Gift of Gab

Gift of Gab (1934)

* (out of 4)

A fast talking con man (Edmund Lowe) becomes a huge radio star and soon it all goes to his head. It appears Universal Studios threw everything but the kitchen sink into this film but it easy to see why the studio has never issued this on home video. Legendary cinematographer Karl Freund directed this film, which co-stars Gloria Stuart with guest performances by Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Victor Moore, Hugh O'Connell, Gene Austin, Ruth Etting, Ethel Waters, Paul Lukas and various others. The film is very fast moving but also quite annoying as is the over the top performance by Lowe who we tire of within the opening minutes. The only reason to watch this turkey is due to all the guest appearances but be warned that the stars are only on screen for a few seconds up to a minute. Karloff and Lugosi appear in the same mystery skit but sadly (and dumbly) they don't share any time together.

It's a movie 1: from Universal; 2: directed by Karl Freund; 3: with Boris Karloff & Bela Lugosi. No, you're wrong, it's a comedy starring Edmund Lowe as a street hustler who works his way in as a radio announcer, sports caster, and event broadcaster, with the aid of Gloria Stuart. As his success increases, so does his ego, and as the audience, you're waiting for the inevitable crack-up and wondering if and how he'll manage his redemption.

It has three major variety segments, with musical acts -- some good, like the Downey Sisters, some great like Ethel Waters -- some comedy acts -- all cornball -- and some contemporary celebrity tie-ins. There are several fine screen comedians in support, like Sterling Holloway and Victor Moore, and Lowe is fine as the larger-than-life operator, but it's a typical decent Universal, budgeted at probably a third of what it would cost at MGM -- and why not, since the best cameraman on the lot was in the director's chair and not lensing it?

Blowhard Philip Gabney becomes a smash radio announcer, until he is canned from the station for a fake broadcast and tries to resume his on air status by attempting a dangerous stunt. Very weak on plot development, but obviously this was done by Universal to promote various radio, vaudeville, and singing stars of the day. Many of the segments from the movie to be done for a radio listening audience seem more suited to a visual mode. Of note, this is the second movie to team Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, even though they don't appear on screen at the same time and are in for a few seconds. Rating, 3 of 10.

Well, months after knowing this was on my YouTube "Liked Videos" list, I finally watched this there as this was another early film appearance of Ethel Waters, here singing "I Ain't Gonna Sin No More". This also marked the only movie appearance of the Beale Street Boys. The sing with both Ethel and by themselves on this song and they also appear a few more times throughout the narrative. I enjoyed them very much. Also of note is a mystery sketch which featured two of the movie's studio's (Universal) biggest stars at the time-horror icons Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff who was still billed just by his last name during this period in his career. They appear separately just minutes of each other. This one was also very enjoyable. There are some other music acts like Ruth Etting and other sketches which are hit-and-miss. The story itself is a little amusing but also for the birds as the narrative goes on. I also feel like citing three men in the beginning appearing at a receptionist's desk singing a part of "Tiger Rag" which is my LSU Tigers football team's theme song. Also, this was directed by Karl Freund, normally a cinematographer who would eventually wrap up his career doing that on the classic TV show "I Love Lucy". So on that note, Gift of Gab is worth a look and nothing more.

This is a film with an endless procession of one-reelers put together to make a full-length feature and has great actors like: Gloria Stuart, Ethel Waters. Victor Moore, Andy Devine, Paul Lukas and Chester Morris along with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Philip Gabney (Edmond Lowe), a smooth-talking radio announcer, is hired to revive interest in a failing radio show. Karloff played the "Phantom" and Lugosi is a French apache dancer together with a half-dozen stars who appeared in a burlesque murder-mystery conceived by Gabney at the beginning of the film. It seems with all this great talent shown in this picture in 1934, that this film had to produce such meager entertainment. Well, after all, the film only ran for 71 minutes.