high kicks that go on forever.

The biggest problem is that time has changed people's perception of who really made American music. The native stereotypes in the animated short and the "Rhapsody In Blue" dance (the dancer wasn't even black) may offend some folks today, as will the lack of references to the importance of African rhythms and chants to the creation of jazz and popular music as we know it in "The Melting Pot."

The Big Finale: While I wouldn't call it a "masterpiece" like some people online, it's definitely one of the more fascinating and beautiful early talkie revues and deserves a lot more love.

Home Media: The Criterion Collection put Universal's restored print on DVD and Blu-Ray in 2018. The DVD is out of print; the Blu-Ray is the one you'll want to look for.

DVD
Blu-Ray

Ziegfeld Follies (1946)

MGM, 1946
Starring Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Fannie Brice, and Red Skelton, among others
Directed by Charles Walters, Vincent Minnelli, Roy Del Ruth, and George Sidney, among others
Music and Lyrics by various

After revues fell out of favor in 1930, no studio would attempt a musical film without a narrative - even the thinnest excuse for one. At least, not until the mid-40's. Producer Arthur Freed wanted to return to the days of the ongoing Ziegfeld Follies revues and create his own, with prime MGM talent. How well did he pull it off? Let's head up above with the now late impresario Florenz Ziegfeld (William Powell) himself as he recalls his beloved shows and find out...

The Story: This is a revue, so there really isn't one. Ziegfeld, looking down from the heavens, remembers his beloved Broadway shows of the early 20th century and wonders what they would loo like in the (then) present, with a galaxy of MGM stars.

The Song and Dance: And while song and dance are the operative words here, some of the comedy routines aren't bad, either. The solo skits come off best, with Keenan Wynn doing exasperated wonderfully well dealing with obtuse operators in "Number Please" and Red Skelton hilarious as the TV pitchman getting increasingly drunk on his own product in "When Television Comes." Fannie Brice, the only actor who actually appeared in the original Ziegfeld Follies, romps through "A Sweepstakes Ticket" with nervous Hume Cronyn and a suspicious William Frawley.

Favorite Number: Things kick off in lavish style with "Here's to the Beautiful Girls," as Fred Astaire salutes Lucile Ball and other lovelies in pink feathers and cat suits...which Virginia O'Brian immediately spoofs, claiming she wants to "Bring On the Wonderful Men." Judy Garland spoofs drama divas of the time like MGM actress Greer Garson in the very funny "The Great Lady Gives an Interview," as she twitters around adoring newspaper reporters. Lena Horne may have protested the dark tropical nightclub setting of "Love," but her burning hot performance still comes across as the sexiest moment in the film.

The movie may be best-known for three major dance numbers, all featuring Fred Astaire. "This Heart of Mine" is the glamorous mini-tale of a thief who falls for a heiress (Lucille Bremer) at a ball. The color is exquisite, the costumes are gorgeous, and the song (which became a standard) is the best in the film. "Limehouse Blues" is another Vincent Minnelli-directed segment. The more tragic tale of a Chinese man who loves a prostitute in London's Chinatown turns into a colorful abstract Asian fantasy ballet.

For my money, the number for the records is "The Babbitt and the Bromide," a Gershwin song originally from the Broadway show Funny Face. The only time good friends Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly danced together during their heyday is a charming competition as two men trade small talk while showing off their very different dancing styles.

Trivia: The movie began filming in 1944 and ran into problems galore. The original cut was almost three hours! Many, many numbers were dropped, some of which still exist as audio cuts. When the roadshow engagements in 1945 didn't work out, numbers were dropped and rearranged, forcing its wide release to 1946.

The big "There's Beauty Everywhere" finale was originally supposed to feature tenor James Melton singing the song, with Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire dancing in a "bubble ballet." The bubble machine went haywire and broke down. The gas was so bad, it made at least one cameraman faint, and the bubbles got so bad, the fire brigade had to be called in to switch the machine off. Melton was eventually replaced by Kathryn Grayson, and the ballet segment was cut down to a few glimpses of Cyd Charisse and the chorus flitting around in the bubbles.

The only other time Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly danced together was in the documentary That's Entertainment II in 1976.

The movie cost so much with all the retakes and lavish sets and costumes, it did well in '46 and still just barely made back its money.

What I Don't Like: This is a mixed bag, especially in the comedy skits. Victor Moore and Edward Arnold's "Pay the Two Dollars" is more annoying than funny, with Moore's constant whining. "Beauty Everywhere," for all the trouble they had filming it, is a little too overdone for a simple and romantic song, and probably not the best note to end on. The comedy skits are also pretty simple, more like filmed mini-plays and come off as a bit static. The white people playing Asians in "Limehouse Blues" and a few stereotypes can take many folks out of the intended dramatic atmosphere.

And obviously, if you're actually expecting a story along with your musical numbers, this isn't the place for you. It's far better than most of the ricky-ticky early talkie revues, but it's still a revue.

The Big Finale: If you're a huge fan of the MGM musicals of the 1940's and 50's, this is worth seeing for the cast and dance numbers alone.

Home Media: The DVD was just re-released on the Warner Archives last year, and it's available on several streaming companies.

DVD
Amazon Prime

The Hollywood Revue of 1929

MGM, 1929
Starring Jack Benny, Joan Crawford, Marie Dressler, Cliff Edwards, and more
Directed by Charles Reisner and Christy Cabanne (uncredited)
Music by Arthur Freed and others; Lyrics by Nacio Herb Brown and others

We're jumping way, way back in Hollywood history for this one. After the coming of sound made musical films possible, almost every studio in town made at least one revue showcasing their most popular stars and grandest sets and costumes. MGM was no exception, and they top-loaded their Oscar-nominated variety show with everyone from up-and-coming Crawford to comedian Jack Benny to Laurel & Hardy. How does this early variety program look today? Let's head to the theater, where the show is about to begin, and find out...

The Story: There isn't one. Jack Benny introduces a series of skits, songs, and dances featuring some of the most popular stars at MGM in 1929...when said stars aren't slapping him, throwing cakes in his direction, or eating the buttons off his tuxedo.

The Song and Dance: When they say "the following galaxy of stars" in the opening credits, they're not kidding. If you love the movies of the early talkie era, you'll probably see someone you recognize. Some non-musical numbers have their own fun. Laurel and Hardy have a really cute magic act that begins with broken eggs and ends with Hardy falling into a cake. Norma Shearer and a relaxed-looking John Gilbert (just before his career tragically spiraled downwards) do a hilariously overwrought Romeo & Juliet...and then an even more ridiculous version in "modern" 20's argot, as per director Lionel Barrymore's instructions.

Favorite Number: Some of the songs here are pretty adorable, too. June Purcell and the chorus have fun with "Low Down Rhythm" early on, including another routine by the ballet-tap dancer from The Broadway Melody. Some early special effects are used on the opening chorus routine and Bessie Love's goofy acrobatic act, "I Never Knew I Could Do a Thing Like That," allowing her to emerge from Jack Benny's pocket. Marie Dressler proves why she became one of MGM's top stars in the early 30's in the hilarious royalty satire "I'm the Queen." Dressler and Love join Dressler's long-time sparring partner Polly Moran for some wild musical slapstick in enormous bloomers and hairbows, including Moran doing a terrific Al Jolson impression.

The movie is best-known today for introducing "Singin' In the Rain" to general audiences. The number is worthy of the song, with Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards performing it as the chorus splashes in real rain, with the Brox Sisters jumping in later with their own pleasant harmony. It's the best number in the film, and too cute for words. The finale at Noah's Ark, with all the stars singing in raincoats (except a confused Buster Keaton, who looks like he's just wondering where the rain went), is a great way to end the show.

Trivia: While most of the film (including its color sequences) is intact, two brief bits are missing. Current prints no longer have a recitation from the showgirls in the sign in the opening credits and the appearance of Nils Asther, who helped Benny introduce the "Singin' In the Rain" finale.

Laurel and Hardy and Marion Davies shot their numbers in the wee hours of the morning (which explains their performances, especially Davies), due to them working on other projects at the time.

Cliff Edwards later became better-known as the original voice of Jiminy Cricket in Disney's Pinocchio.

Among the women who slap Jack Benny are Gwen Lee and later Warner Bros and Scarface actress Ann Dworak.

What I Don't Like: Like The Broadway Melody, this is extremely a movie of its time. Most of the performers are barely remembered to anyone but aficionados of the early talkie era nowadays. The color is scratchy, the cinematography is a matter of filming whomever happens to be standing there, and the choreography is stilted at best and clumsy at worst.

The spoof horror chorus routine "Lon Chaney's Gonna Get 'Cha If You Don't Watch Out" is cute if you know about Chaney's reputation in the genre at the time...but you probably won't get it if you don't know the era. Davies is stiff and rather desperate in her "Tommy Atkins on Parade" military dance routine. Almost every chorus number, including the military parade after "Tommy Atkins," goes on for way, way too long. Most of the songs besides "Singin' In the Rain" are dull or silly, including the often-repeated and rather bad "Your Mother and Mine." A routine with an adiago troupe comes off as strange rather than dramatic. And what was with all the women slapping Jack Benny?

The Big Finale: Cute if you love the early talkie era; not necessary for anyone else.

Home Media: Currently only available via the Warner Archives.

DVD