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've seen this a few times and it always makes me laugh. Great cast playing for all it's worth, and very pre-code: When told she is to be Annie's chaperone, Ruby replies "She'd be safe on a battleship"; the gum scene; Ruby: "I belong to the world", Fenny: "You probably did before you took up with me." The end has a couple of neat twists too. It drags a bit in the middle, but all in all it's quite sarcastic and funny. And let's not forget Annie Snodgrass, who must sacrifice all because she is an "artist". The "Mother Song" is a neat take-off on a musical genre of the late 20s: "Who taught you wrong from right, while holding you so tight, who misses you tonight... Your Mother". Listen to the words, if you can take the delivery: it's one of the sappiest songs ever written. If you like old movies, pre-code humor and sarcasm, and plenty of 30s slang, this is to be seen.

Can't beat THAT cast! Zasu Pitts. Ned Sparks. Ed Horton. A gangster's girlfriend Ruby (Perl Kelton) wants to star in a show, so when the gangster "Fenny" (Nat Pendleton) hears "Annie" singing (Zasu Pitts), he puts together a show for her, not the girlfriend. The singing and acting are terrible, but Fenny likes her, so they proceed. And of course, the girlfriend wants the lead role for herself, so Annie better watch out! This one gets a little rough around the edges... the film code wasn't being enforced yet. Honestly, if this had a different cast, I probably wouldn't have liked it as much.. I DO love Sparks and Horton. Also interesting to note that in the first couple scenes, Pendleton calls Ed Horton and one of the other guys "Honey" and "Dearie". Directed by Bill Seiter. Another interesting thang -- when Ben Mank introduced this film on Turner Classics, he stated that Walter Brennan appears in the film, but the trivia section states that Phil Tead is often mistaken for Brennan. Pretty good film, but probably because those key actors are so awesome.

The Production Code was strengthened in 1934; this racy RKO comedy must have just gotten in under the wire. It's a very funny gangsters-in-the-theater comedy, not unlike "Bullets Over Broadway," in which every player plays exactly what they played in dozens of other movies: ZaSu Pitts flutters and dithers (and at one surprising point tells Nat Pendleton "take me, I'm yours"), Edward Everett Horton does slow burns, Pert Kelton does sassy and grasping, Pendleton flexes muscles and plays dumb hood, Ned Sparks grunts sarcastic asides, and John Qualen does meek- spouse. They're all expert, and they have a rude, funny screenplay that pokes fun at misplaced ambition, theater critics, and the gross sentimentality of mother songs. The production values are first-rate, and the twist ending is hilarious--I totally didn't see it coming.

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.