The Goldwyn Follies (1938)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

Ben Hecht (story)
Sid Kuller (special sequences: Ritz Brothers) ...

Release Date:

4 February 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance

Tagline:

And now the aristocrat of the fun shows

Plot:

Movie producer chooses a simple girl to be "Miss Humanity" and to critically evalute his movies from the point of view of the ordinary person...

Plot Keywords:

Movie Producer | Tiger | Mermaid | Penguin | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Adolphe Menjou	...	Oliver Merlin (as Adolph Menjou)
The Ritz Brothers	...	Themselves
Vera Zorina	...	Olga Samara
Kenny Baker	...	Danny Beecher
Andrea Leeds	...	Hazel Dawes
Edgar Bergen	...	Himself
Charlie McCarthy	...	Himself
Helen Jepson	...	Leona Jerome
Phil Baker	...	Michael Day
Bobby Clark	...	A. Basil Crane Jr.
Ella Logan	...	Glory Wood
Jerome Cowan	...	Director Lawrence
Charles Kullmann	...	Alfredo in 'La Traviata'
The American Ballet of the Metropolitan Opera	...	Ballet Dancers
Nydia Westman	...	Ada

Runtime:

USA:115 min (TCM print) | 122 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #3926) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Samuel Goldwyn Company, The

Trivia:

The film lost $727,500 at the box office.

Quotes:

Oliver Merlin: I'm a producer of movies. I get my wagonloads of poets and dramatists, but I can't buy common sense - I cannot buy humanity!
Hazel Dawes: Well, I don't know why, Mr. Merlin. There's an awful lot of it.
Oliver Merlin: Yes, I know, but the moment I buy it, it turns into something else, usually genius, and it isn't worth a dime. Now, if you could stay just as simple as your are, you'd be invaluable to me. I'll put you on my staff. I'll give you a title, "Miss Humanity". Don't rush, you can finish your ice cream soda.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fantasia (1940)

Soundtrack:

I Love to Rhyme

Worth Watching for a Few Acts

Mostly dreadful and overlong this "Follies" attempt patches together a lame plot with a variety of acts.

Adolphe Menjou is fine as the movie producer who hires Andrea Leeds to give him the "human touch" in his films. He falls for her but she's in love with a hamburger slinger (Kenny Baker) she tricks Menjou into hiring for his new film. Throw into this stew Vera Zorina as a temperamental ballet star and you have the framework for this film.

Edgar Bergen (and dummy) provide some humor, especially in a funny bit with radio star Phil Baker. Helen Jepson sings a few numbers (she's no Jeanette MacDonald), Bobby Clark plays the harried casting director, Ella Logan (trying to be Martha Raye) is the chaperone, Nydia Westman is the friend, Frank Shields (tennis pro and grandfather to Brooke) is the assistant director to Jerome Cowan. The Ritz Brothers (dreadful as usual) have one funny bit and stink in the rest of their appearance. Alan Ladd has a bit as an auditioning singer.