Gift of Gab

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.

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.

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?

This lost film has been found. I was able to get my hands on a bootleg VHS of this flick. I'm a big fan of the Universal horror movies of the 30s. It was a treat to see this comedy that is directed by Karl "Mummy" Freund, starring Gloria "Invisible Man" Stuart, and cameos by Lugosi and Karloff. The story kind of jumps all over the place. And I'm guessing that radio comedy bits weren't done on sets with actors in costumes. Also we hear multiple versions of "I ain't gonna sin no more". Otherwise good fun.

As a movie, this story staggers all over itself. It's a pretty mundane rags-to-riches-to somewhere in the middle story. The acting isn't real crisp, the plot is choppy at times, and the comedy is just not very funny.

The movie is redeemed, however, by the presence of many live musical performances of stars from the '30s. Many of these performances are of immense historical proportions in terms of music. Lots of people will want to see this because of the presence of Bela Legosi and Boris Karloff on screen together, but their participation in the movie is very short and rather disappointing.

If you're looking for an entertaining movie it's probably best to skip this one. If you have some interest in stars of the '30s, it's one you should catch.