Hitting a New High (1937)

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Robert Harari (story), Maxwell Shane (story),

Stars:

Lily Pons, Jack Oakie, John Howard

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lily Pons	...	Suzette, aka Oogahunga, the Bird-Girl
Jack Oakie	...	Corny Davis
John Howard	...	Jimmy James
Eric Blore	...	Cedric Cosmo, aka Captain Braceridge Hemingway
Edward Everett Horton	...	Lucius B. Blynn
Eduardo Ciannelli	...	Andreas Mazzini
Luis Alberni	...	Luis Marlo
Vinton Hayworth	...	Carter Haig (as Jack Arnold)
Leonard Carey	...	Jervons, Blynn's Butler

Storyline

---

Plot Keywords:

audition | new york city | photographer | jazz music | africa | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

24 December 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

De zangvogel van Broadway en Parijs

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Victor System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film lost considerable money at the box office. Lily Pons never made another non-concert film.

---

Goofs

A Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo is seen in the African jungle when Oogahunga is found. Later on, Mazzini refers to Oogahunga as an "Egyptian Cockatoo". Cockatoos are native to Australia and some islands to its north, and are not found in Africa. A cockatoo is also seen later in Blynn's house as a pet, but this is not unusual, as cockatoos have been imported to the USA and kept as pets for many years.

---

Soundtracks

"I Hit a New High"
(1937)
Music by Jimmy McHugh (as James McHugh)
Lyrics by Harold Adamson
Played during the opening credits
Sung by Lily Pons and sung and danced by the chorus at the Chez Suzette

User Reviews

nobody combines opera, jazz, & screwball comedy these days

If we substituted similar-looking Eleanor Powell for Lily Pons, this could be an Astaire movie, the look and cast are so familiar. I would say, though, you really have to like opera to sit through so much of it in quite static staging in this movie. The way she used her voice in Africa to sound like a bird was for me the best part and quite remarkable as was the bird on her finger to whom she sang. (The animal wranglers had some real challenges in this production and did an excellent job.)

I was glad to hear the famous opera star but her speaking voice was unpleasant and her persona uninteresting. And it had one of those endings that was so boring I felt they needed a certain number of minutes and then concluded the movie. So on the whole I'd say it's one to watch if you have time to kill and aren't too choosy. I'm giving this an extra star for the music and animals--the parrot in the final scene was far more interesting than what happened to the characters. It isn't particularly witty or engaging or entertaining or...anything. Whatever originality it had vanished after the African adventure. It's just kind of there and most if it might be best enjoyed by using it as background music while you did something else.