El gondolero de Broadway

"Broadway Gondolier" (Warner Brothers, 1935), directed by Lloyd Bacon, is a musical set in a radio station that could easily be a rehash to the studio's previous effort of "Twenty Million Sweethearts" (1934), starring Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers with a few new twists and turns this time around. Powell plays Richard Purcell (affectionally called Dick by his friends), a Bronx taxi cab driver with a good singing voice. After picking up Hayward (George Barbier) and Gilmore (Hobart Cavanaugh), a couple of theater critics just leaving the opera, they hear Dick singing and encourage him to pursue a career and to stop wasting his time driving cabs. Dick is also encouraged by Professor Eduardo DiVinci (Adolphe Menjou), his music teacher and closest friend. He decides to try his luck landing an audition at a radio station. After a couple of misfortunes, he is given a break by Alice Hughes (Joan Blondell), a no-nonsense secretary who finally cracks a smile, and arranges an appointment for him to audition for Mr. Richards (Grant Mitchell), the station manager, and Mrs. Flagenheim (Louise Fazenda), a romantic widow and sponsor of Flagenheim Cheese. Because Dick is unable to arrive on time for his audition, DiVinci offers to take his place. This gesture loses Dick his opportunity to sell himself. Dick is later offered a second chance appearing on a kiddie program where he sings children's songs and making animal noises. Doing this proves too much for him, causing him to insult his listeners over a live microphone before walking out, causing the red lights at the switch board to flair up. Since the radio station has no real talented singer, Mrs. Flagenheim suggests finding undiscovered talent overseas. She chooses to go to Venice, Italy with Miss Hughes assisting her. Dick learns about the talent search and stows away on the same ship bound for Italy as Alice and Flagenheim. While in Venice, Dick is reunited with DiVinci, who earlier returned to his native homeland. He not only teaches Dick the Italian language, but convinces him to grow a mustache and become a singing gondolier. By coincidence, of course, Dick, now known as Ricardo Purcelli, is discovered by Mrs. Flagenheim, who takes him back with her to New York City as her latest discovery, with Alice, at the risk of her job, keeping Purcell's disguise a secret.

The supporting cast consists of William Gargan as Cliff Stanley, Alice's jealous fiancé; Joseph Sawyer as Red, a cab driver; Bob Murphy as the singing policeman of classical music; James Burke as "Uncle Andy," the kiddie show host; and familiar stock company faces of Mary Treen, George Chandler and Paul Porcasi in smaller roles.

"Broadway Gondolier" is just another excuse of exercising Dick Powell's vocal chords and exploiting the movie with a handful of lively Harry Warren and Al Dubin tunes. The soundtrack includes: "Sweet and Low" (sung by the Canova family, one of them being the famous Judy); "Flagenheim Cheese" (sung by Sam Ash); "Outside of You" (sung by Dick Powell); Guiseppi Verdi's RIGOLETTO (sung by Adolphe Menjou); "The Pig and the Cow" (sung by Joan Blondell and Powell); "The Lonely Gondolier is Singing" (sung in Italian by Powell); "The Rose in Her Hair" (sung by Powell/ gondoliers and Italian citizens); "Flagenheim Cheese" (sung by Sam Ash); "Outside of You" (instrumental, conducted by Ted Fio Rito and his orchestra/sung by band members); "The Rose in Her Hair" (sung by Powell); "Lulu's Back in Town" (sung by Powell and The Mills Brothers); "You Could Be Kissed" (sung by Powell, band members/ reprized by the trick voice antics of Candy Candido); "The Lonely Gondolier is Singing" (Powell); "Flagenheim Cheese" (Sam Ash); "Outside of You" (Powell); "Flagenheim Cheese" (reprise by Powell, Blondell and Ash). There are also Italian lyrics to "Il Gondoliere" and "Rosa D'Amour."

Of the handful of songs, many pleasing to the ear, "The Rose in Her Hair" is the best while "Lulu's Back in Town" is the most memorable. "Lulu" could have easily been a production number with Blondell in the title role and Powell the lead singer, but "Broadway Gondolier" consists of no dance numbers, only vocalists singing into a microphone. This is one way of saving the studio the added expense of a lavish scale production number or two.

As for the plot, it lacks logic, especially when Powell's character is discovered as an Italian-born gondolier in Venice, speaking NO English whatsoever, but able to sing his songs in English. Then when he returns to New York in the guise of an Italian, he supports no Italian accent, even when singing over the radio. One can gather that the listeners in the story, along with its viewing audience, overlooking this, just sitting back and listen to Powell sing, sing, sing.

"Broadway Gondolier" occasionally strains for laughs, with much of the comedy handled by Louise Fazenda in a role that could have been enacted by Alice Brady. Interestingly, both Fazenda and Brady, who really weren't that old, were usually type-cast as middle-aged matrons. As for Adolphe Menjou, he's makes a convincing Italian with dialect intact, never stepping out of character. At 98 minutes, "Broadway Gondolier" has that overlong feel at times. Overall, it's an acceptable radio musical satire with Powell at his prime.

Out of circulation on the local TV markets since the 1970s or 80s, "Broadway Gondolier" can still be seen and enjoyed whenever shown on Turner Classic Movies. (***)

This film has as silly a storyline as any of the Dick Powell musicals (maybe intentionally so), but its entertaining enough to watch, with some tuneful songs (including one minor standard: Lulu's Back in Town). It's all the more so, owing to the presence of Joan Blondell. She was especially gorgeous in this movie. When speaking of her, most people comment on her sassiness, and rapid-fire patter. But in addition to her fine acting, she was also a beautiful, sexy woman, with huge eyes. She employs here an understated, deadpan delivery she used sometimes to heighten the comic effect of her lines. It shows how deft her ability was with comedy. The movie doesn't have Busby Berkeley's production numbers, so I suppose that's why it isn't so well remembered as other ones. But it does put more focus on Dick Powell's voice. While is it isn't up to the operatic standards required by the role, it's certainly a great voice. It gets overlooked in discussions of him, taken for granted, even, I would say. It may be the nature of his roles, and his later transformation distract people's attention.

I thought this would be just another formulaic assembly line WB musicals but I was wrong. This is much better than I expected. It feels more like one of those sumptuous Fred Astaire or Jessie Matthews musicals than those bland grey carbon copies Warners seemed to be making at this time.

It's clearly inspired by TOP HAT inasmuch that we're again transported off to a lovely stylised art deco Venice. As with that film, here we have that same silly feel-good blend of romance, confusion and songs. (Apparently the Venice scenes were filmed during a really bad cold snap in Hollywood so all the men were wearing thermal underwear but poor Joan Blondell, in just a sheer silk dress was reportedly freezing.)

The story is cheesy - it's about a cheese company looking for a singer to represent them on their sponsored radio show. It's a longer film than some but it doesn't ever get dull and you'll love every minute of it. It's well written with a surprisingly witty script for this type of thing with comments like "You are so cheesy" being offered as a compliment at one point! It's all very tongue in cheek stuff and its 1935 humour is actually still quite funny.

It's not quite up to TOP HAT standard but it's close. Maybe because he's quite self effacing in this but Dick Powell comes across as much more likeable and normal in this than in some films. Possibly that's because he's got Joan Blondell rather than Ruby Keeler as his romantic interest which would be a plus for any red-blooded man, and indeed a year later he was married to her.

Although not one of her more famous films, I don't think she's ever been funnier than in this one. She seems a little more cynical and dry but still with that lovely warmth which was so much part of her own personality. That tinge of world weariness maybe reflects her life at that stage. This was her first film after her maternity leave and her marriage nosediving towards the rocks. Her husband was definitely not the nice man she thought he was and unfortunately he was the cinematographer on this picture - that did not make for a comfortable set! George Barnes ("Mr Blondell") does however photograph his prize possession amazingly although since he, not her or the director now decided how provocative or suggestive his wife could be, there's certainly none of those old Joan in her undies scenes anymore! Nevertheless, she is possibly the most beautiful she ever was in this film and as I've said, the funniest too. Anyone who doesn't know who Joan Blondell was should watch this.

Another surprise is that even Adolphe Menjou is amusing and that's real rarity. I usually can't stand that guy but he honestly made me laugh in this. The more I think about this, the more I wonder why this isn't more well known. It's not a fantastic film but it's so much better than you would expect.

Dick Powell is at the top of his game as both a crooner and a comedic star. And it's fantastic to see Joan Blondell in a lead role. And Adolphe Menjou in a campy role, singing? It's light, fluffy, charming fun that also provides a terrific glimpse into life in 1934 and 1935 (watch how the window on the cruise ship is opened). It's hilarious that everyone on the street seems to know Opera tunes. Also, for anyone who thinks singers and actors today are selling out by appearing in commercials - singers and actors have ALWAYS sold products via or adjacent to their "art," as this film shows. Yet another film that makes me wish there were still nightclubs and live radio shows (not just Wait Wait Don't Tell Me).

Broadway GONDOLIER is not very well known even among movie buffs but it's one of the most delightful musicals of the 1930's, as much a comedy as a musical. The plot - some plain Joe being hyped up under a bogus image into stardom - has been used in about a million films from CHICAGO to SLIGHTLY FRENCH to TOOTSIE, but it works time and time again, and most definitely here.

Dick Powell stars as a taxi driver who dreams of singing stardom. He blows his big chance by being late for a radio audition and as a result his only option for crashing radio is supplying animal sounds for a kiddie program, a job he loses when his wisecrack about performing for "little brats" goes over the airwaves in a hilarious bit that recalls several infamous real-life radio tongue slips, most of which happened several years after this film. Now unemployable on American radio, he ventures to Italy with his singing teacher Adolphe Menjou in hopes of new opportunities, quite coincidentally at the same time, the secretary from the radio show (and Powell crush) Joan Blondell accompanies cheese heiress Louise Fazenda to Italy to find a new singing star for HER radio program.

There's lots of good comedy here and Dick Powell has never been better in my opinion, ably matched by the always superb Joan Blondell in a somewhat secondary role as the girl who opens doors for him. Powell and Blondell have an excellent "first meeting" scene at the radio station with snappy dialog and comebacks in best 1930's tradition. Louise Fazenda, nearing the end of her very long screen career is cast in an atypical role as a rich matron whose devotion to the memory of her late husband may be tested by her crush on the Italian heartthrob she "discovers", ironically Judy Canova (who later became a star playing hillbilly hayseed roles in the Fazenda tradition) has a brief role in the film as a part of a hillbilly vocal group.

There's a wonderful musical interlude with the Mills Brothers and a hilarious parody of a radio show theme song, this one about the wonders of cheese. Most definitely worth seeking out, not only for fans of 30's musicals but of 30's comedies.