The Devil's Cabaret

In this early MGM color short Satan as played by Charles Middleton is concerned about the fact that fewer and fewer folks are booking his place for an eternal vacation. He consults his assistant How E. Burns played by Edward Buzzell who decides to recruit from a gang of likely sinners at a New York speakeasy.

After that it's the entertainment with a few dance numbers by some scantily clad women, the better to sell the devil's product.

The main thing that The Devil's Cabaret has going for it is that we get to see the genesis of Ming the Merciless. After seeing this film, it's no wonder Charles Middleton was cast as Flash Gordon's outer space nemesis. Although there's a bit more twinkle in Satan's eye here than there ever was with Ming.

I am so glad a fine copy of this Technicolor Jazz age gem survives today! Using the vernacular of its era, "Its a Wow"! In one scene, a crowd of naysayers and religious Puritans are gathered at the Cabaret entrance. Satan's slick salesman Eddie Buzzell tempts them all by singing a hot jazz tune,"Take off your Sunday Best Dress, cut out the I-C-E, put on your best asbestos, and come Hot It Up with me!" Soon the protest becomes a burlesque strip-tease as the puritans fling off their religious uniforms, respectability and moral restraints as well! The puritan women now stripped to their little french teddies and looking very much like the lust craving MGM chorus girls, engage in a sinful jazz dancing frenzy as they all mob the door to get in and Go To The Devil! Of course there is a clever twist at the end that rectifies its antics. Loaded with vaudeville style one-liners and cleverly mounted with some astonishing sets, this risque short has captured the "Devil May Care" spirit of its decadent Jazz age. I feel so guilty after watching this short I think I will have to put another $20 dollar bill in the church plate next Sunday!

This short has everything music, dance, and humor. If you like puns there is tons of puns about Hell. By today's standards some of the jokes are politically incorrect but they are of the time. There is also many special effects that are sure to please. The music is lively early 30's jazz with plenty of scantily clad beautiful young women dancing their hearts and souls all the way to Hell.

I think some of the best things on TCM are the vitaphone shorts. I try to catch them whenever I am watching a movie, especially the musicals. I have seen some great ones--this one is near the top. The short is shot in 2 strip Technicolor and comes off pretty well. The dance sequences must be from another film that perhaps was not released. The March of Time (1930) comes to mind. I have seen dance sequences from that unreleased film interpolated into others.

The jazzy title music is great---very typical for the period. All in all, very good little film.

TCM is the best thing going now---one can only hope it never goes the way of AMC, who once was just like TCM, but now has gobs of commercials which render watching AMC nearly impossible.

Gary

Another gem found by TCM, this pre-Code (1931) short has to be seen to be believed. "Hades" (the word "hell" is not used until the punchline) is need of new recruits, or so says "Mr. Satan" to his VP, Howie Burns (cute name!) The first clue that we are in the pre-Code era is the skimpy outfit worn by Mary Carlisle as Satan's secretary--hot hot hot. Burns and Satan have a brief exchange loaded with topical references of the day: when the secretary announces a call from Chicago, machine gun fire is heard in the background, and there is some banter about Scarface as well. Also, Satan reacts with disgust when the possibility of a stockbroker coming their way is raised by Burns (remember, this is not long after the stock market crash).

Eventually Burns heads to Earth (and a speakeasy) for more recruits. Those induced to go to Hades to keep the good times rolling arrive via slide, where they are treated to most jaw-dropping scene of all: a fairly lavish (for a short) music and dance number, where the dancers rip off their modest, fit-for-a-Quaker outfits to reveal their "satanic" (and scanty) outfits (complete with little horns), and surround a giant, illuminated devil's head that rises out of the center stage. Along with the "Marijuana" musical number in Murder at the Vanities, this is one of the pre-Code musical bits most likely to surprise modern audiences; I'm sure some religious types would take offense even now. One can only imagine what they thought back in 1931 (I guess the movement to enforce the Production Code, which achieved success in 1934, might offer a clue!)

This film is also a very good example of the two-strip technicolor technique used sporadically before the full, three-strip process was introduced in Becky Sharp (1935). The two-strip process doesn't really render hues of blue, but that flaw is not overwhelming in a short largely set in the reddish confines of "Hades".

You may need the luck of the Devil to catch this treat on TCM, so keep watching!