Girl O' My Dreams

Could the recent USC scandal have been caused by the children who got into that university thinking it would be like 1930s college musicals? In this one, 29-year-old Sterling Holloway, who's the editor of the student newspaper and 29-year-old Arthur Lake, who's the star varsity pole-vaulter, decide to play a practical joke by rigging the votes for the 'Joe Senior' title so 28-year-old varsity shotputter Lon Chaney Jr. wins it instead of 30-year-old varsity hurdles runner Elliot Nugent. This bollixes up their love lives so that Mary Carlisle and Gigi Parrish swap boyfriends. Perhaps the students whose parents had bribed sports coaches instead of college presidents with 'donations' thought that was the purpose of college.

The academics are not totally ignored. There is one sequence set in a classroom. Nugent and Chaney sing -- with Holloway on the piano -- and the professor shows up for the last ten seconds of this scene.

The formula is varied a bit by making the big ending being about a track-and-field event instead of a football match, so that's nice. Also Betty Mae and Beverly Crane appear as co-eds; their presence, like almost all of their screen appearances, was based on their being identical twins. Director Ray McCarey directs competently as always, and at 65 minutes this Poverty Row feature won't waste your time unpleasantly.

1934's "Girl O' My Dreams" was among Monogram's entries in the 'campus musical' genre, so popular in the 30s and 40s, best exemplified by Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, or later Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan. While much of the cast are familiar to their roles, its truly a revelation to find 28 year old Lon Chaney Jr. in what amounts to the starring role, billed for the last time under his real name, 'Creighton Chaney.' As Don Cooper, star shot putter and discus thrower for Rawley College, Chaney beats out hotshot track star Larry Haines (Eddie Nugent) for the title of 'Joe Senior,' after which he suddenly begins to act more like Haines in his girl chasing, neglecting his athletics. Will Rawley still triumph over Stanford in the thrilling competition finale? Need you ask? Sure comic performers like Sterling Holloway, Arthur Lake, and Tom Dugan do not disappoint, though the girls (apart from the Crane twins, Beverly and Betty Mae) are almost invisible. Brunette Gi-Gi Parrish is Chaney's girl, Mary Carlisle the blonde who uses him to make Haines jealous (the twins are called 'Nip and Tuck!'). Best of all, halfway in we get to actually hear Creighton Chaney sing atop a piano, and not badly either. His voice isn't as deep as John Carradine's, but he could have made a 'basso profundo' (this basso sang a song 30 years before "Spider Baby"). Unfortunately, the tune ends abruptly by the untimely arrival of music teacher E. Phlatt, played by Olaf Hytten, familiar as the little girl's father opposite Chaney's Lonster in "The Ghost of Frankenstein." Most incredibly, the director was Raymond McCarey (brother of Leo), and the writer George Waggner, who years later brought Lon Chaney to Universal, scripting and directing his debut for the studio, "Man Made Monster," and producing and directing his iconic classic "The Wolf Man."

It appears that life in college back in the 30s isn't so different as it is today. This modest little film opens with an over-the-shoulder shot of two kids poring over a dictionary, looking up the meaning of the word 'college,' which is described as something like a 'place where students learn the higher arts.' The scene then immediately changes to shots of various sporting occasions to emphasise the irony of this definition. The kids here are all interested in the opposite sex, and seem to spend more of their time on the sports field than they do in class.

The story is a slight one: Larry Haines (played by an impossibly handsome Edward Nugent) is a likable but conceited college track star who thinks the world shines out of his shorts, so his friends – Sterling Holloway and Arthur Lake in the nominal comic relief roles – decide to rig the 'Joe Senior' popularity election so that Larry will lose, hoping to bring his ego back down to earth. Their plan succeeds and Don Cooper (a young Lon Chaney, Jr., still working under the name Creighton), a dedicated shot-putter, wins the election. Trouble is, Don's head starts swelling, and the two young men end up attached to each other's girlfriends, even though they don't want to be.

This movie is entertaining enough. While it doesn't stand comparison with most higher-quality flicks being produced by the bigger studios at the time, it's head and shoulders above much of the dross being churned out by the poverty row studios back then. Monogram, together with Republic, was one of the better of these impoverished studios – although most of their stuff still wasn't very good. It's easy to see teenagers from the 30s getting a kick out of it while they waited for the main feature.

One moment that does set it apart from other films – although the significance would have been lost on all involved at the time – is that Chaney actually gets to sing a song in this one. Like the film, he's not great, but he passes muster.

Considering it's a Monogram production, the results are generally better than expected. For some reason college-based musical comedies were popular about this time (1933). The storyline is unexceptional, the usual romantic mix-ups that furnish a few laughs; along with a dollop of sports competition that furnishes a dash of suspense. What's really eye-catching, however, is the cast. Yes, it is a young, handsome, muscular Lon (Creighton) Chaney Jr. as one of the swains, and looking nothing like the dissipated alcoholic of later years. After seeing the promise here, its doubly unfortunate his career went on the downslide it did.

Also, there's only a slightly addled Sterling Holloway playing it fairly straight, for a change; and Arthur Lake showing a nicely shaded comedic side that probably helped him get the Dagwood role in the long-running Blondie series. But who is Edward Nugent. Judging from his many credits in the 1930's, he nevertheless quit the business early. Whatever the case, he makes a perfectly handsome swell-head, who can be either obnoxious or charming. Too bad IMDb doesn't give us more of his bio. Anyway, the movie's not a bad little programmer given its lowly Monogram pedigree.

I always laugh when I see the college films of the 1930s. In almost all of them, you NEVER see the students going to classes or doing anything other than having fun...which generally means chasing girls and playing sports! It's amazing that the Marx Brothers' film "Horse Feathers" shows MORE of what college was really like than many of the movies, as at least there's a scene where Groucho is teaching class! Is "Girl 'O My Dreams" just like the rest or does it offer something different?

The film begins with the very conceited Larry Haines showing off to photographers. After all, he thinks he's the greatest track star there is! Obviously, this guy needs to have his head deflated and this does occur through the course of this college film. How it occurs is something you'll have to see for yourself.

This film is interesting if you look at the supporting cast, which includes Sterling Holloway (the voice of Winnie the Pooh), Arthur Lake (Dagwood from the "Blondie" films) and Creighton Chaney (renamed 'Lon Chaney Jr.' by the studio to draw attention to his roots)...who, amazingly, sings.

A most UNWELCOME supporting role was played by Jeanie Roberts whose voice is among the most grating in film history. She makes Betty Boop's voice seem almost Shakespearian by comparison!! I'm taking a point off the film simply because of her...though fortunately she's NOT a major character in the movie. Her voice was so bad that my daughter was in another room while I was watching the movie and she said "Who IS that with that terrible voice?!".

Considering the movie is from Monogram, the likelihood is that the film will be okay at best...though occasionally Monogram films were every bit as good as some of the major studios' offerings...though not often.

In some ways, this film is like a William Haines movie. Haines invariably played super-conceited jerks who get their comeuppance...and eventually learn humility. But by 1934 his career was in trouble...mostly due to the Production Code which necessitated gay actors to become deeply closeted or lose their careers in movies. Interestingly, Haines chose to walk...and reinvented himself as an interior decorator. He could have easily played the lead in this film.

It turns out this one is very typical of a 30s college film...with singing, dancing, parties, the opposite sex, as well as sports...but nothing in regard to actually getting an education. This seems really odd today, as this was during the Great Depression. But regardless, it's quite watchable but undistinguished in most ways.