Trois cent soixante-cinq nuits à Hollywood

If you're a film buff, "365 Nights in Hollywood" is well worth watching. It's hokey, frenetic and plot-wise doesn't always make sense. But you won't find a better example of where movies were at just a few years after the introduction of sound. Alice Faye, in her second screen role, plays a star-struck kid from Peoria who's conned into signing up with a phony Hollywood talent school. Back when "365 Nights..." was made by Fox (sans Twentieth Century,) she was just hitting her stride as an actress. But she nails the production numbers -- as a succession of singing sirens in one sequence and a chorus of Alice Fayes in another. James Dunn co-stars as the down-on-his-luck movie director, fronting for the school, who sets out to outwit his employer and give her a shot at stardom. And before the fun is finished, he returns to his hoofing days to join Faye in a climactic song-and-dance routine that's a pleasure to watch.

James Dunn plays a down and out film director. While he's won the Oscar in the past, currently he's unwanted in Hollywood and goes to work for a fly-by-night acting school run by Grant Mitchell. However, when a genuinely talented lady (Alice Faye) enrolls, Dunn is in a bind when his boss wants him to con her out of money. You see, the angle is to pretend to make a movie with her and take her money--but Dunn can't bring himself to do this and plans on REALLY making a movie with Faye. Will his scheme work?

As for the quality of this film, it's pretty obvious that Faye was yet to become an A-list star for Fox Studio. The writing is rather pedestrian, the two idiots provided for comedy relief were (to put it bluntly) just awful and the film very, very uneven. A few of the groan-inducing moments included the Tarzan/Mae West bit as well as anything involving the two idiots. As a result, this film is one mostly of interest to die-hard Alice Faye fans. Not terrible but also not very good.

This is pretty much a collection of vaudeville bits stapled together. It's a film within a film, and the teachers at the film academy want to bilk a rich guy (Mr. Young) out of his money. Sound quality is pretty shredded in this oldie black and white from 1934. At the opening, "Alice" (Alice Perkins) walks into the film academy and meets the teachers Jimmy (James Dunn) and Delmar (Grant Mitchell). At one point, Grant Mitchell makes a reference to Shirley Temple.... James Dunn had actually worked with Temple several times. Frank Melton is "Young", and talks about coming from Pineapple Alabama... he actually WAS born there (but sadly croaked at 43 from a heart attack). Keep an eye out for Clarence and Percy at the talent show (Jack Durant and Frank Mitchell ); they had done vaudeville together for years, as well as appearing together in NINE films! Some silliness with them as two goofy ice delivery guys... The plot and the song & dance numbers are pretty hokey, but it's all just an opportunity for us to see the actors and vaudeville guys doing their acts. Directed by George Marshall, who had been around forever, and done about every role there is in the industry. It's all pretty silly, but if you hang in there, you'll get to the end. It's pretty much a "How-Not-To-Make-a-Film" !

365 NIGHTS IN HOLLYWOOD (Fox Films, 1934) directed by George Marshall, is vintage behind the scenes look at motion picture movie making and the ups and downs of those involved in the business of entertainment. Starring James Dunn, best known for his Best Supporting Academy Award Actor winning performance for A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN (20th Century-Fox, 1945), and Alice Faye before her super-star status in 20th-Fox musicals by the 1940s, 365 NIGHTS IN HOLLYWOOD is best classified as James Dunn before his movie decline and platinum blonde Alice Faye early in her career on a slow rise to success. As much as the film in itself is no masterpiece, there are a couple of production numbers both told in story form showcasing Faye's singing talents that make this worth viewing.

Through images from Screen O Graph magazine clippings, the story introduces boy wonder Jimmie Dale (James Dunn) through his rise as top movie director to downfall as an unemployed drunk. His career is given a second chance by J. Walter Delmar (Grant Mitchell) who hires him as an acting teacher for his school "The Delmar Academy of Motion Picture and Dramatic Arts." He also uses the presence of Adrian Almont (John Bradford), a famous actor as one of the graduates from the school for advertising purposes, while in reality Delmar is more interested in the tuition money coming in than on his pupils. One of the new students happens to be Alice Perkins (Alice Faye) from Peoria, having hitched a ride to Hollywood by delivery icemen Percy (Frank Mitchell) and Clarence (Jack Durant) on their truck. Of his students, Jimmie believes Alice has more possibilities as a singer than an actress. While earning extra money as a carhop, Alice becomes acquainted with Adrian, whom Jimmie dislikes, and Frank Young (Frank Melton), who has attracted the attention of Delmar after learning of his $75,000 inheritance. He talks Frank into giving him the money for Jimmy's pet project titled "365 Nights in Hollywood." With Jimmy as director, Frank as producer, Alice gets cast opposite Adrian for the upcoming motion picture. In the meantime, Delmar schemes of making his embezzlement legal and Jimmy the fall guy.

Other members of the cast include John Qualen, Addison Richards, Ray Cooke, Frank Conroy and Arthur Housman. Songs by Sidney Clare and Richard A. Whiting include: "Yes to You" and "My Future Star." During the course of the story, Alice Faye does her imitation of Jean Harlow singing "Hold Your Man," while the comedy team of Mitchell and Durant do their imitations of current trends: Mitchell doing Bing Crosby; and Durant doing Mr. Hyde from DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1931) fame. Though the comedy antics of Mitchell and Durant are a matter of taste, and John Bradford and Grant Mitchell being unpleasant characters, it's Alice Faye's presence who makes this 75-minute production better than what it is.

Take notice the ending cast credits is not from the original theatrical movie insertion, but newer titles added in its place. Further evidence of this is the casting future actor Dennis O'Keefe billed as a dancer, who by this time, appeared in countless uncredited bit parts since 1930 under his real name of Bud Flanagan. He didn't become professionally Dennis O'Keefe until 1938.

Virtually forgotten and unknown until decades after its release did 365 NIGHTS IN HOLLYWOOD become somewhat better known due to distribution on both video cassette and DVD at the start of the 21st century. Cable television broadcast to this rare find can be found on demand from MGM-Plus. (**)

An early star-making vehicle for the under-appreciated Alice Faye, this movie spends too much time on the behind-the-scenes rigmarole that goes into the process of turning an aspiring singer into a marketable commodity. Favorite line "Go back to Peoria, learn to cook, and raise a family!" While Faye is given ample opportunity to imitate Jean Harlow, she is given too little to sing; nevertheless, the fabulous production number casting her in a variety of worldwide stereotypes is a hoot. Some of the sexual innuendo is obviously free of the censorship brought on by the Hays Code.