The Hit Parade

If you're reading this under my username, you probably know I'm reviewing both the Our Gang series and individual projects of many of their players in chronological order. So it is with this, one of several features directed by former Our Gang helmer Gus Meins. This is a musical comedy hodge podge of various comics and musicians filling an hour of a thin plot of someone looking for a new girl singer after his previous one quits him. Phil Regan is this someone and Frances Langford is this new singer. Edward Brophy is one of the nervous producers. Both Regan and Brophy would later appear in Swing Parade of 1946 with The Three Stooges consisting of Moe, Larry, and Curly. I note that because one of the acts presented here is called The Gentlemaniacs (Dick Hakins, Sammy Wolf, Mousie Garner) who joined the Stooges' former mentor, Ted Healy, on stage after Healy split from those Stooges over "creative differences". The Gentlemaniacs would eventually split from Healy as well. Their act isn't too different from those Stooges as they stomp, yell, and blow smoke in each other faces as they sing gibberish on stage to some familiar tunes. Also appearing here is Pert Kelton-the first Alice Kramden on "The Honeymooners" sketches when it was presented on Jackie Gleason's "Calvacade of Stars" on the Dumont network-doing some nice wisecracks. I have to also note someone from my favorite movie-It's a Wonderful Life-as one of the players since I always like to do so whenever I'm reviewing here. J. Farrell MacDonald-the one who castigated George Bailey for crashing his car on his grandfather's tree and then thinking he must be referring to two other trees in the Pottersville sequence-plays Sgt. O'Hara here. Then there's another man (Max Terhune) who does imitations and has a dummy that I found hilarious! And then there's Duke Ellington with singer Ivie Anderson and Eddy Duchin with both their orchestras to really add to the musical fun! So on that note, The Hit Parade was quite an entertaining movie.

It's one of those kitchen sink musicals, with some great performers like the bands of Duke Ellington and Peter Duchin, some good ones that have fallen into obscurity, like Carl Hoff's band, and some that range from missable to downright annoying. Max Terhune is there with his ventriloquist's dummy, there are blackface acts, and other acts that you might have found in a small town vaudeville house.

Revue musicals were not the thing, so there is a plot. Singer Louise Henry fires Phil Regan as her agent, so he needs to pick up a new singer fast for the night club that the first half of this movie takes place in; it gradually becomes clear it's also a radio station. He quickly finds Frances Langford and she's great. She's hired! But what no one knows -- besides her being in love with Regan -- is that's she's an escaped convict, and William Demarest is wandering around looking for her.

It's fairly chaotic under the direction of Gus Meins, deliberately so I believe, but the variable quality of acts makes this annoying. Every time you're basking in the afterglow of Ivie Anderson singing "I've Got to be a Rug Cutter" with Ellington's orchestra backing her, -you roused from it by Pat Padgett and Pick Malone doing a bad Amos & Andy imitation (or maybe it's supposed to be Mack & Moran). Unless you're a particularly fan of one or more of these artists, you can do without seeing this.

This movie, like many others have two components, the plot the minus-plot. If I see the plot angle, it would score may be around 3. It has all the possible incongruities in the plot. The agent (Regan, himself an excellent crooner, and has some notable, and hummable ones in it too) is ditched by his protege, a Society Girl, whom he had groomed to stardom. She had naturally preferred a stiff-coat, once her aim, piggy-riding to stardom, was attained.

Heart-broken, he takes it on him to have his next pupil, another raw stone to be polished into diamond, and after long search (at least he did search long), he stumbles upon Ms Langford, an closet ex-convict who had jumped parole, though he is still in love with his ex (till she rudely shakes him out of that). Not much different (except the back-ground of the characters) from many other Pygmalion influenced movies (e.g. Let's fall in Love of 1933).

The complications (for the director) started once the new-protege became star. How the cops, hot on her trail, missed her, not only a big and rising star, but also with her photos on all the news papers ? It was not necessary for Regan's ex to spill the bean, and thereby putting the last nail on alienating his affections.

Now leaving aside the nice-story, made thin by mishandling, the other aspect, which raised my score to 7 was - I did enjoy watching it (despite the gray cells pointing out the errors). It wasn't boring or out-of seat experience.

I wonder why WB or TCM didn't being out a good DVD of this. And that is after I watched a few quite unwatchable ones of the period (Havana Widow, I've Got Your Number and Goodbye again- three horrible movies which should never have been released on DVD).

This was apparently an 83 minute film when it was originally released in 1937, but the version I got is 67 minutes long and re-titled I'LL REACH FOR A STAR. Phil Regan and Frances Langford fall in love and exercise their vocal chords to a good effect. Pert Kelton is on hand to deliver some wise cracks, and there is an unfortunate black face sequence with two performers named Pick 'N Pat. If they had to cut this version down for television distribution, I would think the film could have sacrificed this part. But you do get some big name orchestras helmed by Duke Ellington and Eddy Duchin. And, Carl Hoff and his Hit Parade Orchestra. (Most likely from the radio show.) The best tune in the picture is the catchy "Love Is Good For Anything That Ails You." Which was good enough to be dusted off for Steve Martin's dark musical, PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (1981). This is a direct relative of those "big broadcast" pictures that Paramount favored in the 1930s. Not a bad way to kill a little over an hour, and the music IS hummable. This supposedly cost little Republic about half a million bucks, which would be a lot for the studio that specialized in Saturday matinée serials.

"I'll Reach for a Star," also known as "Hit Parade of 1937," offers some fun and solid entertainment with several entertainers from the past. But, the technical quality of this Republic production is not very good. Thus the rating of a 7. If someone cleans it up and puts out a digital or remastered edition, it would raise the rating in my book. The reason for that is the list of talent and the musical numbers.

The plot is similar to others of the time, but with a different twist than most. And, it's good, but for the low technical quality. Otherwise, this is a very nice vehicle for some good songs by Frances Langford and Phil Regan. The real plus that makes it a keeper for historical purposes is the rest of the talent. Besides Regan and Langford who didn't appear in many films, some other individuals not seen in many movies are included. Most were entertainers near the end of their careers from vaudeville, silent films or other stage performances.

But throw in Duke Ellington and his band, and Eddy Duchin and orchestra, and this film grows to a big entertainment package. So, it's a pleasure to watch these past icons of early stage, road and film groups perform. Again, a cleaned up DVD would raise the movie one or two notches.