College Swing

College Swing is a minor musical comedy that stars Gracie Allen and George Burns in their followup to their underrated A Damsel in Distress with Fred Astaire. Screwy plot involves Gracie needing to pass a college exam and employing Bob Hope to help her. Martha Raye joins the faculty as professor of romance. The storyline makes no sense at all but with these 4 comedy giants, it's hard to resist. Throw into this zany pot Betty Grable, Edward Everett Horton, Ben Blue, Jackie Coogan (then married to Grable), John Payne, Robert Cummings, Richard Denny, Florence George, and the wonderful Cecil Cunningham and you have a spirited but aimless film. Raye displays her good singing voice and cracks up Hope in a few scenes. Burns comes off worst. Worth a look.

This is a hodgepodge of various skits and songs haphazardly put together by a wisp of a plot of Gracie Allen inheriting a college by getting all her answers right after 200 years of her descendants doing the opposite. Ms. Allen does appear with husband and performing partner George Burns here but not all the way through as she also does scenes with Edward Everett Horton and Bob Hope, whose second feature this was for him. There's also Martha Raye and Ben Blue for additional comedy relief. Romantic leads are John Payne and Florence George though there's very little of that. Oh, and Betty Grable and then-husband Jackie Coogan also cut the rug quite nicely. In summary, this was quite entertaining and if you don't really care about the "plot", College Swing should go down real easy for you.

If this movie was being reviewed as a "movie" the rating would not be very high. As a movie with a story it is quite weak. However (and this is a BIG however) it is a very good vehicle for the studio's stars. In a sense it is a 90 minute variety show from 1938. It has very good singing (one forgets how multi-talented many of the early stars of movies were), good dancing sequences, and some very funny slapstick sketches. Gracie Allen's skill at using language and to turn conversations upside down is very well showcased. She really was very good. And, she could sing well and could also dance. All three skills are shown during the movie. All of this makes the movie one to see and enjoy.

This is an oddball, star-studded Paramount musical, frivolously directed by Raoul Walsh, in one of handful of fluffy star vehicles he churned out in the period after his Fox tenure and before he settled at Warners. I saw it because of the music and director Walsh, and I was thoroughly pleased with it.

"College Swing" is one of numerous entertaining musicals set on campus that were popular in the 30s. Including this one, there were also "College Humor"(1933), "College Rhythm"(1934), "Old Man Rhythm" (1935),"College Holiday"(1936), and "Pigskin Parade"(1936) among others. These are feathery, inadvertently escapist froths that are generally characterized by zesty songs, funny one-liners, and implausible boy-meets-girl romance.

I tend to agree with the other users that plot of "College Swing" is inordinately silly and weak; however, that doesn't make it unwatchable. The songs and dance numbers have their own peculiar excitement. The number in the beginning featuring the young, up-and-coming Betty Grable and fellow students dancing at a pub is particularly delightful. I also liked the funny scenes between Bob Hope & Martha Raye. Florence George & John Payne make nice young romantic couple. Gracie Allen & George Burns continue their raucous shenanigans, though their comic acts tend to slow down the plot as much as enliven it.

Worth seeing if you like this sort of fluff.

"College Swing" is one of the many comedy-musical films that Hollywood produced during the 1930s. Once sound was added to motion pictures, it seems as though the public couldn't get enough of the variety type of musicals. As with most others, the plot is very thin, and in this one, very goofy. But it's just there to string together a number of very good songs, dance numbers and comedy routines. And "College Swing" is loaded with these and a great cast to carry them out.

Many big names of entertainment and the silver screen are in this film, most credited but some not. Films like this let the public see and hear a variety of otherwise unknown talents and groups perform. The band at the heart of the review numbers in the film is Skinnay Ennis. He didn't achieve the big-time fame of the likes of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Harry James, or some others. But his orchestras was a regular feature of Bob Hope's radio show, and later the Bud Abbott and Lou Costello radio show. His popularity from those led to solid bookings on the road circuit during summers.

Gracie Allen is the principal comedy character in "College Swing," followed by Martha Raye who also has some good musical numbers. Bob Hope's role was more as an emcee, although his character, Bud Brady, cooks up most of the shenanigans that provide some of the laughs. This film has a great supporting cast as well as some younger stars in small roles, such as Betty Grable and Jackie Coogan. This is a good film for those who enjoy swing music, especially as it was played and performed in its heyday.