Sing and Like It

I was very surprised by this. It's genuinely funny. Nat Pendelton was at the top of his game in 1934. (The Thin Man - 1934) The scene where he winds up with a mouthful of gum after kissing his girlfriend was a scream.

I would really like to see more of Nat. He is a real discovery (like Warren William) capable of many faceted parts. He was a Silver medalist at the 1920 Olympics.

The entire cast was sharp as was the dialog. Zasu Pitts had her typical part and her hand movements were as always (and that mother song). Ned Sparks was also as always. Pert Kelton was looking good. A flick to really have a laugh at. you gotta' see it.

I couldn't agree less with the negative comments about this delicious little film! It's not about talent squandered -- it's about talent SHOWCASED! Many of the best character actors from the RKO lot appear in this film and their work is stupendous! The film is, in many ways, a parody of the gangster genre -- it's got a very Runyonesque take on the underworld, where kingpins are sentimental and their molls are sharp as a tack. The surface humor is broad -- but the wit is sharp and incisive: If the screenplay were any more tightly written I'd swear it was Mamet or Sorkin who created the dialogue.

The handling of theatre critics and their work is particularly vicious -- and never fails to make me guffaw! For anyone who understands allusion and parody -- and who appreciates good comedic writing -- this is the film to see!

Sing and Like It (1934)

*** (out of 4)

Very good little gem about gangster T. Fenny Sylvester (Nat Pendleton) who hears Annie Snodgrass (Zasu Pitts) singing and decides he wants to make her a star. The only problem is that she's got a horrible voice and can't act. Not seeing the truth, the gangster forces a producer to make her the lead in an upcoming musical. SING AND LIKE IT might sound familiar to you because Woody Allen's BULLETS OVER Broadway has a lot of similar moments. I was really shocked at how hilarious this movie was at times because I had never even heard of it until it came on Turner Classic Movies. This is exactly why I record so many "B" movies off of TCM because you just never know when you're going to discover a gem like this. What works best with the picture are the two leads. Both of them were mostly just character actors their entire careers but being able to play leads in "B" movies like this often gave both a real chance to shine and that's exactly what happens here. Pendleton plays that tough but lovable thug like only he can. Pitts is just perfect as the bad singer who still wants her big break. Pitts has to sing the same song over and over again and her voice is just "perfect" in the sense that it's so bad that you can't help but fall for the song. The screenplay offers up some hilarious dialogue and especially all the back and forth between the gangsters and the show producer. I really liked how the producer was constantly putting down Pitts but Pendleton was too stupid to know what he was talking about so one of the goons had to translate it for him. Another surprising thing about this film is its "comedy" from the gangster beating up his first girlfriend. There are two different scenes of him smacking her around, which just goes to show what some considering humor in 1934. Still, SING AND LIKE IT is a highly enjoyable little comedy that deserves to be better known.

This down at the heels production provides a lot more laughs than a lot of star filled comedies of its day with leads brought up from the supporting ranks. Zasu Pitts, Nat Pendleton, Edward Everett Horton, Pert Kelton and Ned Sparks more or less apply the same type they excel at in other films without stars stepping in front of their shot or impeding the flow of humor with a half baked romance and for the most part carry it off nicely.

T. Fenny Sylvestor ( Pendleton) makes a good living at cracking safes and kidnapping. During a job he hear's Annie Snodgrass (Pitts) warbling a tune about mom at a rehearsal. stopping the heist dead in its tracks. He then devotes himself to putting Annie on the Broadway stage by way of intimidation.

Sing and Like It is populated with Runyonesque characters playing it broad and sober. The cast of scene stealers have the patter down right and the script by Marian Dix and Laird Doyle runs from high sarcasm (after all Ned Sparks is in the room) to subtle wit (" Look at all the diamonds I've given ya' and not a mark on ya." ) It's unfortunate both writers had brief careers given the promise displayed here.

William Seiter's direction allows for dead moments (How many times must we listen to Ms. Pitts murder the same tune?) as well as a fair share of brutal slapstick in places but overall the team of second stringers he fields all have a good game making Sing and Like It a winner.

Amazing what a good script will do for a movie, especially a comedy. I had never heard of "Sing And Like It" before, but this picture is funny! Lots of wisecracks and asides in this one and it doesn't contain slapstick or lots of pratfalls, as many comedies made just after the silent era did. This one plays like a Billy Wilder picture which relies on clever dialogue. The best lines belonged to Ned Sparks, delivered in his patented deadpan style, and then to Pert Kelton as a jealous girlfriend.

The stars of the picture are Nat Pendleton and Zasu Pitts. He is a gangster boss who hears Pitts sing a song called "Your Mother" for a community group while he and his gang are robbing a bank next door. He is enraptured and saddened by its maudlin tune, and decides to put her in a Broadway show. He strongarms producer Edward Everett Horton to feature her in his show, and Horton himself has some funny one-liners of his own.

This picture was a pleasant surprise, the kind which you hope would never end, and to keep the one-liners coming. Hadn't seen Pendleton in a starring role before and felt he was a little overpowering, and Zasu Pitts played her normal, woebegone character and stayed within herself. Good movie and a very funny comedy, of the type not often made or seen.