In one of Bing Crosby's earliest movies, he "goes Hollywood" and sings an adorable '30s production number at the train station. You might remember seeing him with his little beret singing the title song, since it was included in That's Entertainment! forty years later.
There are some really cute parts to this movie, but included in its charm is the fact that it's incredibly, ridiculously dated. Some 1930s movies don't feel that way, but this one certainly does. Watching this movie feels like you've stepped into an alternate universe. If you don't mind musical numbers that involve tapdancing scarecrows, and a scene where Marion Davies acts in blackface just to get a rise out of Bing, you're in a good mindset to enjoy the whole of this movie. The main plot is also incredibly dated: Marion Davies is a schoolteacher and falls in love with Bing Crosby's singing voice on the radio. When she learns he's going to Hollywood, she quits her job and follows him.
Patsy Kelly, who befriends Marion when she arrives in Tinseltown, is always hilarious with one-liners that are easily the best parts of the script. Cameos from Robert Montgomery, Marie Dressler, and references to other stars of the time make some of the dialogue pretty funny. Basically, if you're not extremely interested in this time period of film history and don't even know who Marion Davies is, you won't make it through this movie. It's very cute to see a young Bing, though, so for me-and since I'm well-versed in film history-it was worth it. There are some great songs, like "Temptation", "Beautiful Girl", and "Our Big Love Scene" that you've probably heard on CDs but now get to watch performed in the movie!
There are some really cute parts to this movie, but included in its charm is the fact that it's incredibly, ridiculously dated. Some 1930s movies don't feel that way, but this one certainly does. Watching this movie feels like you've stepped into an alternate universe. If you don't mind musical numbers that involve tapdancing scarecrows, and a scene where Marion Davies acts in blackface just to get a rise out of Bing, you're in a good mindset to enjoy the whole of this movie. The main plot is also incredibly dated: Marion Davies is a schoolteacher and falls in love with Bing Crosby's singing voice on the radio. When she learns he's going to Hollywood, she quits her job and follows him.
Patsy Kelly, who befriends Marion when she arrives in Tinseltown, is always hilarious with one-liners that are easily the best parts of the script. Cameos from Robert Montgomery, Marie Dressler, and references to other stars of the time make some of the dialogue pretty funny. Basically, if you're not extremely interested in this time period of film history and don't even know who Marion Davies is, you won't make it through this movie. It's very cute to see a young Bing, though, so for me-and since I'm well-versed in film history-it was worth it. There are some great songs, like "Temptation", "Beautiful Girl", and "Our Big Love Scene" that you've probably heard on CDs but now get to watch performed in the movie!