Palmy Days

this movie begins with the finest five minutes, principally consisting of a busby Berkeley dance number performed in the girls gymnasium. as they dance their daily exercise routine to stay slim and attractive (they work in a bakery), Charlotte greenwood sings "bend down sister". but leading up to that is a little gem that lasts less than 30 seconds in which a man comes in to order a cake. i won't "spoil" it for you by describing any further. suffice it to say, in my opinion of course, this could well be the best twenty eight seconds ever put on film. you see, inasmuch as it really has nothing whatever to do with the rest of the movie, it was simply put there for the sake of laughter. and it succeeds. o how it succeeds.

i would hope to see this film on television one day again. but hope springs eternal. it is apparently not available on DVD.

First off: I've always liked this one - I thought it Eddie Cantor's best film, maybe partly because the 2 main songs in it were so wonderful and summed up the early Hollywood musical for me. Second: it's a classic anyway. Third: coming back to it after a 15 year gap brings it home to me just how weird this would probably appear to the unwary who stumble across it. Notwithstanding its relentless wit and charm, belief in character, plot and set logic must be totally suspended for the 77 minutes to get the most out.

Eddie is mistakenly employed as Efficiency Expert by scatty owner of an art deco bakery run by scantily clad females. He falls in love with the boss's daughter whilst gangly Charlotte Greenwood falls for him; meanwhile machinating phoney séancer Charles "Ming" Middleton and his henchmen are machinating in the background after their chance to rob the boss. The workers exercise routines may be coyly exploitative - but remember many Japanese multinational companies around the globe still use similar if more updated techniques on their benighted employees. Millions back then were probably thinking how lucky all the Goldwyn girls were to have a job, even if only as delightful looking objects. Favourite bits: Bend Down Sister sung by Greenwood and the girls with some nice patterns arranged by Busby Berkeley; There's Nothing Too Good For My Baby (but a Black-Face routine warning goes out for those with a weak constitution) – delivered with such vim; Yes Yes! My Honey Said Yes Yes! (at the engagement party with even nicer patterns. Astounding to think he never recorded it commercially); Greenwood's admission that Cantor was the key to her ignition (Roll over R Kelly); at the séance Greenwood being surprised it was her dog talking to her; many more - the smart ass one liners come so fast it's hard to pick the best.

Cantor was an incredible performer with zest and vitality up to the max, but it appears as time goes by he (with Al Jolson) becomes more and more of an acquired taste. This film is fast funny and farcical as well as far-fetched fanciful and fluffy; I love it - open not only your mind but your heart. Ya-da-da and Ohyoudon't, that's what Eddie had plenty of.

At a time when musicals had fallen completely out of favor with the movie-going public, Eddie Cantor and Busby Berkeley were still able to bring smiles to faces and audiences into theaters with this 1931 pseudo-musical by offering a bankable star (Cantor) in a foolproof formula. The title refers to a ring of bogus spiritualists for which Cantor's character has served unwittingly as a front man. During the film Eddie falls repeatedly into some dangerous or embarrassing situation and by virtue of his own hyperactivity emerges victorious in each case.

The film includes only three major song sequences, but they are all very well done, and coupled with Cantor's delivery they are infectious. Busby Berkeley opens the film with a musical number involving a gymnasium full of scantily clad Goldwyn Girls - supposedly employees of a surrealistic bakery where all the action takes place - in the aptly titled "Bend Down, Sister". The cast includes long and lanky Charlotte Greenwood, a regrettably forgotten character actress. She plays the physical fitness instructor who believes - thanks to the bogus spiritualists - that Cantor's character is her future husband. The chemistry between Greenwood and Cantor is priceless as she relentlessly pursues Eddie. Then there is George Raft as a hood who is out to get Eddie. Finally, there is Mr. Clark, the president of the bakery, who has confused Eddie for an efficiency expert. when he asks Eddie "How many girls do you think work here?", Eddie's answer is a very professional "About half". The whole thing is 77 minutes of enjoyable musical and comedic nonsense that I never get tired of and that could only have been possible pre-code.

Singin in the Rain it isn't, but like that film it is sure to put a smile on your face every time you watch it.

Palmy Days was Eddie Cantor's first original feature film, the previous two Kid Boots and Whoopee were film adaptions of Cantor's previous Broadway successes that presumably carried built in audiences. Palmy Days could be said to be Cantor's first personal film success. It sure came at a time he needed it because being wiped out in the stock market crash Cantor was working real hard to rebuild his nest egg and support his wife and five daughters.

His innocent schnook character who turns the tables often on bigger and cleverer foes was finding real appeal with the movie going public. Cantor works for phony psychic Charles Middleton working all the special effects to convince Middleton's marks during séances that their dearly departed are actually communicating with them. One of Middleton's bigger suckers is bakery owner Spencer Charters who employs a flock of beautiful Goldwyn Girls as his bakers. Cantor who's been abused by Middleton decides to trip up one of his cons by getting a job at Charters's bakery, but Charters mistakes him for someone else and hires him as an efficiency expert. You have to love some of Cantor's brilliant ideas like sawing the corners of Charters's desk so that folks would not be tempted to linger awhile sitting on said corners and taking up his time.

Eddie also hooks up with Amazonian physical culturist Charlotte Greenwood who is always a delight. The two worked well together, they should have done more joint films. Charlotte also has the first musical number in the film Bend Down Sister or exercising with the Goldwyn Girls. Busby Berkeley did the choreography and while he hadn't really reached the creative heights as he did with Warner Brothers his style is unmistakable.

Cantor gets two numbers My Baby Said Yes Yes and There's Nothing Too Good For My Baby. Both are delivered in his quick tempo style, Michael Jackson had nothing on Eddie Cantor when it came to moving about on stage.

Of course Middleton is down, but not out. Cantor and Greenwood have a hilarious climax with Middleton and his two torpedoes Harry Woods and George Raft in the bakery. This was one of Raft's earliest films and he barely gets any dialog, but casting him as a gangster was definitely something he could always handle.

Palmy Days holds up well after more than 80 years, it's classic comedy is timeless and the film is great introduction to one of the funniest men of the last century Eddie Cantor.

This is a very, very silly film. It's so childish and shallow that you'd be embarrassed to say that you really enjoyed it....but if you're not too cynical or humourless, you just might think it's great.

It's like a Christmas pantomime, which in a way is what vaudeville in America was and that's where the star of the show (and writer), Eddie Cantor came from. So we have an absurd story with unbelievable over-the-top acting (including Emperor Ming from Flash Gordon!) .....nevertheless, it is really funny.

The first ten minutes of this film are truly awesome. Holy mackerel, pilchard and halibut! God bless you Sam Goldwyn for the Goldwyn Girls and God bless you Busby Berkley for this. At some point Busby Berkley must have said: 'So, everyone who works in this bakery is a gorgeous young woman - they all sleep together so let's show them all getting out of bed and getting dressed into their super-skimpy aprons.' Someone may have then added: 'Then they will all go to the bakery's gym and do their exercises." "Good idea," says Buz, "but if they're bending over a lot they'll need to wear something even skimpier." It's all innocent seaside postcard fun, it's a bit naughty but not seedy and is so ridiculous that you can't take it seriously - nevertheless, wow, just wow! If our careers teachers had shown this to us at school when we were 12, every single boy would have wanted to be a baker.

This is Eddie Cantor's second Goldwyn/Berkley extravaganza, it's not quite as good as Roman Scandals which came a couple of years later - mainly because that one had a proper (almost) story and the same song writers who did the Busby Berkley movies at Warners. This however is fresh, cheerful and by having proper goodies and baddies chasing each other, it's actually quite exciting at times.