Sing and Like It

The Production Code was strengthened in 1934; this racy RKO comedy must have just gotten in under the wire. It's a very funny gangsters-in-the-theater comedy, not unlike "Bullets Over Broadway," in which every player plays exactly what they played in dozens of other movies: ZaSu Pitts flutters and dithers (and at one surprising point tells Nat Pendleton "take me, I'm yours"), Edward Everett Horton does slow burns, Pert Kelton does sassy and grasping, Pendleton flexes muscles and plays dumb hood, Ned Sparks grunts sarcastic asides, and John Qualen does meek- spouse. They're all expert, and they have a rude, funny screenplay that pokes fun at misplaced ambition, theater critics, and the gross sentimentality of mother songs. The production values are first-rate, and the twist ending is hilarious--I totally didn't see it coming.

Sing and Like It (1934)

*** (out of 4)

Very good little gem about gangster T. Fenny Sylvester (Nat Pendleton) who hears Annie Snodgrass (Zasu Pitts) singing and decides he wants to make her a star. The only problem is that she's got a horrible voice and can't act. Not seeing the truth, the gangster forces a producer to make her the lead in an upcoming musical. SING AND LIKE IT might sound familiar to you because Woody Allen's BULLETS OVER Broadway has a lot of similar moments. I was really shocked at how hilarious this movie was at times because I had never even heard of it until it came on Turner Classic Movies. This is exactly why I record so many "B" movies off of TCM because you just never know when you're going to discover a gem like this. What works best with the picture are the two leads. Both of them were mostly just character actors their entire careers but being able to play leads in "B" movies like this often gave both a real chance to shine and that's exactly what happens here. Pendleton plays that tough but lovable thug like only he can. Pitts is just perfect as the bad singer who still wants her big break. Pitts has to sing the same song over and over again and her voice is just "perfect" in the sense that it's so bad that you can't help but fall for the song. The screenplay offers up some hilarious dialogue and especially all the back and forth between the gangsters and the show producer. I really liked how the producer was constantly putting down Pitts but Pendleton was too stupid to know what he was talking about so one of the goons had to translate it for him. Another surprising thing about this film is its "comedy" from the gangster beating up his first girlfriend. There are two different scenes of him smacking her around, which just goes to show what some considering humor in 1934. Still, SING AND LIKE IT is a highly enjoyable little comedy that deserves to be better known.

I couldn't agree less with the negative comments about this delicious little film! It's not about talent squandered -- it's about talent SHOWCASED! Many of the best character actors from the RKO lot appear in this film and their work is stupendous! The film is, in many ways, a parody of the gangster genre -- it's got a very Runyonesque take on the underworld, where kingpins are sentimental and their molls are sharp as a tack. The surface humor is broad -- but the wit is sharp and incisive: If the screenplay were any more tightly written I'd swear it was Mamet or Sorkin who created the dialogue.

The handling of theatre critics and their work is particularly vicious -- and never fails to make me guffaw! For anyone who understands allusion and parody -- and who appreciates good comedic writing -- this is the film to see!

I've seen this a few times and it always makes me laugh. Great cast playing for all it's worth, and very pre-code: When told she is to be Annie's chaperone, Ruby replies "She'd be safe on a battleship"; the gum scene; Ruby: "I belong to the world", Fenny: "You probably did before you took up with me." The end has a couple of neat twists too. It drags a bit in the middle, but all in all it's quite sarcastic and funny. And let's not forget Annie Snodgrass, who must sacrifice all because she is an "artist". The "Mother Song" is a neat take-off on a musical genre of the late 20s: "Who taught you wrong from right, while holding you so tight, who misses you tonight... Your Mother". Listen to the words, if you can take the delivery: it's one of the sappiest songs ever written. If you like old movies, pre-code humor and sarcasm, and plenty of 30s slang, this is to be seen.

Amazing what a good script will do for a movie, especially a comedy. I had never heard of "Sing And Like It" before, but this picture is funny! Lots of wisecracks and asides in this one and it doesn't contain slapstick or lots of pratfalls, as many comedies made just after the silent era did. This one plays like a Billy Wilder picture which relies on clever dialogue. The best lines belonged to Ned Sparks, delivered in his patented deadpan style, and then to Pert Kelton as a jealous girlfriend.

The stars of the picture are Nat Pendleton and Zasu Pitts. He is a gangster boss who hears Pitts sing a song called "Your Mother" for a community group while he and his gang are robbing a bank next door. He is enraptured and saddened by its maudlin tune, and decides to put her in a Broadway show. He strongarms producer Edward Everett Horton to feature her in his show, and Horton himself has some funny one-liners of his own.

This picture was a pleasant surprise, the kind which you hope would never end, and to keep the one-liners coming. Hadn't seen Pendleton in a starring role before and felt he was a little overpowering, and Zasu Pitts played her normal, woebegone character and stayed within herself. Good movie and a very funny comedy, of the type not often made or seen.