This fun Pre-Coder is a fascinating look into Depression-era America. At a time when many people across the country were forced into homelessness, Al Jolson plays a man who is perfectly happy being a bum! He's a pretty popular bum, too. He's practically the king of the bums. After he stops pretty Madge Evans from committing suicide, he falls in love and vows to reform his bum ways.
As curious as they come, this one features some nice touches from director Lewis Milestone such as a flashback sequence playing out within the borders of a picture frame. It also has lots of stuff for people interested in political and social issues from the time. If the bizarre plot and political overtones doesn't reel you in, perhaps this will: this is also a musical with songs by Rodgers and Hart. The songs, which cover such topics as communism and the virtues of being broke and homeless, are all done in this weird style of rhyming dialogue mixed with a little singing. The cast includes Frank Morgan, silent movie actors Harry Langdon and Chester Conklin, and vaudevillian Edgar Connor as Jolson's black sidekick. One of the best bits of trivia about this one is that Frank Morgan, playing the mayor of New York, says "There's no place like home." You might remember that line from a more famous movie of Morgan's -- The Wizard of Oz. This one's an oddity, for sure, but very interesting if you're a fan of movies from this period.
As curious as they come, this one features some nice touches from director Lewis Milestone such as a flashback sequence playing out within the borders of a picture frame. It also has lots of stuff for people interested in political and social issues from the time. If the bizarre plot and political overtones doesn't reel you in, perhaps this will: this is also a musical with songs by Rodgers and Hart. The songs, which cover such topics as communism and the virtues of being broke and homeless, are all done in this weird style of rhyming dialogue mixed with a little singing. The cast includes Frank Morgan, silent movie actors Harry Langdon and Chester Conklin, and vaudevillian Edgar Connor as Jolson's black sidekick. One of the best bits of trivia about this one is that Frank Morgan, playing the mayor of New York, says "There's no place like home." You might remember that line from a more famous movie of Morgan's -- The Wizard of Oz. This one's an oddity, for sure, but very interesting if you're a fan of movies from this period.