Tag Archives: 1930s musicals

Musical Monday: Double or Nothing (1937)

Posted on by
1

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

double or nothingThis week’s musical:
Double or Nothing (1937) – Musical #737

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Theodore Reed

Starring:
Bing Crosby, Martha Raye, Andy Devine, Mary Carlisle, William Frawley, Benny Baker, Samuel S. Hinds, William Henry, Fay Holden, Walter Kingsford, Bert Hanlon, Dennis O’Keefe (uncredited), Victor Sen Yung (uncredited)
Specialty performers: Frances Faye, Elsie Ames and Nick Arno (as Ames and Arno), Steve Calgary and Andre Calgary (as the Calgary Brothers), Harry Barris, Tex Morrissey, Alphonse Bergé, Edward Rickard

Plot:
When a philanthropist millionaire dies, he leaves little for his family members in his will and instead wants to help an honest person. After wallets are tossed around the city, only four people return them: Lefty Boylan (Crosby), Half Pint (Devine), Liza Lou Lane (Raye) and John Pederson (Frawley). Those four are each given $5,000 and are given 30 days to double the money (legally and without gambling). The first one who does, gets the entire estate. The Clark family isn’t happy with this idea and tries to find a way to keep the money in the family.

Continue reading →

Musical Monday: Hooray for Love (1935)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

hooray for love3This week’s musical:
Hooray for Love – Musical #734

Studio:
RKO Radio Pictures

Director:
Walter Lang

Starring:
Ann Sothern, Gene Raymond, Thurston Hall, Pert Kelton, Georgia Caine, Lionel Stander, Etienne Girardot, Sam Hardy, Lucille Ball (uncredited),
Themselves: Bill Robinson, Jeni Le Gon, Fats Waller, Maria Gambarelli

Plot:
College graduate Douglas Tyler (Raymond) is eager to get into show business. Doug meets and falls for performer Patricia Thatcher (Sothern), and her father (Hall) cons Doug into mortgaging his family home to put money into a musical show.

Continue reading →

Musical Monday: Going Places (1938)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

going placesThis week’s musical:
Going Places (1938) – Musical #198

Studio:
Warner Bros.

Director:
Ray Enright

Starring:
Dick Powell, Anita Louise, Allen Jenkins, Louis Armstrong, Minna Gombell, Walter Catlett, Harold Huber, Thurston Hall, Ronald Reagan, Joyce Compton, John Ridgely, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Larry Williams,

Plot:
Sporting goods store clerk Peter Mason (Powell) learns a major horserace is happening nearby and no one has entered their store to buy any riding gear. Peter and his boss (Catlett) pose as a famous jockey and his valet to infiltrate among the horsey set to sell sporting goods. The problem is when he finds fans of the real jockey, including beautiful Ellen Parker (Louise).

Continue reading →

Musical Monday: Hollywood Hotel (1937)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

hollywood hotel3This week’s musical:
Hollywood Hotel (1937) – Musical #201

Studio:
First National Pictures, Warner Bros.

Director:
Busby Berkeley

Starring:
Dick Powell, Rosemary Lane, Lola Lane, Hugh Herbert, Ted Healy, Glenda Farrell, Johnnie Davis, Mabel Todd, Alan Mowbray, Allyn Joslyn, Frances Langford, Grant Mithcell, Milton Kibbee (uncredited), Carole Landis (uncredited), John Ridgely (uncredited), Ronald Reagan (uncredited)
Themselves: Benny Goodman, Harry James, Gene Krupa, Louella Parsons, Perc Westmore, Ken Niles, Jerry Cooper, Raymond Paige and His Orchestra

Continue reading →

Musical Monday: Fashions of 1934 (1934)

Posted on by
1

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Fashions of 1934 (1934) – Musical #233

fashions of 1934

Studio:
Warner Bros.

Director:
William Dieterle

Starring:
William Powell, Bette Davis, Frank McHugh, Hugh Herbert, Verree Teasdale, Reginald Owen, Dorothy Burgess, Nella Walker, Henry O’Neil, Arthur Treacher

Plot:
When one business fails, Sherwood Nash (Powell) teams up with fashion designer Lynn Mason (Davis). The two of them set out to plagiarize haute couture fashions and sell them at a cheaper rate. When they are caught by American fashion houses, they set sail for France to create new fashions, which include ostrich feathers and a phony duchess.

Continue reading →

Musical Monday: Love in the Rough (1931)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

love in the rough3This week’s musical:
Love in the Rough (1931) – Musical #468

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Charles Reisner

Starring:
Robert Montgomery, Dorothy Jordan, Benny Rubin, J.C. Nugent, Penny Singleton (billed as Dorothy McNulty), Allan Lane, Tyrell Davis, Harry Burns, Catherine Moylan, Ann Dvorak (uncredited), Polly Ann Young (uncredited)

Plot:
When Jack Kelly’s (Montgomery) boss is on the verge of firing him, Jack learns that his boss’s demeanor is because of bad golf game. Jack says he can help him with his game, and gets into golf society at a country club.

Continue reading →

Musical Monday: Love Me Forever (1935)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

love me forever 1935This week’s musical:
Love Me Forever (1935) – Musical #720

Studio:
Columbia Pictures

Director:
Victor Schertzinger

Starring:
Grace Moore, Leo Carrillo, Robert Allen, Spring Byington, Michael Bartlett, Luis Alberni, Douglass Dumbrille, Thurston Hall, Olin Howland (uncredited), Arthur Hoyt (uncredited),

Plot:
Margaret Howard (Moore) comes from a wealthy family, who have lost everything. Opera loving hood Steve Corelli (Carrillo) hears Margaret sing and wants to make her a great opera star. Steve makes Margaret a great singing star, while falling in love with her; knowing she doesn’t reciprocate the feeling.

Continue reading →

Musical Monday: Pigskin Parade (1936)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

pigskin paradeThis week’s musical:
Pigskin Parade (1936) – Musical #179

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
David Butler

Starring:
Stuart Erwin, Jack Haley, Patsy Kelly, Johnny Downs, Arline Judge, Betty Grable, Dixie Dunbar, Judy Garland, Tony Martin (billed as Anthony Martin), Grady Sutton, Julius Tannen, Fred Kohler, Jr.
Themselves: The Yacht Club Boys

Plot:
Texas State University is accidentally picked as the team to play against Yale in a big football game. When new coach Slug Winters (Haley) and his wife Bessie (Kelly) realize the football team is hopeless, they look for an answer. That comes in the form of hillbilly Amos Dodd (Erwin), who has never played football but can kick and throw like a dream. The only issue is getting Amos and his sister Sairy (Garland) enrolled in the college.

Continue reading →

Musical Monday: Start Cheering (1938)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Start Cheering (1938) – Musical #665

start cheering

Studio:
Columbia Pictures

Director:
Albert S. Rogell

Starring:
Charles Starrett, Jimmy Durante, Walter Connolly, Joan Perry, Craig E. Earle (billed as Professor Quiz), Gertrude Niesen, Raymond Walburn, The Three Stooges, Broderick Crawford, Hal Le Roy, Ernest Truex, Virginia Dale, Chaz Chase, Minerva Urecal
Themselves: Jimmy Wallington, Louis Prima and His Band,

Plot:
Movie star Ted Crosley (Starrett) decides he’s done with films and wants to enroll in college, trying to keep the university a secret to avoid publicity. Unfortunately, Hollywood executives follow Ted and make his collegiate experience a publicity stunt, which doesn’t make Ted popular with the rest of the students.

Continue reading →

Musical Monday: Sing Me a Love Song (1936)

Posted on by
Reply

It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

sing me a long songThis week’s musical:
Sing Me a Love Song – Musical #714

Studio:
Warner Bros.

Director:
Ray Enright

Starring:
James Melton, Patricia Ellis, Hugh Herbert, Zasu Pitts, Allen Jenkins, Nat Pendleton, Walter Catlett (uncredited), Granville Bates (uncredited), Hobart Cavanaugh (uncredited)

Plot:
Jerry Haines (Melton) is the heir to department store. Instead of taking an executive role, he wants to start in a regular job and work incognito so he can better get to know the store. Meanwhile, he romances Jean Martin (Ellis) in the music department and is constantly in trouble with the manager (Catlett).

Continue reading →