Às Oito em Ponto

This 1935 Walter Wanger comedy musical suffers in a number of technical areas. By 1935, the major studios were putting out films with very good quality "Every Night at Eight" is choppy, poorly edited and weak in the camera work and direction. The film has a good cast, and the idea of the three girlfriends together for a singing trio is good. Alice Faye and Frances Langford give some good examples of their singing. This was Langford's first feature film and one of her best for singing. While she had lead roles in several films and major roles in several more, Langford didn't have great screenplays.

Other reviewers have noted how Alice Faye so closely resembled Jean Harlow in appearance. In a couple of scenes early in this picture, one could easily see Faye as a sister of Harlow for her physical resemblance, especially in the face. Patsy Kelly is OK for the comedic element, but she soon begins to wear thin with her crass cracks. Thankfully, they are toned down to less frequent or harsh comments in the last half of the film.

At first, George Raft seemed about the least likely of any leading man in Hollywood to be able to appear real as a band leader. But his part is the biggest surprise of this movie. Raft shows real bounce and ability to keep with the beat as he leads his band. He comes across as knowing the business. But, other than for the girls singing, and a little bit of the band jamming, the story is wanting. The script is otherwise weak and Raft's acting especially seems to move between lively and nearly dead as he sits looking flat in some scenes.

The film has a good musical score, and that and the songs by Faye and Langford are reason enough to watch "Every Night at Eight."

Here are a couple of favorite lines from this film.

Dixie Foley, "Say, listen. What was the name of the picture where the girl gets the ride?" Daphne O'Connor, "It Happened the Other Night." (sic) Dixie, "I guess it don't work in the daytime."

Susan Moore, commenting on a woman who is imitating a chicken, "How did she ever learn to do that?" Dixie Foley, "You can't learn that, it's a gift." Daphne O'Connor, "Gift nothing! It's a curse."

Three girl -- Patsy Kelly, Frances Langford, and Alice Faye make a play for a career as a singing trio by going on Walter Catlett's amateur hour show. They miss, but the winning act, George Raft and his band, hire them and eventually get a rich radio contract, billing them as 'The Swanee Sisters.' Raft is all business, which annoys them, particularly Miss Langford.

Despite the talent in front of the camera, and director Raoul Walsh, it's a fairly standard musical, with a ridiculous variety show during the Catlett segment. What makes this stand out are the Jimmy McHugh-Dorothy Field songs, including "I Feel A Song Coming On" and the standout number, Miss Langford introducing "I'm In The Mood For Love". Songwriter Harry Barris ("Mississippi Mud", "I Surrender Dear") demonstrates a fine voice.

Alice Faye, Frances Langford and Patsy Kelly lose their jobs and can't afford to pay the rent. They enter an amateur contest at a local radio station as a singing trio, but lose to a big band lead by George Raft when Langford passes out mid-song due to lack of food. Raft asks them to join his band, and they become famous, which throws obstacles in the way of a romance between Raft and Langford. An engaging enough little trifle which is largely an excuse to include a lot of musical numbers, the highlight of which is a lady doing a song as a chicken.

Three adorable but out of work and homeless women try to win $100 in amateur contest on the radio, but when Susan (Frances Langford) passes out from lack of food, the prize goes to supremely confident and good-looking band leader Tops (George Raft). Once he really hears them sing, however, he brings them on board with his band. And by working them day and night brings them success with their own radio program. But his hyper-strict rules have Dixie (Alice Faye) and Daphne (Patsy Kelly) chafing for some freedom. Though Susan has quietly fallen for Tops, she goes along with the girls' scheme to buck his authority and possibly ruin his show.

Sure it's not much of a plot, but this is a good-natured showcase for a host of talents and great wisecracks from Patsy Kelly. The girls are fun, Faye and particularly Langford get great solos. Langford makes "I'm in the Mood for Love" a standard. Raft, besides looking cool, gets to do a little dancing. Harry Barris has some rousing if brief little vocal ditties. And truly marvelous is uncredited singer James Miller, who takes over in the middle of the extended "I Feel a Song Coming On" number.

If you're a fan of old-time radio you'll recognize all the corny exchanges and weird acts on the "gong show" radio program and maybe try to sing like a chicken yourself.

EVERY NIGHT AT EIGHT (Paramount, 1935), directed by Raoul Walsh, stars George Raft as a brash young band-leader named "Tops" Cardona in one of many musicals of the 1930s set in a radio station. Alice Faye, on loan from Fox Studios, billed second in the cast after Raft, appears platinum blonde with pencil eyelashes in the image of Jean Harlow, but with a personality all her own. Third billing goes to the wisecracking Patsy Kelly, while Frances Langford, in her movie debut, actually the central character, assumes fourth billing and the film's most notable songs.

The story involves three singers who, after losing their jobs as switchboard operators, make the best of the situation by going on an amateur radio contest, hosted by the master of ceremonies (Walter Catlett). Before their turn to show their stuff, there's Henrietta (Florence Gill), a hen-faced woman whose specialty is singing like a chicken!; the Radio Rogues playing the Radio Romeos spoofing Dick Powell's "Don't Say Goodnight" from WONDER BAR (Warners,1934), and Tops Cordona and his band. Although the girls lose the prize money to Tops, they team up with him, and billed as "The Three Swanee Sisters," the girls soon become radio's singing sensation appearing on the air every night at eight. As time passes, Langford as Susan has fallen in love with the "all work and no play" Cardona (who is at times so full of himself), but fails to realize this until after the girls take a temporary walk out, but they come back in the end after he realizes he isn't any good without the girls vocalizing him, and save him from becoming "Flops" Cardona

With the music and lyrics by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields, the songs are as follows: "Take It Easy" (sung by Alice Faye, Patsy Kelly and Frances Langford); "Don't Say Goodnight" (by Al Dubin and Harry Warren, sung by The Radio Rogues); "I Feel a Song Coming On" (instrumental band playing by George Raft); "Take It Easy" and "Speaking Confidentially" (Faye, Langford and Kelly); "Then You've Never Neen Blue" (a ballad written by Joe Young and Sam Lewis, sung by Frances Langford); "Take It Easy" (reprise); "I Feel a Song Coming On" (sung by Faye, Kelly, Langford/ solo by Faye/ James Miller/ chorus); "Every Night at Eight" (Faye, Kelly and Langford); "I'm in the Mood for Love," "I'm in the Mood for Love" (both sung by Langford); and "Every Night at Eight" (Faye, Kelly and Langford). During the production number of "I Feel a Song Coming On" there's a brief moment where Raft does some fancy dance steps while conducting the orchestra, something that couldn't be appreciated from the radio listening audience.

EVERY NIGHT AT EIGHT, an agreeable 80 minute film, is very nostalgic look at old-time radio with fine cast, lively tunes and witty dialog. "I Feel a Song Coming On" and "I'm in the Mood for Love" are the biggest song plugs here, the latter being most associated with Langford. Rarely televised since the early 1980s, this is one of the many musicals from that era one can hope to be revived again. (**1/2)