Moonlight and Pretzels (1933)

Director:

Karl Freund

Writers:

Monte Brice (writer)
Jay Gorney (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

1 August 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Drama

Plot:

A song plugger is stranded in a small town. There he meets a girl who later helps him to put on a show on Broadway. |

Cast

Leo Carrillo	...	Nick Pappacroplis
Mary Brian	...	Sally Upton
Roger Pryor	...	George Dwight
Herbert Rawlinson	...	Sport Powell
Lillian Miles	...	Elsie Warren
Bobby Watson	...	Bertie
William Frawley	...	Mack
Jack Denny	...	Himself - Orchestra Leader (as Jack Denny and His Waldorf Astoria Orchestra)
Frank Britton	...	Himself (as Frank and Milt Britton and Band)
Milt Britton	...	Himself (as Frank and Milt Britton and band)
Alexander Gray	...	Singer (song 'Dusty Shoes')
Bernice Claire	...	Herself - Singer (song 'Ah - But Is It Love')
Eton Boys	...	Themselves, Musical Vocal Ensemble
The Girlfriend Trio	...	Themselves, Musical Vocal Ensemble
John Hundley	...	Man in bed
Doris Carson	...	Woman in bed
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Helen Bennett	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Alexander Campbell	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
James B. Carson	...	Beer Drinker (uncredited)
Geraldine Dvorak	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Richard Keene	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Mary Lange	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Donald MacBride	...	Business Associate (uncredited)
Doro Merande	...	Hymn-singing lady (uncredited)
Phil Regan	...	End Man (uncredited)
Louis Sorin	...	Hobart (uncredited)
Max Stamm	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Jean Stuart	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Anya Taranda	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Sonny Walters	...	Showgirl (uncredited)
Mildred Webb	...	Showgirl (uncredited)

Directed by
Karl Freund

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Monte Brice		writer
Jay Gorney		screenplay
Sig Herzig		story
Arthur L. Jarrett		writer

Produced by
Stanley Bergerman	....	supervising producer
Monte Brice	....	producer
William Rowland	....	producer

Cinematography by
William Miller

Film Editing by
Robert R. Snody		(as Robert Snody)

Costume Design by
Brooks
Brymer
Eaves

Music Department
Jay Gorney	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Monte Brice	....	dialogue director
Bobby Connolly	....	dance director
Carl Laemmle	....	presenter

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1933) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1934) (Austria) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Eastern Service Studios Inc.  production facilities

Also Known As:

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Filming Locations:

Eastern Service Studios, Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Soundtrack:

There's a Little Bit of You (In Every Love Song)

Universal makes like Berkeley

"42nd Street" had just come out, and Universal attempted its own version of a backstage musical a la Busby Berkeley with this oddly titled curiosity. It was made in New York for $100,000, which even then was ridiculously cheap, and the corner-cutting is visible in the sets, costumes, and substandard hoofing of the chorus girls, who nevertheless are advertised as "150 of Broadway's loveliest beauties," or somesuch. The screenplay's uninspired, the direction prosaic, the stars not terribly interesting (Roger Pryor, in the Dick Powell role, looks uncomfortable, and Mary Brian has a nice personality but less-than-huge musical talent; Lilian Miles, in the Bebe Daniels part, comes off best). Yet it's fascinating, and entertaining. Thank, first of all, the Jay Gorney-Yip Harburg score, with assistance from Sammy Fain and other fine tunesmiths. "Dusty Shoes," the team's attempt to rewrite their earlier "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" in a slightly more optimistic light, is a wonderful number, powerfully sung by Alexander Gray, and other songs run to such oddities as "Let's Make Love Like the Crocodiles." One could do with less of Leo Carrillo's dialect comedy (he gets top billing, though he's not really the lead), and the show-biz clichés get a little oppressive. Still, it's very worth catching.