College Swing

If this movie was being reviewed as a "movie" the rating would not be very high. As a movie with a story it is quite weak. However (and this is a BIG however) it is a very good vehicle for the studio's stars. In a sense it is a 90 minute variety show from 1938. It has very good singing (one forgets how multi-talented many of the early stars of movies were), good dancing sequences, and some very funny slapstick sketches. Gracie Allen's skill at using language and to turn conversations upside down is very well showcased. She really was very good. And, she could sing well and could also dance. All three skills are shown during the movie. All of this makes the movie one to see and enjoy.

During the thirties each studio had its musical specialty. Warners was cranking out the Busy Berkeley spectaculars; Fox had Shirley Temple and Alice Faye; Goldwyn had his annual Eddie Cantor extravaganza; RKO had Astaire and Rogers, and MGM was starting a tradition of big budget spectacles. Paramount went a little low brow, bringing out a series of somewhat goofy, utterly charming movies that were more like screwball comedies with music. And some surprisingly good music, too. Don't worry too much about the plot - just let yourself be thoroughly entertained by Bob Hope, Martha Raye, Edward Everett Horton, and Burns and Allen at their very best. As if to emphasize the lightness of the movie, at the end the entire cast waves goodbye to the audience.

This is an oddball, star-studded Paramount musical, frivolously directed by Raoul Walsh, in one of handful of fluffy star vehicles he churned out in the period after his Fox tenure and before he settled at Warners. I saw it because of the music and director Walsh, and I was thoroughly pleased with it.

"College Swing" is one of numerous entertaining musicals set on campus that were popular in the 30s. Including this one, there were also "College Humor"(1933), "College Rhythm"(1934), "Old Man Rhythm" (1935),"College Holiday"(1936), and "Pigskin Parade"(1936) among others. These are feathery, inadvertently escapist froths that are generally characterized by zesty songs, funny one-liners, and implausible boy-meets-girl romance.

I tend to agree with the other users that plot of "College Swing" is inordinately silly and weak; however, that doesn't make it unwatchable. The songs and dance numbers have their own peculiar excitement. The number in the beginning featuring the young, up-and-coming Betty Grable and fellow students dancing at a pub is particularly delightful. I also liked the funny scenes between Bob Hope & Martha Raye. Florence George & John Payne make nice young romantic couple. Gracie Allen & George Burns continue their raucous shenanigans, though their comic acts tend to slow down the plot as much as enliven it.

Worth seeing if you like this sort of fluff.

Never a consistent director, Raoul Walsh permits this collection of set pieces to proceed in a disjointed manner as a means of showcasing Paramount contract players. The scenario is inordinately silly but provides substantial roles for Gracie Allen, Bob Hope, Martha Raye, Edward Everett Horton, John Payne, and Betty Grable. Hope's performance in BIG BROADCAST OF 1938 was reviewed very favorably by Damon Runyon, a friend of producer Lewis Gensler, who remembered the comedian from Broadway and vaudeville, and who is responsible for significantly enhancing Hope's part in COLLEGE SWING. Allen's ability for making communicable to audiences her giddy semantic high jinks is in full array, with her partner and husband George Burns serving, as is usual, as her straight man, as does Horton, but the talented comedienne nearly steals the film with her performance of an Irish jig, danced for no apparent reason at all. The 21-year-old Betty Grable, already a veteran of more than 30 films thanks to the studio contract system, performs with unalloyed enthusiasm and has an opportunity to display her hoofing, sometimes partnered by her first husband, Jackie Coogan. Lovely lyric soprano Florence George, well-known in opera and on radio, makes her cinematic debut, romantically paired with success opposite John Payne, and although her film career was very brief and not promoted, that could not have been due to her showing here. The committee responsible for this effort wisely decides to unbridle zany Martha Raye, as she irrepressibly dominates those scenes in which she appears and sings very well, indeed. Despite its low budget, the work benefits from excellent art direction, and plaudits must be handed to the outstanding costume design by Edith Head. In sum, COLLEGE SWING is only a minor attempt, but is laden with a cast of diverse abilities, which acts with carefree enthusiasm.

College Swing is a minor musical comedy that stars Gracie Allen and George Burns in their followup to their underrated A Damsel in Distress with Fred Astaire. Screwy plot involves Gracie needing to pass a college exam and employing Bob Hope to help her. Martha Raye joins the faculty as professor of romance. The storyline makes no sense at all but with these 4 comedy giants, it's hard to resist. Throw into this zany pot Betty Grable, Edward Everett Horton, Ben Blue, Jackie Coogan (then married to Grable), John Payne, Robert Cummings, Richard Denny, Florence George, and the wonderful Cecil Cunningham and you have a spirited but aimless film. Raye displays her good singing voice and cracks up Hope in a few scenes. Burns comes off worst. Worth a look.