Every Night at Eight

A cast like this under the direction of Raoul Walsh results in a strangely talky and uninvolving film. The script has its share of amusing wisecracks, most of them delivered by Patsy Kelly; but the end result is very bland and conventional.

Walsh shows an interesting liking for visually lining up his three female leads across the screen; and while its always fun to see Alice Faye during her glossy platinum blonde phase (further enlivened by an all-too-brief scene when she has it dyed jet black) with the mysterious exception of the uncredited James Miller nobody is really given much to do.

And it does go on.

Three young women get fired from their jobs, have no money or place to stay, and attempt to get on their feet again by entering a radio competition. They carry a nice tune, but after losing to 'Tops' Cardona (George Raft) and his orchestra, they join up with Tops and follow his somewhat stern direction in the hopes of advancing their careers.

The three women are played by Alice Faye, Frances Langford, and Patsy Kelly, and while I enjoyed Kelly's pluck and Langford's singing, I have to say, the film was a little lacking in star power to put it over the top. Alice Faye is a bit like Jean Harlow lite, and Raft is not as effective here as in films like Scarface, though I did like the little bit of cool dancing he did while conducting at one point. Along those lines, in this film we get some banter, but it's banter-lite, most likely because the Hays Code was enforced as of the previous year.

The plot is somewhat thin, but the film moves along pretty well in its 80 minutes. There are some cute amateur acts including an old woman who sings like a chicken, and it was nice to see African-American singer James Miller belt out "I Feel a Song Coming On". The real highlight, though, was Langford performing "I'm in the Mood for Love", and while the song has been covered countless times over the years, this was its first appearance. As a whole, the film is reasonably entertaining, though not very memorable.

This 1935 Walter Wanger comedy musical suffers in a number of technical areas. By 1935, the major studios were putting out films with very good quality "Every Night at Eight" is choppy, poorly edited and weak in the camera work and direction. The film has a good cast, and the idea of the three girlfriends together for a singing trio is good. Alice Faye and Frances Langford give some good examples of their singing. This was Langford's first feature film and one of her best for singing. While she had lead roles in several films and major roles in several more, Langford didn't have great screenplays.

Other reviewers have noted how Alice Faye so closely resembled Jean Harlow in appearance. In a couple of scenes early in this picture, one could easily see Faye as a sister of Harlow for her physical resemblance, especially in the face. Patsy Kelly is OK for the comedic element, but she soon begins to wear thin with her crass cracks. Thankfully, they are toned down to less frequent or harsh comments in the last half of the film.

At first, George Raft seemed about the least likely of any leading man in Hollywood to be able to appear real as a band leader. But his part is the biggest surprise of this movie. Raft shows real bounce and ability to keep with the beat as he leads his band. He comes across as knowing the business. But, other than for the girls singing, and a little bit of the band jamming, the story is wanting. The script is otherwise weak and Raft's acting especially seems to move between lively and nearly dead as he sits looking flat in some scenes.

The film has a good musical score, and that and the songs by Faye and Langford are reason enough to watch "Every Night at Eight."

Here are a couple of favorite lines from this film.

Dixie Foley, "Say, listen. What was the name of the picture where the girl gets the ride?" Daphne O'Connor, "It Happened the Other Night." (sic) Dixie, "I guess it don't work in the daytime."

Susan Moore, commenting on a woman who is imitating a chicken, "How did she ever learn to do that?" Dixie Foley, "You can't learn that, it's a gift." Daphne O'Connor, "Gift nothing! It's a curse."

Alice Faye, Frances Langford and Patsy Kelly lose their jobs and can't afford to pay the rent. They enter an amateur contest at a local radio station as a singing trio, but lose to a big band lead by George Raft when Langford passes out mid-song due to lack of food. Raft asks them to join his band, and they become famous, which throws obstacles in the way of a romance between Raft and Langford. An engaging enough little trifle which is largely an excuse to include a lot of musical numbers, the highlight of which is a lady doing a song as a chicken.

"Every Night at Eight" is a bit of fluff whose biggest distinction is that it introduced the classic "I'm in the Mood for Love"...sung by Frances Langford. Otherwise, it's pretty forgettable...aside from the Chicken Lady! Yes, in a tiny scene. three lady friends are in a talent contest and one of the contestants sings like a chicken. It's VERY funny and that as well as the song are the only reasons to watch this one. Even the stars aren't at their best here.

Patsy Kelly, Alice Faye (on loan from her home studio) and Frances Langford play Daphne, Dixie and Susan and they are all friends who work and sing together. But when the boss catches them badmouthing him, they're fired. So, they decide to try at being professional singers. So, they go on a radio talent show...and lose to a hot new band headed by 'Tops' Cardona (George Raft...who is totally wasted in the film). But Cardona is impressed by their singing and insists they join his band. And, success does come...but rather slowly and the ladies see little in the way of money or fun. What's next?

The film has a lot of music and the three women sound pretty good. But the relationship between Susan and Tops is completely underwritten and comes from out of left field. The same would go for the end of the film. It all just seemed rushed, formulaic and nothing special. Kelly comes off pretty good here but Alice Faye and the rest have little in the way of personality and charisma. Not bad...just not all that interesting.