Sweet Music

A much better film than Leonard Maltin could appreciate. Rudy Vallee and Ann Dvorak are excellent. Among the good songs is Ev'ry Day, a real nice one. The finale, Fare Thee Well Annabelle, is a showstopper. Seeing Helen Morgan is a bonus. All in all, a sweet movie.

The first fifteen minutes or so of "Sweet Music" plays like an uninspired Three Stooges short. What, one asks, are Rudy Vallee and Ann Dvorak doing in this trash? Then, out of nowhere the movie seems to come to its senses, turning into a standard and competent backstager about a radio band leader and crooner (Vallee, of course) and his rocky relationship with a singer-dancer (Dvorak). Inserted generously are performances by Vallee of pleasant if mediocre pop songs along with a couple of folksy numbers and a very busy production number of "Fare Thee Well, Annabelle" with loads of extra lyrics and patter and even a bizarre segment featuring a row of chorus girls in blackface, suddenly wiping it off mid-song (via camera editing); the choreography is by Bobby Connolly in Busby Berkeley mode.

Vallee's singing talent, preppie good looks and overall youthful charm are on full display, compensating for his cadaverously wooden effect in "Vagabond Lover" (1929). Dvorak displays a solid singing voice and assured dance moves as good if not better than anything Ruby Keeler ever displayed. The supporting cast includes Warner Bros stalwart Allen Jenkins, the ever-reliable Ned Sparks as a fast-talking press agent, Robert Armstrong showing comic flair as a gangster, Alice White on the career downslide as a sometimes clever, sometimes dumb chorus girl and even Helen Morgan singing "I See Two Lovers" in full throttle. Composer Sammy Fain (who contributed some songs to the film) also makes a cameo appearance as a singing pianist. Dvorak and White look great in snug generously accessorized Orry-Kelly outfits. For fans of the genre, a pleasant hour (not counting the opening scenes).

Rudy Vallee and his band turn professional about the time Ann Dvorak breaks out of the chorus with the help of agent Ned Sparks. As they move through the bypaths of entertainment, from being kicked out of a Broadway show to radio, they wrangle start to fall in love.

There's a little bit of everything in this musical, from raw slapstick performed by Vallee's band to idiotic back-and-forth lines traded by Allen Jenkins and Alice White, to gangster Robert Armstrng crooning out of the side of his mouth. There are even signs of satire, offered by Al Shean and Joseph Cawthorne as brothers who sponsor a radio show while they wrangle with each other. In other words, it's a kitchen-sink musical with Rudy Vallee the star of the show. He sings a lot of songs. Most of them do not please me. He singing usually strikes me as mechanical and lifeless, and his orchestrations dull. However, one song, "Fare Thee Well, Annabelle" is performed with a staccato rag beat and a full production number to back it (choreographed by Bobby Connolly) is so far from his usual mode and energetically performed as to enthuse me. There's also a great torch number by Helen Morgan.

I was actually rather surprised that I enjoyed "Sweet Music" as much as I did. While I have enjoyed a few of Rudy Vallee's later films when he played supporting roles, I have never been in love with his starring roles. Plus, here he plays a super-nice guy...something that according to every source I have read (including IMDb), Vallee was notorious for mistreating everyone around him.

When the film begins, you get to see Vallee's band doing some of their hi jinks. It's rather clever and was a better than average musical number. The story that follows is about Skip Houston (Vallee) and his feud with a temperamental dancing and singing diva, Bonnie Haydon (Ann Dvorak). They bicker a lot...and most of it seems to be coming from Ms. Haydon. Despite this, Houston is such a swell guy that he works hard to try to get Haydon's career off the ground. But when it falters, she unfairly blames Skip and that's sad...as they've begun to fall in love. Can things be righted and everyone live happily ever after? Or, will Skip's idiot publicity agent (Allen Jenkins) keep doing his best to foul up everything?

The music in the film was okay...but a few of the songs were rather goofy and that helped make the film more watchable. Also, the film was well written and very pleasant viewing. Worth your time.

"Skip" Houston (Rudy Vallee) and his Merry Mad Men have been performing at their State University. After graduation, they start playing professionally and gain some success. He likes performer Bonnie Haydon (Ann Dvorak) and tries to help her behind the scenes. At times, she mistakenly assumes that he is against her.

Once upon a time, Rudy Vallee was a superstar crooner who became a fine actor. Quite frankly, I'm not a fan of his style of music and his acting at this time is not that good. I don't like the comedic attempts. The evil producers are a little too silly. Vallee is too wooden and isn't able to sell the misunderstandings. Ann Dvorak does her best, but this story makes Bonnie look dumb. I actually like the premise.