George White's Scandals

I love that one, my mom watching the show, and me watching the show it's really mine out here today

This buoyant Fox extravaganza turns out to be a fascinating backstage recreation of a Broadway revue and the process of putting on a lavish show, enriched by some tuneful and highly uproarious numbers.

It involves a big-time Broadway producer named George White who lures a beautiful young aspiring actress (Alice Faye) to star his next show, "George White's 1935 Scandals". It opens with White and his crew just completing their successful "1934 Scandals", and then he travels along with his gal to a music hall show, owned by Elmer White (Ned Sparks who provides the film's funnies gags), where Faye's Honey Walters is performing along with her sweetheart Eddy Taylor (James Dunn). White persuades Honey that she has what it takes to star his next big revue; she agrees and suddenly they all find themselves singing and dancing on Broadway.

This was one of Alice Faye's earliest roles and she really looks like a Jean Harlow-ish platinum blonde; her singing was fun and very enjoyable. We also see some fine tap dancing by Eleanor Powell in her movie debut!

The best numbers are "According to the Moonlight", "It's an Old Southern Custom", "The Hunkadola", and "Side by Side".

Famed Broadway producer George White appeared in a second film version of his famous scandals the year after the first one. The original screen George White's Scandals introduced Alice Faye to the screen and Faye is once again featured. White appears as himself again and this time does a little hoofing in a dance contest.

The plot is again a backstage romance story on wish to display various numbers you would have seen on Broadway in the Scandals revue. It involves Alice Faye and James Dunn, a vaudeville team appearing in a small town show that's also in another White show, this one though involving small town producer Elmer White played by that merriest of screen actors, Ned Sparks.

White's passing through town and discovers that the show is really a gold mine of talent. He signs Dunn, Faye, Cliff Edwards, Lyda Roberti and even Sparks himself for his new George White's 1935 Scandals.

Of course both Dunn and Faye let stardom go to their heads a little, but you know it all works out in the end.

Eleanor Powell got her first big break after a couple of bit roles in two previous films. But this didn't lead to a Fox contract, Louis B. Mayer snapped her up right away.

Like the previous film, George White's 1935 Scandals is a nice historic record of a Broadway review. One only wishes Florenz Ziegfeld had lived long enough to create a film version of the Follies himself. But this pales in comparison with what Busby Berkeley was achieving over at Warner Brothers in this decade.

White might have considered hiring Berkeley, but then his personal imprimatur wouldn't have been on the picture. After all he wasn't producing the Busby Berkeley scandals.

Still it's a pleasant enough musical review and the plot doesn't get too much in the way.

What there is of plot in this film is held together with bailing wire and chewing gum. George White is taking a train to Florida after the closing of the 1934 season of his Scandals revue. When the train stops at a rural station in Georgia for a few minutes, White gets off to send a telegram when he notices a sign advertising "White's Scandals". Curious, he makes arrangements to take a later train and decides to investigate. What he finds is that the "White" in question is Elmer White (Ned Sparks) - mayor of the small town and emcee of the Scandals musical revue. He also happens to be the show's cashier and usher and the town's sewer department. White likes the show and hires the entire bunch to be in his next season's show - the 1935 Scandals.

What follows as far as plot is a very clichéd tale of small town stars going Hollywood - except they're on Broadway. It takes up very little time with most of the movie being the revue itself. Unfortunately, the revue portion is very unmemorable, which is hard to believe with Alice Faye singing and Eleanor Powell tap dancing in her film debut, but believe me it is true. One song, "The Hunkadola", is pretty catchy but seems like almost a copy of 1934's "The Continental" from The Gay Divorcée. Overall the musical revue just lays there. It lacks the snap of the popular Warner Brothers musicals of the era and the flair of the MGM musicals of that same period.

Cliff Edwards and Ned Sparks get the best lines and give the film what little genuine comic flavor it has. I've always been a big fan of James Dunn, but again, since there is very little plot, there is no chance for him to really distinguish himself. Plus I really noticed how old he looked here compared to roles I'd seen him in just a couple of years before - and he was only 33! This was his last year with Fox as his heavy drinking finally caused them to give him the boot.

I'd say this is worth viewing just for the history of it all, but don't expect too much.