Waikiki Wedding

Bing Crosby was one of the biggest stars in the world for much of his career and this movie released in 1937 was the third biggest hit of the year. Supporting him are the hilarious duo of Bob burns and Martha Raye, especially who seems to spark every scene she's in with a splash of wine and vinegar. The plot as it is as PR man Bing who works for the Pineapple company located in Hawaii who has a Pr mishap on his hands when the girl brought in as the Pineapple girl goes sour on the island and intends to let everyone know how lousy and unexciting the island is. This for sure will hurt tourism so Bing has to save the day. So what else does a nagging Yenta need but a man who will keep her from leaving the island. The plot is on. Songs are interspersed BTW the action including one which supposedly became a million seller. Anthony Quinn who was years removed from his movie star days plays an Indian with his typical zest and good craftsmanship. The female lead who never amounted to much stardom of her own is pretty and really can sing. I do like the way the movie ends. It is slightly unconventionally but slightly forced in performance. But it works. It could be a good movie for some enterprising producer to remake.

In 1937 Bing Crosby made a celebrated trip to the Hawaiian Islands and stayed about a month. Of course being the mega star he was at the time, the trip was accompanied with the usual fanfare and publicity and when he got back Paramount took full advantage of the publicity with Waikiki Wedding.

It would have been nice if in fact they'd sent him back to Hawaii and did some beautiful color location photography, but I assume that Adolph Zukor felt that for the studios own homegrown South Sea island gal, Dorothy Lamour never got off Paramount's backlot, they wouldn't do more for Bing.

However they did give Crosby a good, amusing plot and some nice songs to sing. Crosby plays a publicist for a Pineapple company who has had the idea to sponsor a Miss Pineapple contest with the winner getting an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii and to send back articles about the great time she's having and hawk the virtues of Hawaiian Pineapples. But the winner, Shirley Ross, ain't havin' such a good time, she's bored. So Bing concocts this elaborately staged adventure involving a stolen idol, a volcano, some natives and Shirley loves it and him.

It all resolves itself in the end. George Barbier who's a favorite character actor of mine from the 30s plays Bing's boss at his choleric best. Crosby gets good support from Martha Raye and Bob Burns. Martha Raye was doing the second of three films she did with Bing. Bob Burns, who is forgotten today was a regular on Bing's Kraft Music Hall radio show. He played a hillbilly type character with a touch of Will Rogers without the topical humor. He did two films with Bing and retired from show business in 1941.

Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin did the score which includes the classic Blue Hawaii, reprised later by Elvis Presley. However the number one song in the movie at the time was Sweet Leilani, word and music by Hawaiian composer Harry Owens. Bing heard the song while in Hawaii and insisted it be included in the picture. It won an Oscar that year for best song and Crosby had a big hit record of it.

Nice Entertaining movie in the Crosby manner.

"Waikiki Wedding" is a very lightweight film starring Bing Crosby. While it is quite watchable, sometimes the humor is very, very broad and the story a bit predictable.

When the film begins, the big boss at a pineapple company is upset because Miss Pineapple is upset. It seems that the lady who won this beauty contest and who has been brought to Hawaii is NOT enjoying her stay and things that all the talk about romance in the islands is a sham. And, if she goes home and talks about her experiences, it can't help but hurt sales. So, the company's #1 brain, Marvin (Crosby) concocts a long and complicated scheme to give her some excitement and romance. The only trouble is after a while, Marvin has really fallen for her and he feels like a rat.

So why do I give this light romance only a 5? Well, to put it very succinctly--Martha Raye. The comedienne has never been one of my favorites but here she is just awful--very, very broad and annoying. I think without the humor, the film would have actually worked better as I liked the romance. Still, it's a decent little time-passer if you can get past Raye's annoying antics--and the presence of a wild chimp living in the jungles of Hawaii!

Aside from setting the story amidst the palm trees and hula skirts of Hawaii, this hasn't anything akin to an original bone in it's body and is really only a vehicle for a distinctly mediocre Bing Crosby. He's the sort of PR man who could turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, and when his client moves their pineapple business to his fair shores, he decides what better way to promote the whole enterprise than to stage a competition. The winner gets an all expenses paid trip, provided they write a diary extolling the virtues of the islands. What could go wrong? Well the prize is won by "Georgia" (Shirley Ross) but she can't really stand the place and no sooner has she arrived than she wants to go home! "Tony" (Bing) can't have that so with the help of his fishing buddy "Shad" (Bob Burns) embarks on a convoluted scheme to keep there and - well from now on you can guess the rest. Now there is quite a fun tomato-throwing game played later in the film and there are also a few lively traditional dance routines peppered with a little traditional and enthusiastic mythology to keep us going too. On the crooning front, Crosby delivers the film's Oscar winning, but entirely forgettable, "Sweet Leilani" and a song called "Blue Hawaii" too - but the whole film just never takes off. It's flat, predictable and all the faux who-will-marry-whom stuff is all old hat. I'm afraid that I did struggle to make it through to the end and I doubt I will bother again.

The more I see Bing Crosby's undervalued Paramount musicals, the more he is becoming one of my favorite musical stars of all time. Except for the tedious 1933 musical "Going Hollywood", I was impressed by all of Bing's works and his sweet, aching crooning.

"Waikiki Wedding", sumptuously set in Hawaii, is one of Bing's best efforts, featuring such remarkable and beguiling tunes as "Blue Hawaii", "Sweet Leilani", "Sweet Is the Word for You", and "Nani Ona Pua".

Although I enjoyed "Blue Hawaii" as the best sounding song in the movie, the Oscar-winning "Sweet Leilani" is really my favorite after repeated viewings.

Bing plays a publicity agent Tony Marvin working for a pineapple company taking part in a native wedding feast and becomes involved in a scheme to escort a beauty contest winner, played by Shirley Ross. Ms. Ross has a nice, appealing presence and does a very good job playing Bing's love interest and the "Miss Pineapple Queen" winner on her trip to Hawaii.

I also enjoyed George Barbier, Martha Raye, Bob Burns, and an interesting early appearance by Anthony Quinn as one of the Hawaiian natives.

Frank Tuttle's direction gets a little slack in the second half, but the music and Bing's timeless singing are all you need to enjoy "Waikiki Wedding".