A kind-hearted young man is thrown out of his corrupt home town of West Rome, Oklahoma. He falls asleep and dreams that he is back in the days of olden Rome, where he gets mixed up with cour... Read allA kind-hearted young man is thrown out of his corrupt home town of West Rome, Oklahoma. He falls asleep and dreams that he is back in the days of olden Rome, where he gets mixed up with court intrigue and a murder plot against the Emperor.A kind-hearted young man is thrown out of his corrupt home town of West Rome, Oklahoma. He falls asleep and dreams that he is back in the days of olden Rome, where he gets mixed up with court intrigue and a murder plot against the Emperor.
- Manius
- (as John Rutherford)
- Dancer
- (uncredited)
- Valerius' Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Official
- (uncredited)
- Caius - the Food Taster
- (uncredited)
- Shantytown Resident
- (uncredited)
- Roman Citizen
- (uncredited)
- Shantytown Resident
- (uncredited)
- …
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe chorus girls - among them Lucille Ball - chained to the wall in the "No More Love" number are actually nude. The number was filmed during the night, when no studio bosses were around on the lot, with a minimum of technicians involved.
- GoofsOn commonly available reissue prints of this film all the cast and credits are reprinted, with the following spelling errors: Songwriter Al Dubin's surname is spelled Dublin. Chariot sequence director Ralph Ceder's surname is spelled Cedar. Actress Verree Teasdale's first name is spelled Veree.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Mayor of West Rome: As mayor of West Rome, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you and to introduce our first citizen, Warren Fenwick Cooper!
Warren F. Cooper: Thank you, mayor. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. Heh, heh, you see I know my Roman history.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Dick Cavett Show: Lucille Ball (1974)
- SoundtracksBuild a Little Home
(1933) (uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin
Performed by Eddie Cantor and chorus
Reprised by him and chorus near the end
Played often in the score
The songs are catchy, particularly "Build A Little Home" which I was still humming two days later. The blackface number, a Cantor trademark, will hopefully be taken as a product of its time and not as a deliberate affront so far, I think all his pictures except one that I've seen have had this element. Unfortunately, it does make it a little hard to share the film with others whose levels of tolerance for that kind of thing might differ. I can't say as I enjoy it, but I'm not willing to throw the baby out with the bathwater either... Cantor is a very talented comedian/song & dance man, and I enjoy the vast majority of what I've seen of his work.
For fans on the lookout for a very young Lucille Ball, here's a tip: don't look for her, LISTEN for her. I'm all but 100% sure I heard her distinctive voice at least once in the beginning sequence out in the street of modern-day West Rome, and again at the end after the dream sequence. I'm sure she was also one of the glamour girls in Ancient Rome as well, but I can't figure out which one.
All in all, an enjoyable movie. I'll definitely be looking for more from Cantor.
- irishm
- Mar 8, 2017
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1