Having originated the anthem "Hooray For Hollywood" in "Hollywood Hotel" the same year that this came out, Johnnie Davis was tried out as a lead, not exactly a comic like Joe Penner (the Adam Sandler of the 30's), and the programmer he's the lead in isn't as bad as I thought it would be. He's basically an older version of Mickey Rooney, brash and always on the look out for a quick way to make a buck, a genius at stock market rises and falls, but without money to actually invest. He's a talented trumpet player and decent showman, although his singing voice is better suited to specialties rather than major acting roles.
The same year that she dyed her hair and became "Blondie", Penny Singleton is his leading lady, a rather hot tempered high pitched dingbat, smart, but screaming far too much before thinking. Lola Lane, who would have better success with her sisters in the same year's "Four Daughters", has a thankless role as the young landlady of the boarding house he lives in, complaining that he doesn't pay rent but not kicking him out.
Chester Clute, as her nagged husband, is funny, but the jokes are at his expense concerning his toupee. He gets in trouble trying his own luck in the stock market, and obviously Davis will end up saving the day. The musical numbers aren't necessarily forgettable, but they're certainly not a part of the great America songbook. Granville Bates and Spencer Charters are good in other character parts, and Donald Briggs is appropriately smug as Davis's rival for Singleton. But she's not exactly ideal, and Davis could benefit by letting Briggs get her. Rather noisy with everybody screaming all the time, but saved from a bomb thanks to the music.
The same year that she dyed her hair and became "Blondie", Penny Singleton is his leading lady, a rather hot tempered high pitched dingbat, smart, but screaming far too much before thinking. Lola Lane, who would have better success with her sisters in the same year's "Four Daughters", has a thankless role as the young landlady of the boarding house he lives in, complaining that he doesn't pay rent but not kicking him out.
Chester Clute, as her nagged husband, is funny, but the jokes are at his expense concerning his toupee. He gets in trouble trying his own luck in the stock market, and obviously Davis will end up saving the day. The musical numbers aren't necessarily forgettable, but they're certainly not a part of the great America songbook. Granville Bates and Spencer Charters are good in other character parts, and Donald Briggs is appropriately smug as Davis's rival for Singleton. But she's not exactly ideal, and Davis could benefit by letting Briggs get her. Rather noisy with everybody screaming all the time, but saved from a bomb thanks to the music.