Crooner

"Crooner" is a 1932 film starring David Manners, Ann Dvorak, and Ken Murray.

Manners plays a band leader Teddy Taylor whose singer becomes ill before a performance, so he has to take over. He has a voice the size of a mosquito, so someone hands him a megaphone, and a star is born.

His girlfriend (Ann Dvorak) brings a publicist (Murray) to hear him, and Murray signs him, promising Teddy and the band big money. He actually doesn't like Ted's voice, but when he sees how the women fawn all over him, he decides he can take him to the top.

Ted becomes successful and becomes a major jerk, two-timing his girlfriend, refusing to conduct the music at a tempo people can dance to, and demeaning the band.

It's an okay comedy/drama, but the only really comedic part is when Ted is taking voice lessons. I actually didn't find Ted's voice so awful as some other people on this board is - I've heard worse, except when he goes crazy singing high notes for his teacher.

This film apparently was a big success for Manners, who had played standard leading men up to then. He was attractive (and related to Princess Diana on his mother's side), but he didn't stay in films long, preferring writing and painting.

Ann Dvorak turns in her usual good performance, as a sweet, patient woman who becomes fed up.

This film may be the veiled story of Rudy Vallee or perhaps even Bing Crosby -- an egotistical crooner. I imagine both would fit the profile.

Crooner is the story of a bandleader who when the band singer is AWOL does his vocals and with megaphone that a drunk hands him. He becomes an overnight sensation and then let's it all go to his head.

David Manners plays our Crooner and the story is based quite obviously on Rudy Vallee. In fact Manners was a little too close to the real Vallee who probably considered suing.

I think it was a smart move to not have a singer in the part. You might wonder why he didn't have staying power like a Crosby or a Vallee. There are so many out there that are forgotten today who did have their brief moment of glory.

Manners gets good support from the two women in his life girlfriend Ann Dvorak and society girl Claire Dodd who picks up Manners because he was the flavor of that month. Also featured here are Ken Murray as an agent and J. Carrol Naish as a club owner.

Crooner is a quaint piece of depression era nostalgia.

Teddy Taylor (David Manners) leads a struggling band looking for a big break. That break comes through serendipity when a drunk (Guy Kibbee) dances past the band stand and mockingly hands him a megaphone to project. In no time he's "making the charts and the girls are tearing him apart." With overnight success Teddy's demeanor goes from team player to prima donna causing a huge rift between him band members, agent and girl friend (Ann Dvorak).

Crooner is a rather benign story about the pitfalls of instant stardom and the virtues of humility. The handsome Manners is surprisingly effective in the transitioning and there's some light comedy and catchy tunes to keep one's attention. Still, I can't help but wonder if this is a veiled attempt to expose the out of control ego of one of the day's big time crooners. The megaphone prop would suggest Rudy Vallee but it was no secret back then that Bing Crosby dumped his back up band and went on to solo super-stardom.

Ah, for the good old days of simple story lines. "Crooner" follows the rise and fall of Ted Taylor, a small time band leader whose musicians are underpaid and getting restless until a drunk Guy Kibbee (in a surprisingly tiny role) tosses him a megaphone. Now when he sings, women swoon. But all the attention goes to his head and even his paramour, Ann Dvorak, is turned off. Unfortunately, David Manners in the title role isn't much of an actor and even worse as a crooner. Dvorak's a lot better and J. Carroll Naish as the nightclub owner stuck with paying Manners' escalating tab, is fine. Throw in Ken Murray (yeah, that Ken Murray) as a hustling publicist and if only Manners wasn't so stiff -- and his band so listless -- this would have been a lot more entertaining. Whether this was inspired by Rudy Vallee or Bing Crosby is anybody's guess. Not bad -- but shoulda' been better.

There is nothing really remarkable about the story in this one. David Manners plays Ted Taylor, saxophonist in a band that has been having a hard time finding quality gigs. Anne Dvorak plays Ted's girl, Judy Mason. When Ted's band finally gets a spot in a club of some quality, their singer falls ill. The only band member that remotely has a voice is Ted, but unfortunately he doesn't have much volume. When he gets up to sing, nobody can hear him.As a joke, a passing drunk (Guy Kibbee) gives him a megaphone and he becomes a sensation, particularly with the ladies.

Time passes, and Ted becomes a big star with his ego growing to match. The best parts of the film are the small anecdotes and scenes that accompany the main story, which is actually quite mundane. For example, after Ted's fame increases, he's singing at a club where he runs into the original drunk that gave him the megaphone. Kibbee yells up to Ted that he's the guy who gave him the megaphone that first night where he is promptly rebuffed by a now self-important Ted. Kibbee responds by saying "I'm sorry fella, I would have never have done it if I'd have known that you'd turn out like this". Kibbee seldom had starring vehicles of his own, but his antics sure could spice up a movie.

There's also a humorous scene where Ted stands up to sing and the effect on the nightclub's wash rooms is shown. In the ladies' room the place empties as the girls rush out to see Ted sing, while the mens' room becomes full of the ladies' neglected and ignored dates. At a nearby table a willowish wisp of a man says that he thinks Ted is divine, while his husky female companion barks back that she thinks he's lousy.

There is also the legend that the part of Ted was slated to be Dick Powell's first film role, and it's interesting to think how he might have done the role differently, though I think David Manners does a wonderful job with what was obviously meant to be one of Warners' B film efforts.