Amour et clair de lune

This is a cheap, shabby rip-off of 'Gold diggers of 1933' which lacks the fun, the charm and the smiles of the original. It's very disappointing.

The predictable and lugubrious story limps along without any surprises or excitement, occasionally punctuated only by some terribly amateurish song and dance numbers. Those real Busby Berkeley numbers in the WB movies or even in the earlier Eddie Cantor films don't look that difficult to copy but this shows that they clearly were. Berkley would probably be considered a voyeur these days but like great artists throughout history, his spectacles were primarily his way of celebrating the sexiness of beautiful young women. The routines in this film completely lack any of that innocent eroticism, we just get cardboard cut-out showgirls doing their steps.

Besides the tiresome story, the lacklustre musical numbers, the instantly forgettable (dull) songs, the obviously small budget and the z-list actors (although Lillian Miles is actually pretty good) the main problem is the direction. Karl Freund did a fantastic job on The Mummy the year before but his slow, moody style just doesn't work at all with this. It's a very long 85 minutes.

This ghastly Universal musical released in August 1933 is their answer to Warner's Busby Berkeley blockbusters. Consider this release pattern; from WB: Jan '33 42nd St; May 33 Gold Diggers '33; in August comes this: Universal's copy: MOONLIGHT AND PRETZELS then Sept 33 WB's FOOTLIGHT PARADE. In M&P dance director Bobby Connolly has slavishly and clumsily copied two of the best Busby Berkeley numbers from Gold diggers of 33: their "Pettin In The Park" becomes "Get Up And Go To Work" here, and their "Remember My Forgotten Man" becomes here "Dusty Shoes". In the midst of all this is basically unattractive actors with bad teeth staring and smiling at each other in between muttering 'Gee that's swell'. Dim small town gal Sally loves rubber faced songplugger George who makes good on Broadway. Boring cross eyed Sally goes to NY and gets into his show in an attempt to make him come home and drone with her in dusty-ville. However, sassy Elsie played by terrific Lillian Miles who looks a lot like Alice Faye or Ginger Rogers sings up a storm and assists getting the lame show refinanced by Leo Carillo, the Spanish actor who here plays a Greek and a-talks-a-lika-dat. Stomping dance numbers with unrehearsed chorines in out of step routines and yelling lyrics are the topper to this mash of songs romance and 1933 drama. I was so perplexed by the title and what relevance it had to do with anything or anyone or any part of any show ever, except the bit where for no reason they dressed up in Tyrolean alpine outfits and yelled Moonlight And Pretzels ! at each other while swilling beer and munching on hot dogs. It is all so awful as to be mesmerizing. In fact so compelling I forgot what it was about and simply stared in disbelief. At one stage Elsie and George sit under a paper moon and identify it so but do not sing "it's only a paper moon" like they are about to but don't. All you can focus upon is how terrible their teeth are. They don not seem to be clean or fit in their mouths. Somehow Sally has a bent head. She is supposed to be the Ruby Keeler gal but here looks like Ruby after a stroke instead. Her eyes do not close at the same time. George is supposed to look like Dick Powell but actually could be mistaken for George Formby... or worse, Kenny Baker in fat-face makeup. . MOONLIGHT AND PRETZELS is a depression era knockoff of Warner snazziness and here looks like a budget suburban musical society version of 42nd St. The song where the husband and wife get up to go to work has a mad interlude where chorus girls on a satin bed-clock attempt some BB kaleidoscope.... in another number filmed in front of a curtain (!) 25 out of step chorines simply wave their arms about as they march back and forth and get mangled in some half figure-eight. It is so nutty as to be with 100 grimaces by the 99 minute mark. I of course loved it. Oh, and there's even dashounds. On leashes.

"42nd Street" had just come out, and Universal attempted its own version of a backstage musical a la Busby Berkeley with this oddly titled curiosity. It was made in New York for $100,000, which even then was ridiculously cheap, and the corner-cutting is visible in the sets, costumes, and substandard hoofing of the chorus girls, who nevertheless are advertised as "150 of Broadway's loveliest beauties," or somesuch. The screenplay's uninspired, the direction prosaic, the stars not terribly interesting (Roger Pryor, in the Dick Powell role, looks uncomfortable, and Mary Brian has a nice personality but less-than-huge musical talent; Lilian Miles, in the Bebe Daniels part, comes off best). Yet it's fascinating, and entertaining. Thank, first of all, the Jay Gorney-Yip Harburg score, with assistance from Sammy Fain and other fine tunesmiths. "Dusty Shoes," the team's attempt to rewrite their earlier "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" in a slightly more optimistic light, is a wonderful number, powerfully sung by Alexander Gray, and other songs run to such oddities as "Let's Make Love Like the Crocodiles." One could do with less of Leo Carrillo's dialect comedy (he gets top billing, though he's not really the lead), and the show-biz clichés get a little oppressive. Still, it's very worth catching.

When the film begins, George (Roger Pryor) is working on a song and when he finally gets it right, he dedicates it to nice-girl Sally (Mary Brian). Soon he's off to the big city to try to make it big and promises to come back for Sally...one day. Well, George makes it very big very fast and seems to have forgotten about Sally. When she comes to the city later, he's so involved in his new solo production he doesn't even recognize her. Soon, however, they have a reunion...but it's cut short when his old partners try to ruin his show. So it's up to George's lady friend, Elsie, to get him in touch with a new backer, Nick (Leo Carillo). Will George be the big solo success AND what of sweet Sally?

This film is one of a bazillion similar sort of films of the era that involve folks putting on a show...a very, very popular plot in the early years of talking pictures. Beucase there are so many there is a certain sameness about all of this. As far as the song and dance numbers go, they are about what you'd expect from a non- Busby Berkeley film--nice but not quite as excessive and goofy as the Berkeley ones.

Overall, this is a reasonably watchable second-tier musical of the era. Nothing new about this one...absolutely new. Hence, my mediocre score of 5.

By the way, at about 26 minutes into the film you BRIEFLY get to see a younger Robert Young, though he's uncredited...even by IMDb.

This is an enjoyable,unpretentious Pre-Code Musical,made on a limited budget,yet as fun and entertaining as some of the Warner Bros. movies it sought to imitate! Filmed in less than 3 weeks at the Astoria studios and Casino theatre,New York,it nevertheless had an earnest,determined Cast and Crew of some talent;plus good songs and dancing sequences. The latter,staged and choreographed by Bobby Connolly,were not over-choreographed,like those at Warner,and this comparative simplicity actually makes the routines much more endearing and believable! Real Showgirls performing like Real Stage Showgirls!! Roger Pryor,as the pressurized Songwriter turned Theatrical Producer,proves to be a versatile lead,with a pleasant singing voice too. He is little known now,but appeared in quite a number of 30's/40's films. His co-star and romantic interest here is Mary Brian,former Silent movie leading lady:She is okay in her "Ruby Keeler" type role. Lillian Miles,though,is the standout Female performer,with her peppy,energetic,no-nonsense approach as sexy Elsie Warren,proposed star of Roger Pryor's debut production.She really puts over her songs well,including "Ah,But is it Love?" and "Are You Making any Money?,both of which became popular successes. Leo Carrillo is fun in his pivotal role as Nick Pappacropolis,the Greek Gambler and new Citizen of the United States( United Steps in his amusing vocabulary!),who comes to the rescue of the new show,enamoured as he is with Elsie! Even Herbert Rawlinson,as the shady big-time gambler Sport Powell,acquainted with Nick,and interested in the show because he is keen on Mary Brian and wants to try and "further" her career: proves that he isn't quite such a bad egg after all. It all comes down to the flip of a coin! Others in the cast include Bobby Watson,as the harassed dance director,and William Frawley,who contribute ,in their different ways,to the general ambience of the movie. Several Radio and Stage performers of the time also feature,some more fleetingly than others.These include Alexander Gray(Good rendition of the optimistic "Dusty Shoes" number),Bernice Claire,John Hundley and Jack Denny and Orchestra,among others. The New York Chorus Girls perform well,especially in the catchy "I've Gotta Get Up and go to Work"number,including a saucy,pre-code Silhoutte sequence as they disrobe and change into their daywear! Although the Musical Film Author Richard Barrios wrote that "Moonlight and Pretzels" was 'Terribly Wonderful',I would describe it as 'Audaciously Wonderful". I have watched it many times,and can fully understand why it was such a popular movie on it's release.