She may have cried the day after the premiere when the reviews came out, but the wonderful Lillian Roth comes out the winner in this disappointing film version of one of those fluff Broadway musicals that helped audiences face the depression. It has the slightest of stories about the putting on of a big Broadway show and the struggles the newcomers to the best white way have getting it launched. James Dunn and Cliff Edwards are old pals who manage to get there, with old pal Roth seemingly tossed over for their new discovery, June Knight. When opening night doesn't go exactly as planned, they must act fast to avoid an instant calamity.
Roth, taking over the part played on Broadway by Ethel Merman, gives her all, while Knight gets to reprise her role. The title of the show within the show, "Humpty Dumpty", was the name of the show in its unsuccessful prep Broadway tryout. Only a few songs made the transfer, with a Merman standard, "Eadie was a Lady", managing to make the cut and rocked out of the theater by Roth. "It's Only a Paper Moon", written for the film, became a standard, but suffers here from a wretched staging filled with edits that make no sense. The comedy flops big time too. Dorothy Lee, on a break from her Wheeler and Woolsey features over at RKO, doesn't get to really do much here. It's easy to see why this movie musical, made the same year as "42nd Street" and Astaire and Rogers' first pairing, is forgotten today. The paper moon was covered in metaphorical fog.
Roth, taking over the part played on Broadway by Ethel Merman, gives her all, while Knight gets to reprise her role. The title of the show within the show, "Humpty Dumpty", was the name of the show in its unsuccessful prep Broadway tryout. Only a few songs made the transfer, with a Merman standard, "Eadie was a Lady", managing to make the cut and rocked out of the theater by Roth. "It's Only a Paper Moon", written for the film, became a standard, but suffers here from a wretched staging filled with edits that make no sense. The comedy flops big time too. Dorothy Lee, on a break from her Wheeler and Woolsey features over at RKO, doesn't get to really do much here. It's easy to see why this movie musical, made the same year as "42nd Street" and Astaire and Rogers' first pairing, is forgotten today. The paper moon was covered in metaphorical fog.