Anything Goes

ANYTHING GOES (Paramount, 1936), directed by Lewis Milestone, a movie musical based on the 1934 Cole Porter Broadway play starring William Gaxton, Ethel Merman and Victor Moore, is given the screen treatment with Bing Crosby and Charlie Ruggles in the Gaxton and Moore roles, and Merman reprising her stage performance. The movie version, as with most adaptations from stage to screen, has been altered and revised, leaving some of the original score intact, otherwise a traditionally predictable, often silly, mildly entertaining musical comedy that could be categorized as being more faithful to the play than the 1956 screen adaptation also starring Crosby, which borrowed the original title, used some of its original songs but had an entirely different scenario nonetheless.

The story opens in a cabaret where American entertainer Reno Sweeney (Ethel Merman) is performing the very night she is to set sail over to London. She loves Billy Crocker (Bing Crosby), an ambitious young man whose boss has left him in charge while away on vacation. As Reno is performing, Billy notices an attractive young girl (Ida Lupino) sitting at another table who appears to be depressed or in some kind of trouble. Moments later, a couple of men (Edward Gargan and Matt McHugh), actually hired detectives, take her away. Fearing she's being abducted against her will, Bill attempts to rescue this damsel in distress, but takes the advise of the men to mind his own business. While on the dock bidding Reno bon voyage, Billy sees the young damsel (actually Hope Harcourt, a runaway heiress being taken back to her family in England by Evelyn Oakleigh (Arthur Treacher) to marry a man she doesn't love) boarding the same ship, and rushes on moments before its departure. While on board, Billy disguises himself to keep from being recognized by his employer (Robert McWade) and avoid arrested as a stowaway. Aside from following Miss Harcourt, who has taken a liking to Billy during the ocean voyage, he joins forces with con man "Moonface" Martin (Charlie Ruggles), Public Enemy No. 13, masquerading as a clergyman, accompanied by Bonnie (Grace Bradley). Because of Billy's association with Moonface, Hope mistakes him for or a notorious gangster and avoids him after he and Martin are arrested and placed in the brig.

A Cole Porter score with much from the play discarded ("All Through the Night" is underscored), and new ones composed by others, the motion picture soundtrack to the final cut is as follows: "Anything Goes" (briefly sung by Ethel Merman during opening credits); "I Get a Kick Out of You" (sung by Merman); "There'll Always Be a Lady Fair" (sung by Chill Wills and the Avalon Boys); "Sailor Beware" (by Richard Whiting and Leo Robin/ sung by Bing Crosby); "There'll Always Be a Lady Fair" (reprise/Avalon Boys); "Moon Burn" (by Hoagy Carmichael and Edward Heyman/ sung by Crosby); "My Heart and I" (by Frederick Hollander/ sung by Crosby to Lupino); "You're the Tops" (sung by Merman and Crosby); "Shanghai-de-Ho" (by Hollander and Robin/ sung By Merman): and "You're the Tops" (reprise by Crosby and Merman). With much of the songs worked within the contest of the plot, only two are given the production treatment "I Get a Kick Out of You" with Merman sitting in a ring shaped carrier suspended from the ceiling in the cabaret sequence; and the finale "Shanghai De-Ho" performed by Merman dressed in Oriental costume for the Paramount news reel set in England during a rainy afternoon. The Crosby and Merman duet of "You're the Tops" is tops, even with its dated lyrics and in-jokes that might not be understood by today's generation. The humor from that same number predates those 1940s "Road" comedies starring Crosby and Bob Hope where Merman briefly sings in Crosby's voice and Crosby hers.

For anyone familiar with Ida Lupino's dramatic movie career that took off in the 1940s, and her directorial work shortly afterwards, may be surprised seeing this brunette a blonde appearing in a musical. This would be one of her rare opportunities in which the British-born actress would portray a character of her true heritage on the American screen. Others in the cast include: Margaret Dumont (taking time away from The Marx Brothers) as Mrs. Wentworth; Richard Carle as Bishop Henry Dobson; among others.

ANYTHING GOES might be mistaken as a 1930s Crosby musical that never made it to television. Due to the 1956 remake in name only, which had been shown on American Movie Classics around 1991-92, the television title to this version was retitled "Tops is the Limit." In recent years, it's cable television presentations were limited, notably presented as part of its "Best of Hollywood" series on the Disney Channel also during the mid 1990s.

With the title that might have been suited for pre-code films produced during 1930-33, ANYTHING GOES is typical boy meets girl/mistaken identity/shipboard romance plot highlighted by songs and fine cast that should please any fan of musicals such as this. (***)

Bing Crosby and Ethel Merman star in this shipboard comedy caper with a few songs tossed in from the Broadway production by Cole Porter. Very odd film has Crosby mistaken for Public Enemy No 1, Merman (as Reno Sweeney) sailing for Europe, Charlie Ruggles (posing as a clergyman), Ida Lupino as a runaway heiress, Arthur Treacher (bringing her back) as Lord Oakley, Grace Bradley as the real public enemy's wife, and Margaret Dumont as a haughty passenger.

The title song remains as does "You're the Top." The rest are forgettable. This is such a mishmash of comedy schtick and bad plotting that's it's useless to follow the plot, but Crosby and Merman are breezy and fun. Ruggles does a blatant and bad impression of Vistor Moore (who played the part on Broadway), Lupino and Treacher are fun.

Funniest bits have Crosby needing a beard for a disguise when a dog walks by.... Merman also stars in the big Chinese production number as the boat docks! As I said, a very odd film. Jane Wyman is one of the chorus girls.

After so many years of knowing this was on YouTube, I finally decided to watch this initial film version of Cole Porter's musical Anything Goes. Ethel Merman reprises her Broadway role as Reno Sweeney and got to sing the Porter songs, "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "You're the Top" which she performed with the other film star, Bing Crosby, though both songs had some lyric changes either because of the Production Code or because Paramount didn't want to have stars not contracted to that studio mentioned in the latter song. Oh, and "Anything Goes" was only sung briefly by Merman at the beginning. Anyway, this was quite a funny farce though it takes a while before one gets what's going on and even then, you have to really pay attention to understand it! Charlie Ruggles is a hoot as someone disguising as a missionary man and Margaret Dumont is her funny dowager self sharing a scene with him. The non-Porter songs aren't bad, either, and Ida Lupino was a luminous leading lady here. So on that note, this version of Anything Goes is worth a look. P.S. The reason I decided to watch this now was because I've been reviewing the Our Gang shorts in chronological order as well as some films outside of the series that has some of those kid players in the same way. So it was that OG player Jerry Tucker has a part here doing some mischief between Crosby, Merman, and Ruggles and another man who's laying in a deck chair. And the version I watched on YT had the alternate title, Tops Is the Limit.

The closest you'll ever come to hearing a faithful recording of Cole Porter's original score is by listening to the faithful 1988 studio cast recording directed by John McGlinn, which uses (as much as possible) the original orchestrations of Robert Russell Bennett and Hans Spialak.

However, that doesn't mean you should ignore this revamped film version, which has historical interest because it preserves one of the few film performances of Ethel Merman. The Broadway show, which opened in 1934 and ran for 420 performances (quite a long run in those days), actually gets better treatment than other Porter musicals adapted for film. I have in mind "DuBarry was a Lady," the 1943 vehicle that stars Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly and Red Skelton, and "Something for the Boys" (1944).

"Anthing Goes," which was renamed "Tops Is the Limit" to prevent confusion with the 1956 remake, again starring Bing Crosby, is more of a vehicle for Crosby than anyone else, which is why outside songwriters were brought in to provide him with material more suited to his vocal skills.

Only three of Porter's songs are given anything resembling a full treatment (albeit with laundered lyrics): "You're the Top," "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "There'll Alway Be a Lady Fair." Other songs are used as background or underscoring (e.g., "All Through the Night," "Blow, Gabriel, Blow.").

In the original cast, Merman was joined by two big Broadway stars -- William Gaxton and Victor Moore -- as well as a lady named Vivian Vance, while the film gives us, besides Crosby and Merman, Charles Ruggles, Ida Lupino and the veddy, veddy English Arthur Treacher.

The plot, such as it is, hardly matters. In her autobiography "Who Could Ask for Anything More," Ethel Merman tells why:

" ...the writers who used to think up the books that were wrapped around Gershwin or Cole Porter scores, started from scratch, which only their bare cupboards and an unmanageable sense of humor to guide them. First a producer signed a cast; then he hired writers to rustle up some material for that cast to use. 'I've got Bert Lahr,' he'd say. Or 'I've got Victor Moore. Get going' buddy. Make with the Moore-type yoks.' " In the mid-1950s, Merman and Frank Sinatra performed in "Anything Goes" on television. The program was later released on a bootleg album. If enjoy the film, with a little research you'll even find it on DVD.

Enjoy the hijinks, singing and production numbers.

Even though only four or five (depending on how you count) of Cole Porter's great songs were retained ["I Get A Out of You," "There Will Always Be A Lady Fair" (the sailor's quartet with reprises ), "You're The Top" (with reprises and bizarrely done up as the chorus to a "Shanghai-De-Ho" finale number"), "Anything Goes" (all too briefly in the opening credits and background score) and the haunting "All Through the Night" (sadly, surviving only in the overture in the TV print seen!) several of them with altered lyrics and the song cues very much in place for "You Do Something To Me"] and a passel of not bad others for crooner Crosby ["Steer By The North Star/Sailor Beware," "I'll Get a Moonburn," "My Heart and I"] added in typical Hollywood know-it-all fashion (Cole Porter was a particular victim of this syndrome) this essentially plot faithful, and decidedly all-star preservation of one of Porter's greatest hits is required viewing for anyone interested in "golden age" musicals and jolly good fun for anyone else, even in its lamely TV retitled and apparently badly edited "Tops Is The Limit" version.

Ethel Merman recreating her Broadway Reno Sweeney is at her best (possibly outshining even her later, smoother Broadway recreation in the film of CALL ME MADAM) and amply demonstrates why she (along with Mary Martin) was at the top of most lists of 20th Century musical theatre stars.

More than ample support is provided by Bing Crosby in the William Gaxton role of Billy Crocker (who Reno is attracted to but who hankers after runaway socialite Hope), Charlie Ruggles in the Victor Moore role of "Public Enemy #13, 'Moonface' Martin - on the lamb from the FBI, Ida Lupino as Hope Harcourt, Arthur Treacher as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh who is trying to bring Hope home to England to marry her, Margaret Dumont briefly seen as Mrs. Wentworth the owner of a kidnapped Peikinese, Charlie Chan's "Number One Son" Keye Luke & Philip Ahn as a pair of gambling Chinese and Grace Bradley as Moonface's moll Bonnie.

All are blissfully gathered (and some farcically hiding) on a ship crossing from New York to London. The original pre-Broadway rehearsal script had the cast shipwrecked, but the well publicized burning of the actual cruise ship Morro Castle off New Jersey while the show was in preparation made shipwrecks decidedly unPC for musical comedy so all the action was kept on board.

Few shipboard films (certainly not the bland and UNfaithful 1956 remake with Crosby and Mitzi Gaynor) have as much fun capturing an Atlantic crossing OR a Broadway show.