Going Hollywood

Beautiful blonde French teacher Marion Davies (as Sylvia Bruce) quits her job to pursue radio crooner Bing Crosby (as Bill Williams) to Hollywood, where Mr. Crosby is going to star in a motion picture. In Los Angeles, Ms. Davies moves in with new pal Patsy Kelly (as Jill Barker), who thinks Davies could be a movie star "better than Norma Shearer." Good one. Davies continues to swoon over Crosby, who is only has eyes for French co-star Fifi D'Orsay (as Lili Yvonne). Which of the dueling damsels will win Crosby's heart?

A fine supporting cast, director (Raoul Walsh), and budget make this is a pleasant Bing Crosby musical masquerading as a Marion Davies movie. Two of Crosby's Brunswick 78 RPM recordings were hits: sung herein to Sterling Holloway, "Beautiful Girl" reached #11; the best film song "Temptation" went to #3; and, the big production number "We'll Make Hay While the Sun Shines" peaked at #8.

"Three Radio Rogues" singing impersonations are also highlights, with Jimmy Hollywood managing Kate Smith's "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain" with uncanny ease. Mainly, though, it's Crosby's show.

***** Going Hollywood (12/22/33) Raoul Walsh ~ Bing Crosby, Marion Davies, Fifi D'Orsay, Patsy Kelly

Bing Crosby truly was the quintessential vocalist of his time. I strongly recommend Gary Giddins bio on Bing; an excellent reference.

Anyway, the story may be weak in this film, but the songs and Bing's clear baritone voice make up for it.

An interesting tidbit about this film: Of course Marion Davies was W.R. Hearst's mistress, and Hearst financed the film. Ms. Davies thus took full advantage of the situation by showing up for filming at 10 AM, shooting a scene or two before a four hour lunch replete with all the catered trimmings and wines. The day wound down by 4PM.

It's no wonder it took six months to shoot this film in an era when the typical film was shot in 2 weeks!

French teacher Sylvia Bruce (Marion Davies) teaches at an exclusive boarding school for girls where all of the other teachers are decades older than she is. She's restless and dissatisfied with her sterile environment. Then one night Sylvia turns on her radio and hears crooner Bill WIlliams (Bing Crosby) singing. He makes her feel alive again, so she packs her bags and leaves the school.

Sylvia ends up on the train to Hollywood that Bill is taking as he is going to make a movie. Not only does she tell Bill how much his singing meant to her, she declares her love for him. They don't know one another, they've never even met. The best way to describe her is a weird stalker character. Even though Bill has expressed dismay at her declaration and is obviously keeping company with the French actress of the film, Lili Yvonne (Fifi D'orsay), Sylvia still pursues him.

At first she gets a job as Lili's maid. When that doesn't work out she follows him to the studio and gets a job as an extra so she can get close to him that way. In the 21st century this would be a neo-noir with creepy music to match Sylvia's creepy behavior. I would bring up "Fatal Attraction" as a comparison, but at least there Michael Douglas was initially attracted to Glenn Close's character and did make the first move.

The plot is thin in this one - there's a pedestrian radio act inserted into the middle of the film that goes on interminably, probably just to pad the running time so it gets past an hour.

What's good about it? There are several great standards sung by Bing in top vocal form - "Beautiful Girl", "Temptation", and "Going Hollywood". Ned Sparks is great as an ascerbic director. Stu Erwin is the financial backer of the film who seems to be his normal passive self until he surprisingly finds his voice late. The production values are top notch - It's just that horrible plot!

I guess that in 1933, like now, wads of cash can cover a multitude of sins, and they sure covered William Randolph Hearst's sins in thinking he knew much about the art of motion picture making.

'Going Hollywood's' biggest attraction was Bing Crosby, who had one of the most beautiful and distinctive male (and in general) singing voices on film, as well as being a master of how to use it.

Crosby is certainly the best thing about 'Going Hollywood'. He seems relaxed, has a lot of charm and looks and sounds wonderful, his beautiful smooth voice used with impeccable phrasing and control as always. Great songs also helps, something that 'Going Hollywood' certainly has, the standouts being the title song, "Temptation" and "Beautiful Girl".

Of the production numbers, choreographically the best is the train station sequence which is so lively and entertaining. Although Raoul Walsh did seem a bit of an odd choice at first as director, often going for the tougher and darker edge to his films, but he does direct with a light touch without being too lightweight. Really enjoyed Patsy Kelly, who brings plenty of sass and allure. While going on a little too long, the Three Radio Rogues are also entertaining, and while overlong and overblown parts of the dream sequence are quite sweet.

However, was very much mixed on Marion Davies. She is attractive and does bring some charm and fun, but at other points she does look stiff and limitations in her singing and dancing show. Stuart Erwin has an appealing earnestness but has little to do, while Ned Sparks does smarmy well but the character is written with so little variation that it feels one-dimensional. Worst of all is Fifi D'Orsay, her character being an annoying cartoonish caricature made even more insufferable by that D'Orsay overacts to such a wild degree.

While some of the dream sequence was quite nice, the dancing scarecrows part does feel really bizarre and also jars. The bit with the blackface is neither cute or funny and even those who hardly ever scream racism will find it in bad taste. The script has some wit, but is also shallow and flaccid. The story while at first lively in pace constantly feels too convenient and too neatly wrapped up, while also dragging towards the end, having a premise and romance that rarely rings true and being paper thin. Characterisation is even thinner, development practically forgotten about.

All in all, many charms but also some big caveats. 5/10 Bethany Cox

One of the other reviewers said that this film was essentially about stalking. I had never thought of it in those terms, but it's true.

Marion Davies is a love starved French teacher at a girl's boarding school who's spare hours are taken up with the radio crooning of Bing Crosby. She follows the object of her affection out to Hollywood and in Hollywood cliché style gets her big break in the movies.

First if you're willing to accept the beautiful Marion Davies with this crowd of old spinsters at the boarding school then the rest of the plot simply follows. Second for Bing Crosby fans one has to remember that this is NOT a Crosby picture. He's the leading man in a Marion Davies film. Everyone is familiar with William Randolph Hearst and the Svengali like influence he had on her career. Marion's making a musical so you go out and buy the hottest singer currently as her leading man. And that, boys and girls, is the story of Bing's first film away from Paramount.

You also hire a topflight director in Raoul Walsh to keep things at a brisk pace. And you give Marion a good supporting cast that includes Fifi D'Orsay, Ned Sparks, Stu Erwin, and Patsy Kelly. Mix 'em together and you got Going Hollywood.

It's not a bad mix. Crosby had a lot of songs in this film. The big hit was Temptation, but there were other good ones from Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. One thing however, since this was not Paramount and MGM was known for the great production numbers in their films, Bing got some great numbers. I'm surprised frankly that Hearst allowed Crosby a huge number like the title tune, set in Grand Central Station, without Davies in it. Davies does join him in a dream sequence where she sings a couple of lines of We'll Make Hay While The Sun Shines with Marion and Bing dressed as a pair of Grand Wood rustics. Another big production number that Paramount would never spend the money for.

Davies had good if limited talents. Hearst however could only see her as a pure heroine. Since he discovered her in the Ziegfeld Follies, Davies's dancing should be no surprise. It's at least as good as Ruby Keeler's. She had a good gift for mimicry, her imitation of Fifi D'Orsay is a key point in the plot. One thing that would be considered in god-awful taste now is her donning black-face to get on Bing's movie set and imitating the dialect.

It's funny though. Think about pictures like Play Misty For Me and The Fan made two generations later. Stalking was looked on entirely differently back in those more innocent days.