At "Satan & Co., Inc.", the Devil is upset because too many people are going up to Heaven rather than down to Hades. He gives his assistant, Mr. Burns the task of getting more people to his ... Read allAt "Satan & Co., Inc.", the Devil is upset because too many people are going up to Heaven rather than down to Hades. He gives his assistant, Mr. Burns the task of getting more people to his domain. In front of a nightclub, Mr. Burns invites a crowd of people to come inside to "Th... Read allAt "Satan & Co., Inc.", the Devil is upset because too many people are going up to Heaven rather than down to Hades. He gives his assistant, Mr. Burns the task of getting more people to his domain. In front of a nightclub, Mr. Burns invites a crowd of people to come inside to "The Devil's Cabaret" and be entertained. After they enjoy songs and dancing, the people go w... Read all
- Howie Burns
- (as Eddie Buzzell)
- Impy
- (uncredited)
- Chorus girl
- (uncredited)
- Chorine in Black
- (uncredited)
- Stuttering Blonde
- (uncredited)
- The Preacher
- (uncredited)
- Mr. Satan
- (uncredited)
- Mel (man with deck of cards)
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
The acting is of a vaudeville quality, and not exactly of the highest. I can't say a lot of invention went into this peice, but it is pretty fun to watch, and something that would never have been allowed just a few short years later. A novelty, not worth the price of admission, but worth five minutes of anyone's time.
Eventually Burns heads to Earth (and a speakeasy) for more recruits. Those induced to go to Hades to keep the good times rolling arrive via slide, where they are treated to most jaw-dropping scene of all: a fairly lavish (for a short) music and dance number, where the dancers rip off their modest, fit-for-a-Quaker outfits to reveal their "satanic" (and scanty) outfits (complete with little horns), and surround a giant, illuminated devil's head that rises out of the center stage. Along with the "Marijuana" musical number in Murder at the Vanities, this is one of the pre-Code musical bits most likely to surprise modern audiences; I'm sure some religious types would take offense even now. One can only imagine what they thought back in 1931 (I guess the movement to enforce the Production Code, which achieved success in 1934, might offer a clue!)
This film is also a very good example of the two-strip technicolor technique used sporadically before the full, three-strip process was introduced in Becky Sharp (1935). The two-strip process doesn't really render hues of blue, but that flaw is not overwhelming in a short largely set in the reddish confines of "Hades".
You may need the luck of the Devil to catch this treat on TCM, so keep watching!
The jazzy title music is great---very typical for the period. All in all, very good little film.
TCM is the best thing going now---one can only hope it never goes the way of AMC, who once was just like TCM, but now has gobs of commercials which render watching AMC nearly impossible.
Gary
Did you know
- TriviaThe nightclub sequence was built around the Albertina Rasch's Hades Ballet originally intended to be used in MGM's abandoned The March of Time (1930).
- Quotes
Howie Burns: I'll do my best to do my worst.
- ConnectionsEdited from The March of Time (1930)
- SoundtracksCome Hot It Up with Me
(1931) (uncredited)
Music by Herbert Stothart
Lyrics by Howard Johnson
Played during the opening credits and often as background music
Performed by Edward Buzzell and chorus
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Дьявольское кабаре
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 16m