Flying with Music

Hal Roach's musical streamliners were given plenty of production (FIESTA was even filmed in Technicolor) but were often sorely lacking in the scenario department. There's usually a comedy team of sorts - in this case it's big Ed Gargan and diminutive Jerry Bergen. Marjorie Woodworth is invariably the ingenue in these 5-reelers. I guess Roach must have seen SOMETHING in her. Oh well. The protagonist is George Givot, a longtime vaudevillian who specialized in Greek dialect. Here is plays it straight with the exception of a detour as a blackface mammy with composer Edward Ward matching his dialect on the soundtrack. Little Billy Roy apparently made a hit as a native boy in ALOMA OF THE SOUTH SEAS and he repeats the role singing the Oscar-nominated "Pennies For Peppino". This picture was directed by RKO's early turgedian George Archainbaud and all I can say is, where was Gordon Douglas when we needed him! Very few of the gags work and, in one of the strangest affronts to comedy, hilarious dialectician Benny Rubin - playing a French maitre d - had his voice looped! It's nice to see Norma Varden in an early role and there are plenty of familiar dress extras, including the ubiquitous Ellinor Vanderveer. I'm giving this a rating of 5 because it's only 5 reels. If it had been a longer picture I would have been much more severe in my critique. But it's 47 minutes of amiable entertainment. No harm done.

A private collector has finally allowed me to see this almost forgotten musical -and it deserves to be forgotten. It is a 50 minute Hal Roach musical programmer that is grade B in every way - there is an erroneous official timing of 71 minutes that proliferates but I am trying to get that removed.

The plot is almost non-existant. The characters are thinly drawn and the direction, acting and production values are beneath contempt.

George Givot plays a man on the lam from a divorce and alimony. He disguises himself as a tour guide for five young socialites. The lead socialite, Marjorie Woodworth, is looking for love from a latin singer she idolizes - the reason for the trip - but is romanced by a pilot. Eventually all things end happily. The only bright spot is a midget, Jerry Bergen, who plays the comic foil for the detective who is trying to nail Givot.

The score (five forgettable numbers) and the song PENNIES FOR PEPPINO earned Oscar noms - totally and irrevocably undeserved - these were the days when every studio could submit its "best" as nominees in the categories of sound, score, scoring, song and special effects.

It took me over forty years to find this turkey and the result was not worth the effort. Note that lyricists Chet Forrest and Bob Wright went on to create SONG OF NORWAY and KISMET on Broadway.

Okay, so it isn't Oscar material. Okay, so all the leads are completely unknown to today's audiences. Okay, so the plot is silly and laughable. But when you see the extent that was gone to, to put together this musical, with all the sets and the songs, you have to appreciate this really precious little minor musical. It's really a shame that movie makers don't have the impetus to concoct entertainment of this type any more. Commnents such as 'but it was an innocent time' don't deserve credence. It's all around us, the stuff that exists to put together something of this caliber. The girls are beautiful, the sets are interesting and colorful and the songs are a lot of fun. The musical is so reminiscent of it's era that is literally a time capsule of this nation in the grips of World War II and how it was being coped with. It's well worth the time spent viewing and should be converted to DVD to send the message.

I viewed the film on TCM and wrote the lyrics to "Pennies for Peppino" down. I also figured out the music in 5 minutes (not too difficult). I could not understand the line toward the end that goes with the number 4. They were counting. Is it "A coin for the nice Chiquita"? I collect all Oscar nominated songs and this was the only one I did not have. "Cry Freedom" is also sketchy. I met the composers Chet Forrest and Bob Wright many years ago in Miami and they did not have "Pennies for Peppino" but they did have the certificate from the Academy to prove it was nominated. They also had the Tony Award on the wall for composing "Kismet". I was thrilled to finally hear the song - it was 20 years in the search for it.

"Flying with Music" is a film with an overall rating of 4.0. However, despite this a couple reviewers gave this one 10s...which I just don't understand...especially since 4.0 seems, if anything, a bit generous.

There is not a whole lot of plot in the film...mostly because it is a musical and clocks in at only 46 minutes. The scant plot finds Don running to Latin America from authorities for back alimony payments. Simply paying the money would have ended it...but instead he poses as a nerdy tour guide for some hot to trot young ladies and their fun-hating chaperone. Along the way is a bit of romance and MANY forgettable musical numbers and a particularly bad male singer. It also sports a tacky black-face portion...which just made me cringe.

Because of the silly and thin plot and the overabundance of musical numbers, I actually found this film pretty dull. It's also one of the lowest rated 'Streamliners' from Hal Roach Studios...ultra-short B-movies that they made in the early 1940s. Worth seeing if you love these sorts of movies, but if you must watch some Streamliners, try the military films with William Tracy and Joe Sawyer or the taxi films with William Bendix and, again, Joe Sawyer...all quite enjoyable and with a few laughs.