IMDb >
Playing Around (1930)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsPlaying Around (1930) More at IMDbPro »
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
19 January 1930 (USA) moreTagline:
AMERICA'S GIRL FRIEND (original poster)Plot:
New York girl (Alice White) has a dull boyfriend (William Bakewell) and seems destined for a dull marriage... more | add synopsisUser Comments:
Alice White as a Tenement Girl. moreCast
(Complete credited cast)| Alice White | ... | Sheba Miller | |
| Chester Morris | ... | Nickey Solomon | |
| William Bakewell | ... | Jack | |
| Richard Carlyle | ... | Pa Miller | |
| Marion Byron | ... | Maude, the Telephone Operator | |
| Maurice Black | ... | Joe, the Restaurant Proprietor | |
| Lionel Belmore | ... | Blackbeard Morgan, in the Show | |
| Shep Camp | ... | Jim, the Master of Ceremonies | |
| Ann Brody | ... | Mrs. Fennerbeck | |
| Nellie V. Nichols | ... | Mrs. Lippincott |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
66 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Vitaphone (Western Electric Sound System)Certification:
USA:Passed (National Board of Review)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Vitaphone production reels #3817-3823. moreSoundtrack:
Playing Around moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Playing Around (1930)Recommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Times Square Lady | Party Girl | Daring Daughters | Safety in Numbers | King of Chinatown |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |


Alice White stars as Sheba Miller, a girl who wants more out of life than her soda-jerk boyfriend (William Bakewell) can give her. After winning a leg contest at a nightclub called The Pirate Den, she catches the eye of smooth talker Chester Morris, and she starts dating him. Bakewell hilariously comments that Morris dresses "like all his clothes fit him." Morris also flashes money and drives a snappy roadster. All these things are dear to White's heart. But then there is a neat plot twist that changes everything.
White is adorable and gets to sing "You Learn About Love Every Day." It's her only song but the nightclub acts sing a few more, including "You're My Captain Kidd" and "That's the Lowdown on the Lowdown." By 1930 audiences were tired of backstage musicals so filmmakers moved the numbers out front, which made them more realistic.
Morris and Bakewell are good, and then there's Marion Byron as the jazzy phone operator in the office where White works. White and Byron had also starred together in Broadway BABIES. Maurice Black is good as Joe the Bartender who gets suckered by Morris. Richard Carlyle plays White's father. And in a humorous tenement bit, Nellie Nichols and Ann Brody play a pair of immigrant gossipers who hang out their windows and exchange news in fractured English.
PLAYING AROUND was one of five films White starred in in 1930. In 1931, she had her final starring role in THE NAUGHTY FLIRT.
Worth a look for Alice White and some snappy pre-Code dialog.