Stand Up and Cheer!

As a whole, "Stand Up and Cheer" is quite a mess. The story that frames the musical numbers is silly and poorly executed, the musical numbers are rather drab and rife with racial stereotyping. But, most people who've sought out this film are watching it for one reason-Shirley Temple.

Temple and James Dunn are really the only bright spots in this production. Their on screen rapport is magic, and contrary to what others have stated, they BOTH hold their own during their crowd pleasing number "Baby, Take a Bow," in my opinion.

Truly a product of it's day. It's widely reported that this film brought smiles to the faces of many, and try as I may to ignore it's racial stereotypes, and bland dialogue, somehow the whole thing doesn't work.

But, as I have already mentioned, Jimmy and Shirley are pure magic.

This starts off quite promisingly, with a bumbling 'Dinwiddle" (Nigel Bruce) explaining to awaiting reporters just what his job as chief scout for Broadway impresario "Cromwell" (Warner Baxter) actually is. Then, right on cue, his boss arrives by gyro-copter on the White House lawn for a meeting at which the President offers him a $100m budget and one year as "Secretary of Amusement". His task? Cheer up the American populace after the misery of the 1920s. He quickly assembles his own cabinet - including "Mary" (Madge Evans) as his minister for children and sets about making us all smile. Sadly, Baxter and Evans - and their predictably evolving affection - feature but sparingly in what is essentially a compendium of just about every style entertainment act around at the time. An early outing for the smiling Shirley Temple is probably most notable, but even she struggles to breath much life into this almost documentary style film that could serve well as an history of what made Americans laugh in the early thirties. Some of the artistes work better than others, but a weak, occasionally politically driven, narrative and an off-form effort from what we do see of Baxter just doesn't really work. It watchable as a nostalgia exercise, but as little else I'm afraid.

I just watched this movie again, and I think it is wonderful. Shirley Temple is adorable, as always. Madge Evans is terrific. She was way underrated as an actress. She was so good in so many films; Dinner at Eight , Beauty For Sale, and Mayor of Hell are a few that come to mind. Warner Baxter is good, but his role does not offer him the acting opportunity that 42nd Street did , one year earlier.

As for Stepin Fetchit, he is marvelous!!! The man was a comic genius. I rate him as good as Stan Laurel. People nowadays keep stressing the stereotypes of minorities in old films. That's true, but even so, actors like Fetchit displayed great talent. And didn't most comedians, of any color, play stereotypical roles? Silliness has always been a source of comedy, whether it was performed by Stepin Fetchit, Stan Laurel, Cary Grant, or Willie Fung.

I love the musical numbers! They are upbeat, and happy. my favorite one is not Baby, Take A Bow, but Broadway's Gone Hillbilly. I think that The Picken Sisters sing in this number, although they are not listed in the cast.

A musical with a short running time and the original concept of a Broadway producer being appointed as the secretary of amusement by the U.S president . This becomes an excuse for a series of song and dance and cabaret skits with a loose plot which includes a cursory love story and some political skullduggery. Most of the song and dance numbers are tedious but it is interesting to see an early appearance from Shirley Temple. The comedy skits are rather better with Mitchell and Durant doing some wonderful acrobatics and Nigel Bruce, 14th billed as Dinwiddie, being droll, though his appearances are disappointingly fleeting (apparently there are 12 minutes lost from the original cut). Stepin Fetchit's antics will divide modern audiences in this P.C age!

Only the scene featuring SHIRLEY TEMPLE singing the title tune is worth watching. Othersise, this has got to be one of the worst musicals ever to come out of the '30s.

The script is a mess, the editing is downright atrocious, the performances are flat, and nothing to keep your eyes open happens until Shirley bursts upon the screen with James Dunn and chorines in one of her most charming song-and-dance routines.

Believe me, the rest is worthless as entertainment and not even satisfying as a curiosity piece of the Depression era.

Let's face it. Shirley Temple became a star despite this mess of a movie and all because of one great number.