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GOLD DIGGERS IN Paris (Warner Brothers, 1938), directed by Ray Enright, the last in the annual musical series, is the least known and discussed of all the "Gold Diggers" musicals of the 1930s that Dick Powell with choreography by Busby Berkeley. It's been long unseen in many years until resurrected and presented on cable's Turner Network Television in 1989, and later on Turner Classic Movies after 1994, where it currently airs every so often. It's not even given any kind of critique by Leonard Maltin in his respected annual "Movies and Video Guide" book. In spite of its recent discovery to a newer audience today, it's still virtually unknown and forgotten, possibly because it's not up to its predecessors, straining for laughs with weak musical interludes before the finale.In the story, which opens in Paris, Pierre LeBrac (Melville Cooper) is holding a board meeting where he is selecting several members to go to various countries and bring back the greatest dance groups from all over the world to appear in their upcoming Paris Exposition. Maurice Giraud (Hugh Herbert), afraid to come to American because of his fear of facing the savage Indians(!), is chosen to come to America anyway to bring back the American Ballet Company. While in New York City, Giraud comes to the Club Balle' where Terry Moore (Rudy Vallee), singer and proprietor, is entertaining. Giraud, who mistakes Terry's club for a ballet company, invites Moore's troupe to come back with him to Paris to appear in the annual dance expedition for $10,000 plus expenses paid to the company. Because his night club isn't making any profits anyway, Terry, along with his partner, Duke Dennis (Allen Jenkins) accept. Before they go, Terry and Duke decide to find the best ballet master to train the girls who can only dance to modern swing music. They choose Professor Luis Leoni (Fritz Feld) from the directory, and find Kay Morrow (Rosemary Lane), a ballet dancer, to be his only pupil. Rounding out the girls, Terry and company board the ship to Paris where he becomes interested in Kay, in spite of the presence of his ex-wife, Mona (Gloria Dickson), who is also Kay's cabin roommate. While in Paris, problems arise when the real American Ballet Company arrives and Terry's troupe is exposed as imposters.With music and lyrics by Harry Warren and Al Dubin, the musical program includes: "I Wanna Go Back to Bali" (sung by Rudy Vallee and chorus); "Day Dreaming All Night Long" (sung by Vallee and Rosemary Lane/ lyrics by Johnny Mercer); "A Stranger in Paree" (sung by Vallee imitating Maurice Chevalier; Rosemary Lane, Mabel Todd, Allen Jenkins, Gloria Dickson and the Schnickelfritz Band); "The Latin Quarter" (sung by Lane, Vallee/chorus); and "I Wanna Go Back to Bali" (sung by Vallee, Mabel Todd, Allen Jenkins and chorus). While "My Adventure" is listed among one of the songs in the movie, it's either been deleted or heard as instrumental background music.In between Vallee's crooning comes The Schnickelfritz Band, in their movie debuts, taking the spotlight to themselves with "Listen to the Mockingbird," "Who's That Man, It's Colonel Corn," and performing an instrumental number at the Paris banquet. These wild and goofy bandplayers somewhat pre-date the antics of the more famous Spike Jones and his City Slickers Band of the 1940s. The Schnickelfritz Band faded away as fast as they appeared, drifting to some "poverty-row" musicals in the 1940s, before disappearing from sight.With the exception of Gloria Dickson trying to obtain her alimony from her ex-hubby (Vallee), and few scenes involving a couple of chorus girls playing up to middle-aged well-to-do Frenchmen, the movie hardly has any gold digging antics. Most of all, what weakens the storyline besides the time worn misunderstanding and mistaken identity plot, is the ventriloquism segment involving Mabel Todd (the blonde with the buck teeth and funny laugh) throwing her voice to a great dane to the confused Maurice (Herbert), making him believe that he's encountered a "talking dog." Even Hugh Herbert, supporting a mustache and beret, is not too convincing speaking with a French accent.It's been mentioned by host Robert Osborne in one of the showings of GOLD DIGGERS IN Paris that Dick Powell, the original choice, turned down the role that went to Rudy Vallee, in his first film since SWEET MUSIC (WB, 1935). Aside from Vallee's Chevalier imitation, he also impersonates the then current US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Busby Berkeley's choreography is the best he could do with this edition, mainly due to limited funds to produce a lavish show-stopping production. "The Latin Quarter" is a catchy tune, and was used again as background music in numerous Pepi Le Pew cartoons, which explains why that tune sounds familiar. With a bit of nostalgia, GOLD DIGGERS IN Paris uses segments of the "Young and Healthy" number from 42nd STREET (1933) and "Spin a Little Web of Dreams" from FASHIONS OF 1934 under its opening title credits, followed by backdrops of Paris which includes the famous Eiffel Tower.GOLD DIGGERS IN Paris, which focuses more on singing and band playing than dancing, looks more like a 1940s musical. It also shows the changing of the times as well as the decline of the Warners musicals, which used to be something special during the 1933-1935 period. Besides this being the "weakest link" in the series, the movie itself is still watchable. For star searchers, look for Eddie "Rochester" Anderson in a small role as a doorman, and try to find Carole Landis (1919-1948), before she became a blonde in 20th Century-Fox productions of the 1940s, as one of the members of gold digging troupe. (**1/2)
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