The Cowboy and the Girl

One of the staples of the vaudeville stage was the lady singer. She would come out and warble a few of the latest sets. Some of the acts, however, turned this on its head. Jimmy Conlin, later a member of Preston Sturges' stock company would play the piano and do funny things while his wife tried to sing.

This recording of Ray Mayer and his wife Edith Evans -- no, not that Edith Evans -- is that sort of stage act and it's a very nice one. Mr. Mayer performs in a cowboy costume, including chaps and plays a ragtime piano very well, complete with silly gestures. He even sings a novelty song. Miss Evans sings a couple of hot jazz numbers very sweetly, including the standard "Mine All Mine." It's a very pleasant act. With the ending of vaudeville Mr. Mayer had a minor career in Hollywood in musicals and as a supporting actor. Miss Evans appeared with him in one more Vitaphone recording of their stage act and in a charity movie, presumably also doing their act, then seems to have disappeared. I hope they had a good life together.

The Cowboy and the Girl (1928)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The cowboy is Ray Mayer and the girl is his wife Edith Evans and they star in this early talkie from Vitaphone/Warner. Basically Mayer sits at the piano and does a couple songs and every so often calls his wife to do a couple more. It's doubtful teenagers or the MTV crowd are going to be interested in these early musical numbers but I think film buffs should find them entertaining. When one watches a lot of these early Vitaphone shorts you never really know what to expect because the studio was pretty much putting anyone in front of the camera. Sometimes you got something special and other times you were given very poor acts. Mayer and Evans are somewhere in the middle. While none of the songs were all that memorable, I found both performers to be quite charming together and they were certainly entertaining enough to make it easy to sit through the film. On a visual level not too much happens as the camera pretty much just stands still and captures everything. The sound quality is actually quite good here and ranks better than some of the other films from this era.

Although this is sort of charming, it is hard to imagine paying money to see it live at the local theater. As the electric radio matured and squawking pictures came in, these folks were doomed. Had I seen this back in 1928 my reaction would have been that she was a combination of Ruth Etting and Jane Green without being a threat to either lady.

While Ray Meyer IS dressed up in cowboy duds, there really isn't anything else that has anything to do with cowboys in this one! He sits at the upright piano and plays. He also sings one number. And, oddly he chews gum and even eats during the film...not to mention wearing heavy makeup and lipstick. While heavy makeup wasn't too unusual for the time, he really seemed to be wearing A LOT! He's also joined by Edith Evans to sing a couple tunes but again this has nothing to do with cowboys! The singing is okay and the jokes a bit corny...this one is only about average compared to the other Vitaphone shorts I've seen...and I've seen at least a hundred of them.

It must be remembered these Vitaphone shorts are products of a bygone era and should be appreciated on that level. At that time, the novelty of sound films itself was a major selling point and vaudeville was still popular entertainment. These shorts attempted to duplicate the experience of a live theatrical show, which makes criticism of their static camera setups a rather moot point.

This film adheres to the conventions of a live stage performance, which is fine as it is not intended to convey anything else other than the talents of these two people. The entertainment value it contains for modern audiences will depend on one's appreciation for past modes of pop culture. For those fortunate enough to possess that capacity, these Vitaphone gems provide a fascinating, fun-filled experience indeed.