The Song Writers' Revue (1930)

This short showcases composers and lyricists of songs that are now considered standards of American popular music. For the complete list of songs performed, check the soundtrack listing. ... See full summary »

Director:

Sammy Lee

Stars:

Gus Edwards, Dave Dreyer, Fred E. Ahlert

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gus Edwards	...	Himself
Dave Dreyer	...	Himself
Fred E. Ahlert	...	Himself (as Fred A. Ahlert)
Roy Turk	...	Himself
Ray Heindorf	...	Himself
Nacio Herb Brown	...	Himself
Arthur Freed	...	Himself
Ray Egan	...	Himself
Fred Fisher	...	Himself
David Snell	...	Himself (as Dave Snell)
Jack Benny	...	Himself
Babe Click	...	Herself

Storyline

This short showcases composers and lyricists of songs that are now considered standards of American popular music. For the complete list of songs performed, check the soundtrack listing. For several of these song writers, this is their only known appearance in a theatrically released film.

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Genres:

Short | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Yiddish

Release Date:

6 January 1930 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

20 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

Babe Click is identified by Jack Benny during an interview.

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Connections

Featured in That's Entertainment, Part II (1976)

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Soundtracks

"The Birth of a Popular Song"
Written by Dave Dreyer
Performed by orchestra

User Reviews

Worth Watching

Song Writers' Revue, The (1930)

*** (out of 4)

MGM short has a young Jack Benny introducing eight of the world's most famous song writers who then play brief parts of their most famous songs. Gus Edwards, Dave Dreyer, Fred Ahlert, Roy Turk, Ray Heindorf, Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed, Ray Egan, Fred Fisher and Dave Snell all take part in the short. The music selections, some still known, are pretty good and this is certainly the highlight of the film. Benny adds a few quick jokes but none of them are all too funny. The film is hampered by some extremely poor filming, which at times looks as if there is a child holding the camera. The editing isn't too impressive either but this doesn't hamper the music too badly.