Swing Hostess

Sig Neufeld made a ton of cheapo movies during the 1930s-50s. Some (such as some of his Tim McCoy westerns) were pretty good but some were pretty bad....and all were made quickly above all else. In the case of "Swing Hostess" he not only made the film but released it through PRC...one of the cheapest and worst outfits of their day. So, it's not particularly surprising that "Swing Hostess" isn't particularly good.

When the film begins, Judy (Martha Tilton) is a poor aspiring band singer. She's out of work and cannot seem to get anywhere when she tries out for various producers. However, her break seems assured when she makes a lovely recording at a local studio...but it's lost when the record is accidentally mixed up and a no-talent gets credit for the single. Can they manage to straighten all this out and Judy get a chance to sing for the Benny Jackson band?

This film, not surprisingly, has a lot of singing. After all, Martha Tilton was a famous big band singer and so she croons repeatedly....and it's rather pleasant. However, despite decent music, the film also suffers from sloppy writing and some obnoxious characters. Overall, a passable time-passer but not exactly a film you should rush to see. And, actually, for PRC this is all very glowing praise!

This WONDERFUL film from 1944 is a pure joy ! Not to mention the music throughout... Martha is a beauty as well as a pretty hot singer from her day.. She really shows the evil Phobe (Betty Brodel) a thing or two about singing. One of the better films from PRC during the war years. Sure to please ! That is if you can find it. The film is Public Domain and nobody, I mean nobody runs it, and thats ashame. Some great music from JAY LIVINGSTON & RAY EVANS who ARE credited boldly in the print I own...If you get a chance to catch this lost gem then sit back and enjoy ! JUKEBOX FANS will die over this film featuring ROCKOLA JUKES !

Plot- a talented songstress tries to break into the business, but is hampered by mishaps and a connaiving rival.

Okay, I'm a sucker for low-budget quickies, hoping for the occasional over-achiever. Happily, this is one of them. The flick's really more a comedy with a complex plot than a musical. But the pacing's snappy, the acting's colorful, and Tilton's such a sweetheart. Sure, it's the sassy Adrian and the scheming Brodel who get the acting and screentime, still, songstress Tilton's lovely voice carried me away. I just wish she had more numbers uncrowded by the screenplay. On the other hand, I'd never seen the feisty Brodel before. Too bad she didn't opt for a longer career since her talent for villianry is darkly clear. At the same time, I was hoping for some swing dancing with the flaring skirts so popular at the time, but maybe the budget didn't allow it. Anyway, the pacing never drags, while the sticky plot's happily softened by a supporting cast of humorous oldsters. So give it a look-see, especially for the "liltin' Martha Tilton".

Martha Tilton has been auditioning for a position as a band singer for what seems like forever. Finally, she and her friend Iris Adrian take a job as operators in a juke-box center, where customers call in for a particular song at their location. Meanwhile, a test record a friend made for her gets mixed up with one done by Betty Brodel, who's being drooled over by record producer Harry Holman. Because it's actually Miss Tilton's voice -- she had been a vocalist for Benny Goodman, with a hit recording of "And the Angels Sing" -- Miss Brodel gets a contract and a chance to sing for Charles Collins' band.

It's a plot that's not remarkable in broad, and it's been done many times, well and poorly. This one has several advantages, including songs by Ray Evans and Jay Livingston, a couple of years before they hit it big. There are also some nice moments of gag comedy, and it's a pleasure to watch the professional musicians gawp in horrified astonishment at Miss Brodel's voice.

It also has a nice example of inadvertent documentary, showing how centralized jukebox systems worked.

The names in this are not ones to conjure with. Behind the camera was Jack Greenhaigh, a talented cinematographer who never got out of the Bs and frequently used his considerable talents lensing ludicrous films like ROBOT MONSTER and HITLER -- BEAST OF BERLIN. Sam Newfield, a mainstay of the usually dire PRC, directed, and shows that with a good script and eager talent, he can turn out a happy, modest movie.

Judy (Martha Tilton) auditions as a singer for a band but her audition isn't properly heard by the man that counts and she gets rejected. She then goes to make a record but once again fortune goes against her as her voice is mistaken for that of Phoebe (Betty Brodel) who wins a singing contract as a result. Will Judy realize her dream to become a singer.............?

The film is light and entertaining and Martha Tilton has a great voice. She sings 4 good songs and 1 turkey called "The Highway Polka". The latter song is painful to watch mainly due to Bobo's (Cliff Nazarro) cheesy smiling face and very predictable honking of his car horn. He also speaks in a stupid way. The other irritating character is the landlord Blodgett (Emmett Lynn) who is one of those comedy characters that just isn't ever funny. The rest of the cast are OK and the film has some funny moments, eg, Brodel's bad singing and the reactions of the piano player. It's the singing of Martha Tilton that makes this film something to watch again.