Sitting on the Moon

Good little 'B' musical with some pluses going for it, mainly Grace Bradley. Vivacious and very pretty, she brightens every scene she appears in. And she can sing, in addition to her other assets. Had never heard of this picture before, and as someone noted, it was most likely the bottom half of a double feature.

"Sitting On The Moon" just goes to show you; you never can tell where or when a good movie will pop up - even tiny Republic Studios could ring the bell once in a while. I especially liked the closing number, "Lost in My Dreams", a song never heard nowadays.

This unfortunately is a dull musical set on the Republic Lot and made in 1936, that studio's second year of operation. It was produced by Nat Levine who from 1927-35 owned his own studio called Mascot Pictures. He was a very successful producer of serials and had been merged against his will with Monogram Pictures to form Republic Pictures. Everyone owed despotic Herbert J Yates money and he owned the film processing factory they all used: Consolidated film laboratories...so he foreclosed on the most successful small studios and got their expertise, libraries and crews. In this merger, Yates made Levine head of production at Republic. This film is one of their earliest collaborations. But it is boring. Impressively lavish and I suspect made on a fairly good budget for a B+ movie, it has two good songs, a lot of ugly people. some swing music attempts...but it is all old fashioned and ...well, boring. Levine left Republic when Yates offered him $1,000,000 for his share in the business. Within a year Levine blew it all at the racetrack and was broke. I wish Scorscese could make this story in the same way he covered Hughes in The AVIATOR. Levine was only 38 when he was washed up. He managed a cinema after that and died in the 80s. Incredible. Yates paid himself a million dollars each year for 25 years for running Republic. $20,000 a week in the 30s and 40s! Anyway, SITTING ON THE MOON is interesting only for some background Republic Studio locations and a lot of great art deco furniture. That's it. There's a great joke in that title, but I won't go there. ahem...

When I looked at the main credits for this movie, I didn't expect much. Nat Levine producing for Republic? Ralph Staub directing? I certainly didn't expect this movie about mediocre songwriter Roger Pryor and washed-up star Grace Bradley falling in love and inspiring each other to success to be more than a cheap programmer, especially when the main supports are William Newell and the annoying Pert Kelton; it's not until I delved further into the cast list that I spotted Henry Kolker as a radio sponsor and Joyce Compton as the wife Pryor married on a toot in Tijuana that I saw anything to hope for.

Yet this cheaply done, cynical romantic comedy matches its subject so well, and Pryor and Bradley speak what would all too often be gushy lines simply, offers a good deal of charm to this this 53-minute B movie. Their characters' decency overcomes a few plot holes and a couple of decent songs fit the picture very well. While it's by no means a classic, it is an extremely engaging little flick.

This is quite a fun story that depicts just the efforts that folks will go to for stardom. Lyricist "Danny" (Roger Pryor) is determined to make a go of things with actress "Polly" (Grace Bradley) so he can kick-start her career but that can't happen whilst he is yoked to his writing partner "Mike" (William Newell). He's a bit devastated by these shenanigans and seeks some solace with her pal "Mattie" (Pert Kelton). Swiftly rejuvenated, somewhat, "Mike" decides it's time for a little retribution and so he sets about driving a wedge between the new lovers and this involves him playing quite an entertaining little game with "Blossom" (Joyce Compton) who he hopes to use as a tool to instil just an hint of jealousy. As you'd expect, this is all going to be a messy affair - but how much more so when someone tries to do a little bit of extorting too? It's all rather formulaic, sure, but there's just a soupçon of mischief going on here that Pryor, Newell and Compton work well to deliver as well as there being a little humour to be had from a script that's not exactly taxing, but amiable enough. There's probably a little too much of the indifferent title song, but at least Pryor and Bradley did their own singing and the whole thing rather effortlessly passes an hour that raises the odd smile, but that you'll never remember.

Republic Pictures released Sitting On The Moon in 1936 and it serves as a nice vehicle for stars Roger Pryor and Grace Bradley. Pryor is a composer of note and Bradley is a movie star of musical pictures whose been blacklisted around the town. Seems as though she committed Hollywood's unpardonable sin by walking out on a picture. But she still can sing and Pryor wants to help.

But it turns out he needs the help as he may be just slightly married. When the film opens a barely conscious Pryor is dropped off in the company of a beautiful blond in Joyce Compton by taxi driver George Cooper. Pryor was really hitting it last night and can't remember a thing. Later on Compton shows up to remind them they went to Mexico and got married. Then she proceeds to bleed him dry for 'support', make that 'hush money'.

Of course it all works out though nature and the plot do take an interesting roundabout view.

For a film from Republic it's not bad, but it could have used better production values and a better score.