IMDb on iPhone and iPod touch Learn more Learn more Download from the App Store
IMDb > Sweet Adeline (1934)

Sweet Adeline (1934) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
5.9/10   101 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 7% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Jerome Kern (play) &
Oscar Hammerstein II (play) ...
more
Contact:
View company contact information for Sweet Adeline on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
29 December 1934 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
In 1898, composer Sid Barnett manages to get his sweetheart, Adeline the beer-garden singer, to sing... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Should Have Become A Lost Film more (6 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Irene Dunne ... Adeline 'Addie' Schmidt
Donald Woods ... Sid Barnett

Hugh Herbert ... Rupert Rockingham
Ned Sparks ... Dan Herzig
Joseph Cawthorn ... Oscar Schmidt
Wini Shaw ... Elysia (as Winifred Shaw)
Louis Calhern ... Major Jim Day
Nydia Westman ... Nellie Schmidt
Dorothy Dare ... Dot - Band Leader
Phil Regan ... Michael - Singer
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
87 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #416)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Like many film musicals adapted from stage successes of the time, the plot line and characters of "Sweet Adeline" bear only a faint resemblance to the ones in the original Broadway show. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: The action takes place in 1898, but two cast members sing the title song, "You're the Flower of My Heart, Sweet Adeline", which wasn't published until 1903. more
Soundtrack:
Pretty Little Jenny Lee more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
3 out of 5 people found the following comment useful.
Should Have Become A Lost Film, 26 December 2006
1/10
Author: timothymcclenaghan from United States

The print recently shown on TCM was really bad. Of all the films that were lost due to deterioration of the film stock, this film should have been one of them.

With composers Gershwin, Porter and Rodgers & Hart providing Broadway with fresh, original material in the 1920s, the original 1929 stage production must have been hopelessly corny even if successful, and its transition to film doesn't improve the corn factor.

The one surviving song (and rightfully so), "Why Was I Born", is given to Dunne's character, and though she sings sweetly, it's a torch song more suited to later singers like Sarah Vaughn. It seems out of place in this story, since it's not used to advance the plot. The rest of the songs are just too dated and hokey for today's audience.

Warner Brothers rounds up veteran character actors—Ned Sparks, Hugh Herbert, and Joseph Cawthorn—and even they can't help this film. Better if Warners had assigned Busby Berkeley to choreograph and/or direct, because the dance numbers are a very weak imitation of Berkeley's style without the interesting camera angles.

Even hard-core Irene Dunne fans might find it hard to sit through this film.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (6 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Sweet Adeline (1934)

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
On the Avenue Gold Diggers of 1933 Go Into Your Dance Broadway Serenade Kiss Me Kate
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Musical section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.