I think Alice White was exactly the type of girl who epitomized those crazy, early talkie, singy, dancey years. Naughty, flirty, saucy, cheeky - whatever the adjective, Alice was it!!! Even her acting I loved. Sure, she wasn't Norma Shearer - but there was method in her phrasing!! Her singing and dancing were adequate at best but considering she didn't come from a showbiz or vaudeville background I think she did a great job. Unfortunately she didn't last much longer than the first run of early musicals, temperament plus a couple of scandals put paid to her career. But now with the screening of many of her movies her cute little face will always be on view. "Show Girl in Hollywood" was one of the very few musicals at the time that tried to take a topical inside view of Hollywood movie making (MGM's "Free and Easy" was another). It was also given a huge boost by Blanche Sweet's performance as Dotty Harris, a washed up star at the age of 32!!! She is the other side of the the coin to Alice's peppy Dixie Dugan.
It was a semi- sequel to an earlier Alice White vehicle, "Show Girl" (1928) in which White as Dixie Dugan makes good in a Broadway show and at the end marries her Jimmy. This movie, based on another of J.P. McEvoy's stories, has Dixie and Jimmy (Jack Mulhall) still only sweethearts and now, instead of a star, she is a lowly understudy in his show "Rainbow Girl" which has just flopped.
Drowning their sorrows at a club, Dixie is asked to sing the hit from the show "I've Got My Eyes On You" and she does with her eye firmly on Mr. Buelow (John Miljan) sleazy casting director of Superba Pictures who is on a talent spotting expedition. He has a bad habit of sending pretty girls from New York to Hollywood with the promise of a contract and his boss, Mr. Otis (Ford Sterling) is sick of it. So when high spirited Dixie crashes into his office it is the last straw!!! Still thinking her contract is in the bag Dixie meets Dottie Harris, her first screen idol and is dismayed to find out that by Hollywood standards, she is a has been who haunts the studios in the hope of recapturing some of her old popularity. This would have been quite a heavy dose of reality in what was essentially a bubbly musical of 1930. She even sings Dixie the poignant "There's a Tear For Every Smile in Hollywood" - but Dixie thinks it can't happen to her.
After experiencing the ups and downs of casting life, Dixie gets the lead when Otis decides to film Jimmy Doyle's "Rainbow Girl". The staging of "I've Got My Eye on You" showcases the various cameras, technicians and camera operators, still working in sound proof booths - it is a fascinating glimpse at the cumbersome way early talkies had to be made. Alice White, as usual, looked adorable with a kewpie doll bow and dancing around what looked like a leering monkey. Dixie "goes Hollywood", holding up production, telling everyone how to do their jobs from the prop boy to the director until filming is suspended and everyone is sacked. Dottie, who thought that her role in the film would lead to a comeback, is shattered and it takes a suicide attempt to bring Dixie to her senses.
"Sparkle, your grandma, what do you think this is - the 4th of July" and "If I felt any better I'd be a national menace"!! are some of the wisecracks sassy Dixie comes out with.
The last part of the film is a Hollywood premiere and was originally in Technicolor, so it has a washed out, ghostly look. Warner's stars Noah Beery Snr and Jnr and Loretta Young gave speeches along the red carpet and a youthful Walter Pidgeon introduced Dixie. The finale "Hang Onto a Rainbow" looked as though it would have been spectacular in color!!!
Highly Recommended.
It was a semi- sequel to an earlier Alice White vehicle, "Show Girl" (1928) in which White as Dixie Dugan makes good in a Broadway show and at the end marries her Jimmy. This movie, based on another of J.P. McEvoy's stories, has Dixie and Jimmy (Jack Mulhall) still only sweethearts and now, instead of a star, she is a lowly understudy in his show "Rainbow Girl" which has just flopped.
Drowning their sorrows at a club, Dixie is asked to sing the hit from the show "I've Got My Eyes On You" and she does with her eye firmly on Mr. Buelow (John Miljan) sleazy casting director of Superba Pictures who is on a talent spotting expedition. He has a bad habit of sending pretty girls from New York to Hollywood with the promise of a contract and his boss, Mr. Otis (Ford Sterling) is sick of it. So when high spirited Dixie crashes into his office it is the last straw!!! Still thinking her contract is in the bag Dixie meets Dottie Harris, her first screen idol and is dismayed to find out that by Hollywood standards, she is a has been who haunts the studios in the hope of recapturing some of her old popularity. This would have been quite a heavy dose of reality in what was essentially a bubbly musical of 1930. She even sings Dixie the poignant "There's a Tear For Every Smile in Hollywood" - but Dixie thinks it can't happen to her.
After experiencing the ups and downs of casting life, Dixie gets the lead when Otis decides to film Jimmy Doyle's "Rainbow Girl". The staging of "I've Got My Eye on You" showcases the various cameras, technicians and camera operators, still working in sound proof booths - it is a fascinating glimpse at the cumbersome way early talkies had to be made. Alice White, as usual, looked adorable with a kewpie doll bow and dancing around what looked like a leering monkey. Dixie "goes Hollywood", holding up production, telling everyone how to do their jobs from the prop boy to the director until filming is suspended and everyone is sacked. Dottie, who thought that her role in the film would lead to a comeback, is shattered and it takes a suicide attempt to bring Dixie to her senses.
"Sparkle, your grandma, what do you think this is - the 4th of July" and "If I felt any better I'd be a national menace"!! are some of the wisecracks sassy Dixie comes out with.
The last part of the film is a Hollywood premiere and was originally in Technicolor, so it has a washed out, ghostly look. Warner's stars Noah Beery Snr and Jnr and Loretta Young gave speeches along the red carpet and a youthful Walter Pidgeon introduced Dixie. The finale "Hang Onto a Rainbow" looked as though it would have been spectacular in color!!!
Highly Recommended.