That's Right - You're Wrong

Yes, I know Lucille Ball is in this movie, but if you blink, you'll miss her. She's in one mildly funny scene.

Otherwise, this movie revolves around band leader Kay Kyser. He's an engaging guy, so he more or less carries the picture.

What he doesn't carry is the musical numbers, which are all forgettable and can be skipped. Given that there are a fair number of them, that's unfortunate.

The head of a big Hollywood studio is tired of making movies which are artistic successes but commercial flops, so he comes up with the idea of filming the nation's hottest live act - Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge. One of his producers just happens to have 2 writers working on a script about a bandleader, so Kay Kyser and band are brought to Hollywood to become movie stars. Unfortunately, the script calls for the bandleader to be a romantic lead, which Kay Kyser obviously isn't. After a few humorous twists and turns, Kyser and band are back on the radio where they belong.

The movie within the movie which never gets made is actually the movie you're watching, and it is obviously little more than an excuse to get Kay Kyser's act on film. The highlight, however, is Kyser's screen test in which he's a romantic gondolier playing opposite studio star Sandra Sand (Lucille Ball). You have to be familiar with his stage personality to appreciate the absurdity of it, and you will be by the time this comic gem of a scene appears. There are some other good comic moments, but the production is otherwise pretty weak. The musical act itself is dated and not likely to appeal to a modern audience unless they happen to have nostalgic yearnings for pre-television radio shows. Nevertheless, Kay Kyser and his movie have a good-natured attitude and whimsical touch which can certainly lift your spirits if you give them the chance.

Saw this on TCM. Had no idea that band leader and radio personality Kay Kyser headed a series of 7 RKO films, around 1940. This film, available free at YouTube will give you a taste of Kyser's personality and comedic talent...........The first and last parts give you a sampling of what Kyser's radio program Kollege of of Musical Knowledge was like: a mix of music and low key comedy, including a sampling of the portion that gives the film it's title, and a comedic sketch for the live radio audience.......... In between, his band members convinced him to take up a Hollywood offer to do some pictures with him and his band and singers. Actually, most of the time is taken up with trying to devise a good script for such a film. E. E. Horton and Hobart Canonaugh serve as the dunce script writers, who fail to come up with anything other than an improbable screenplay where Kay plays a romantic gondolier from the isle of Capri, who woos the princess Angelica(Lucille Ball), overlooking the canal where he is. She lets down a rope ladder for Kay to climb up to her window. Kay plays it for slapstick laughs, giving the producer, played by charismatic Adolphe Menjou, a massive headache. Adolphe is his usual bombastic self. Dennis O'Keef plays Kay's tall band manager, while Kay's actual band manager for many years : M. A. Bogus, plays his usual somewhat comical Ish Kubble character, with Three Stooges' Moe's bangs as his outstanding visual characteristic............Veteran actress May Robson play's Kay's Grandma, from Rocky Mount, N. C., where Kay actually spent his youth, accounting for his southern lingo and informal manner. She adds some humor and common sense advice. .............Kay had a male and female singer attached to his band, who do a bit singing here and there. They were the gorgeous Ginny Simms, with the million dollar smile, and Harry Babbit. Unfortunately, the songs are all quite forgettable. I was already familiar with Ginny in the later Technicolor films "Broadway Rhythm" and "Night and Day", in which she sings a variety of well recognized classic songs. Somehow, she never became a big name film singing star.

KAY KYSER was the equivalent of "Spike Jones" and his crazy musicians during the '40s era, his swing music and zany shenanigans winning him quite a number of fans who relished seeing him in seven Kyser films. This is the first that he made for RKO--and for added diversion there's LUCILLE BALL, DENNIS O'KEEFE, ADOLPHE MENJOU, EDWARD EVERETT HORTON, GINNY SIMMS and band regulars like ISH KABIBBLE for whatever laughter is available--unfortunately, not enough.

Not half as funny or original as the haunted house comedy YOU'LL FIND OUT which followed, this has a simple screenplay which has Hollywood producers yearning for something "down to earth" to appeal to the average movie-goer rather than anything "great". They pick Kyser as the popular band leader who can be induced to come to Hollywood and do his thing.

The music is all in the swing sound of the '40s--modern pop--and whether you like the film will depend largely on your musical taste. Kyser puts up resistance to becoming a film star. "Stay in your own backyard," is his motto, inspired by his grandmother's advice.

What follows is strictly farce with Kyser illogically paired with lovely LUCILLE BALL as a romantic gondolier by the Hollywood producers. With such a sprightly cast, you'd think David Butler would have whipped up a better script and provided better direction--but the viewer is soon aware that this is a minor item for Kyser's debut and even the musical numbers are less than inspiring.

Apparently grandma MAY ROBSON was right--stick to radio Kyser.

David Butler apparently had a penchant for writing stories about Hollywood studios and turning personalities into movie stars. For better treatment of this theme, check out his IT'S A GREAT FEELING with Doris Day as the wannabee star being pushed for stardom by Jack Carson and Dennis Morgan.

This one is strictly for Kyser's fans.

"Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge" was an extremely popular weekly radio broadcast when RKO signed Kyser and his band to this, their first film. The studio's faith in the bespectacled band-leader paid off handsomely at the box office, this initial effort grossing more than a million dollars in domestic admissions alone. All told, the studio netted around $520,000 in U.S./Canadian rentals after paying all print, advertising and distribution expenses. On a negative cost of $300,000 this returned a tidy profit which was split three ways: RKO, Butler and Kyser himself.

As to whether the film is still entertaining today, that depends on whether you're a Kay Kyser fan and/or a Ginny Simms admirer. I put myself strictly in the latter class, though I must admit Kyser is quite tolerable here — and even mildly diverting, aside from the climactically generous (but specially staged for the movie) excerpt from his weekly radio program which wears my patience a little thin. Fortunately, Miss Simms does receive a large amount of the camera's attention (beautifully costumed and photographed she is too) and sings most of the songs as well. On the other hand, I'm happy to report that my pet hate, Merwyn Bogue (Ish Kabibble to you) receives comparatively little footage. Adolphe Menjou, typecast once again as a harassed film producer, gives a somewhat mechanical performance, but does contribute some amusing moments, as do Horton and Cavanaugh as a couple of egotistical scriptwriters.

I'm always a pushover for movies with a Hollywood background. The satire here is rather mild, but still reasonably entertaining. Especially the gondola screen test in which Lucy Ball (who has otherwise very little to do in this picture) finally gets some comic moments.