Cancioneiro Naval

Busby Berkeley directed the musical sequences for this 1937 film, The Singing Marine.

Dick Powell stars as Bob Brent, a marine, originally from Arkansas, who happens to have a beautiful tenor voice. Though a little shy, he goes to New York to enter an amateur singing contest. He's encouraged by his fellow Marines, who are cheering him on as they listen to him on the radio. Bob makes friends with a young woman, Peggy (Doris Weston) he meets on the bus who is also going to compete.

Bob sings 'Cause My Baby Says It's So in the contest and is a smash hit, signed to a contract immediately. Though Peggy was too nervous to finish the audition, Bob hires her as his assistant.

When his outfit is ordered to Shanghai, one of his agents (Hugh Herbert) decides to buy Bob out of the Marines. Uh, no go. His friends in the corps turn against him when they see how fat-headed he's become.

This is a fun musical, and Dick Powell's voice was so lyrical and beautiful, I could listen to him all day. He had such an amazing career as well.

If you can ever get your hands on any of the Dick Powell Theatre from television, do so. There were some wonderful episodes. Powell excelled as a singer, an actor, and producer, and was obviously an excellent businessman.

He is also responsible for one of my favorite celebrity comments of all time: When offered the part of Richard Diamond in the TV series that ultimately starred David Janssen, Powell thought about it and finally told the producer, "No, I can't hold my stomach in for 28 weeks."

Also appearing in this film are Allen Jenkins and, in small roles, Jane Wyman and Veta Ann Borg.

The Singing Marine is great example of the 30's musicals. I enjoyed the music and songs. Dick Powell is in great form as the singing marine. One goof is the radio call letters was KRWB, but is in New York. It should start with W. The songs is enjoyable to listen to and keeps in your head. I rate the movie a 7 out of 10. The plot of the movie is silly in today's themes but it does add a change of basis. We could use more of this type of movies today. I like the songs of the 30's and 40's. You could understands the songs. Again, great songs and a enjoyable movie. It should be shown on TV more often. We need more of this type of songs again.

In San Diego, Bob Brent (Dick Powell) is a shy singing Marine who has a crush on shop girl Peggy Randall (Doris Weston). He is barely able to ask her out to a weenie roast with his marine friends. The other marines want his guitar and singing to entertain their dates. The boys send the shy singer to New York City for a radio program contest.

This has two musical sequences directed by Busby Berkeley. The first one has a lot of reverse filming which is obvious to me although maybe not to the 30's audience. That does take me out of it. The last dance is a lot men in uniform. It may be patriotic but I prefer the babes. Dick Powell is playing the clean cut singer type. He's very straight and a little stiff. He needs more Peggy time. The couple has a cute start. I expected a traditional love triangle movie. I even had a scheming diva in mind. She would lie to Peggy and drive her away. I did not expect Shanghai. That section has some good but never fully exploited. It's all a bit disappointing especially the cute romance going flat.

By 1937 Dick Powell was acutely aware of his dwindling prospects as a crooner. Unfortunately, The Singing Marine is a textbook example of just the type of film he was aching to distance himself from--- something that wouldn't happen until his move to Paramount in 1942. This over long musical comedy co-stars newcomer Doris Weston (imagine Sonja Henie without the skates or accent); she's cute but the 19-year old fails to make a memorable impression. Her career spanned less than 3 years and 6 features, 2 shorts and a serial between Warner's and the financially wobbly "New" Universal Pictures. Sadly, she'd die of cancer in her early 40's.

The Singing Marine was one of Warner's 'A' pictures for 1937. It features the backbone of the studio's stock character troupe: Allen Jenkins, Addison Richards, goofy Hugh Herbert, Guinn Williams... but look for harmonica maestro Larry Adler doing his thing (Chinese Larry? I think HUAC might've even used that one against you too) in the Shanghai finale and keep your eyes peeled for Ward Bond in one of his don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-me-keeping-the-groceries-coming-in walk-on's he did throughout the 1930's.

I find myself looking at any pre-WW2 film with military elements as a Japanese spy. To this day I'm convinced one of the reasons we were attacked is Lou Costello in "Buck Privates." The Singing Marine certainly did us no favors with the mentality that a USMC enlistment could be bought off, or perhaps it was the corps' apparent fondness for wienie roasts. See this for Adler's haunting harmonica rift... but be prepared to walk away wondering why 20-minutes weren't left on the cutting room floor.

The Singing Marine is great example of the kind of film Dick Powell was trying hard to get out of doing. It's entertaining and charming in its way, but also has its moments of downright silliness.

Powell knew very well that his career in film would never last if he continued doing parts like these. He wanted to do serious dramatic stuff and finally got his chance seven years later from RKO in Murder My Sweet.

On furlough from the Marines on a lark Powell enters an amateur hour talent contest and wins. One of the losers is Doris Weston and she and Powell are taken with each other. Hugh Herbert signs Powell up to sing on the radio and his career as The Singing Marine is off and running.

Now here's where it gets a bit sticky for me. Hugh Herbert is his usual wackadoodle self in The Singing Marine and why anyone in his right mind would hire him as a business manager is beyond my power of understanding.

Also why Powell would forget about that little contract he signed with the Marine Corps is absolutely off the radar of my grey cells. That idiot Herbert actually thinks he's going to buy Powell out of his enlistment.

Yet these were more innocent times and I think if Dick Powell were alive today he'd appreciate The Singing Marine for the entertainment it is.

He got some good songs to sing from two teams of songwriters, Harry Warren and Al Dubin and Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. Cause My Baby Says It's So was the hit from this film and the Song of the Marines enjoyed some popularity. It was never going to take the place of From the Halls of Montezuma in Marine Corps Annals.

Supporting Powell besides Hugh Herbert were Guinn Williams, Allen Jenkins, Lee Dixon, and as Ma Marine, Jane Darwell. That's right we have a character named Ma Marine. Jane is actually good in the role, she's a kind of den mother to the Marines stationed in Shanghai. Her financial problems are the crux of the story for the last 45 minutes.

Despite some of the nonsense, The Singing Marine is good entertainment with Dick Powell in real good voice.