Her Future

If I didn't know better, I never would have guessed that the woman starring in this Paramount short was Ethel Merman! This is because Merman didn't become a movie star until MUCH later--and, like all of us, she changed a lot. Plus, the fashions of 1930 and the mid-1940s changed immensely.

The plot of this one is pretty non-existent. Merman is taken to a very surreal looking courtroom and instead of pleading to the charge, she sings a long song. Then, when they announce that they are going to let her off with a warning, she starts singing again! The problem isn't just that there isn't much plot, but the songs just aren't very good and the acoustics are poor. It comes off as a rather cheap little film--one that doesn't really show off Merman's many talents.

Her Future (1930)

** (out of 4)

It's been said that once sound came into play writers really didn't need any type of story as long as there were some music numbers thrown into keep people entertained. That's certainly the case here because the "story" here is without a doubt one of the strangest I've seen in terms of setting up the music. Ethel Merman plays a woman being found guilty of a crime and she is given permission to address the court, which she does through a song (My Future Just Passed). Merman plays one more song (Sing, You Sinners) hoping that the judge will forgive her crimes. If someone really did have to sing to try and defend themselves then I'm afraid Mrs. Merman would have been in jail for a very long time. I'm not going to sit here and bash the entire vocal career of Merman but what we have here is pretty bad from start to finish. I found both songs to be poorly written and I wasn't all that impressed with the way they were performed either. I thought there were some parts where Merman was so high-pitched that I had to rush and turn the volume down. Another major problem is that the wrap-around story is just downright silly and we don't ever get to know what on Earth she's done. Merman fans might want to check this out if they have to see everything she's done but others should stay clear.