Waikiki Wedding

The story and direction do slacken a tad towards the end and Anthony Quinn does look rather lost in an early role. But Waikiki Wedding is still a fun film that will cheer anybody up after a hard day. It is lovingly photographed and the costumes and sets do look beautiful even by today's standards. The incidental score is whimsical and catchy, and the songs are wonderful with Sweet Leilani, A Little Hula Heaven and especially Blue Hawaii being classics. The choreography is sharp and not too flashy but never simplistic, suiting the film just fine. Waikiki Wedding is smartly and wittily scripted and the story is not too complicated, moves swiftly and has a lot of charm and heart. Bing Crosby looks very relaxed here and gives a likewise charming performance. As ever, his distinctive voice sounds fabulous. The very attractive Shirley Ross has a voice like heaven and lights up the screen, sharing good chemistry with Crosby, she's virtually forgotten now and that's a shame. The performances of Bob Burns and Martha Raye won't be everyone's cup of tea but I found them a lot of fun with Raye particularly enjoying herself. Nice to see George Barbier too. All in all, very entertaining and charming particularly notable for the songs. 8/10 Bethany Cox

In 1937 Bing Crosby made a celebrated trip to the Hawaiian Islands and stayed about a month. Of course being the mega star he was at the time, the trip was accompanied with the usual fanfare and publicity and when he got back Paramount took full advantage of the publicity with Waikiki Wedding.

It would have been nice if in fact they'd sent him back to Hawaii and did some beautiful color location photography, but I assume that Adolph Zukor felt that for the studios own homegrown South Sea island gal, Dorothy Lamour never got off Paramount's backlot, they wouldn't do more for Bing.

However they did give Crosby a good, amusing plot and some nice songs to sing. Crosby plays a publicist for a Pineapple company who has had the idea to sponsor a Miss Pineapple contest with the winner getting an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii and to send back articles about the great time she's having and hawk the virtues of Hawaiian Pineapples. But the winner, Shirley Ross, ain't havin' such a good time, she's bored. So Bing concocts this elaborately staged adventure involving a stolen idol, a volcano, some natives and Shirley loves it and him.

It all resolves itself in the end. George Barbier who's a favorite character actor of mine from the 30s plays Bing's boss at his choleric best. Crosby gets good support from Martha Raye and Bob Burns. Martha Raye was doing the second of three films she did with Bing. Bob Burns, who is forgotten today was a regular on Bing's Kraft Music Hall radio show. He played a hillbilly type character with a touch of Will Rogers without the topical humor. He did two films with Bing and retired from show business in 1941.

Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin did the score which includes the classic Blue Hawaii, reprised later by Elvis Presley. However the number one song in the movie at the time was Sweet Leilani, word and music by Hawaiian composer Harry Owens. Bing heard the song while in Hawaii and insisted it be included in the picture. It won an Oscar that year for best song and Crosby had a big hit record of it.

Nice Entertaining movie in the Crosby manner.

"Waikiki Wedding" is a very lightweight film starring Bing Crosby. While it is quite watchable, sometimes the humor is very, very broad and the story a bit predictable.

When the film begins, the big boss at a pineapple company is upset because Miss Pineapple is upset. It seems that the lady who won this beauty contest and who has been brought to Hawaii is NOT enjoying her stay and things that all the talk about romance in the islands is a sham. And, if she goes home and talks about her experiences, it can't help but hurt sales. So, the company's #1 brain, Marvin (Crosby) concocts a long and complicated scheme to give her some excitement and romance. The only trouble is after a while, Marvin has really fallen for her and he feels like a rat.

So why do I give this light romance only a 5? Well, to put it very succinctly--Martha Raye. The comedienne has never been one of my favorites but here she is just awful--very, very broad and annoying. I think without the humor, the film would have actually worked better as I liked the romance. Still, it's a decent little time-passer if you can get past Raye's annoying antics--and the presence of a wild chimp living in the jungles of Hawaii!

This is a good film to watch late at night, when you're too tired to concentrate on a heavy plot and are ready for some pretty music and comic diversion. The two songs you'll immediately recognize are "Blue Hawaii" and "Sweet Lelani" (which won the Oscar that year).

Bing Crosby is his usual agreeable self, in great voice, inhabiting the screen but not his character, really. His seemingly effortless singing is,as always,mellow and fine. Shirley Ross (she of "Thanks for the Memory" with Bob Hope) has a very appealing, intelligent and charming way with a line and a song. Bob Burns is there for comic relief, as is a young Martha Raye, who is, well, Martha Raye. You either like her or you don't...but she does manage a few laughs with her very physical antics and double-take expressions. A very lithe and boyish Anthony Quinn, playing one of his early "native" roles (here as a Polynesian), pops up in several scenes...years before his own ascendancy to super-stardom.

It's the music and the lavish Hollywood-Hawaiian sets and luau scenes that make this a very pleasant movie to watch.

Bing Crosby was one of the biggest stars in the world for much of his career and this movie released in 1937 was the third biggest hit of the year. Supporting him are the hilarious duo of Bob burns and Martha Raye, especially who seems to spark every scene she's in with a splash of wine and vinegar. The plot as it is as PR man Bing who works for the Pineapple company located in Hawaii who has a Pr mishap on his hands when the girl brought in as the Pineapple girl goes sour on the island and intends to let everyone know how lousy and unexciting the island is. This for sure will hurt tourism so Bing has to save the day. So what else does a nagging Yenta need but a man who will keep her from leaving the island. The plot is on. Songs are interspersed BTW the action including one which supposedly became a million seller. Anthony Quinn who was years removed from his movie star days plays an Indian with his typical zest and good craftsmanship. The female lead who never amounted to much stardom of her own is pretty and really can sing. I do like the way the movie ends. It is slightly unconventionally but slightly forced in performance. But it works. It could be a good movie for some enterprising producer to remake.