Harmless, tuneful hour of charm
Author:
Ray Faiola from New York, NY
28 March 2011
Well, here is one of the innumerable six-reelers produced by Universal
in the early 1940's. The threadbare story - about a swing band being
brought to New York to play on a radio program - serves as the
framework for 1. a collection of very nice tunes, none of which,
surprisingly, were published; 2. an opportunity for Leon Errol to do
his famous drunk pantomime; 3. yet another chance for audiences to
smile back at cutie-pie Baby Sandy. Judge for yourself if this last
attribute is, indeed, a virtue. Pint-sized Universal stock players
Butch and Buddy get off a few laughs, though some of their musical
footage was trimmed - at least based on the surviving music tracks. Bob
Paige and Anne Gwynne make a great couple and Paige is in very fine
voice. But it's the Merry Macs who steal the show with a basket of
tunes, most notably "Cariacabu" - a rhythmic ditty that never saw a
studio cover. It is doubtful that this one will show up any time soon
on cable or DVD. Some of us keep these bupkies alive via our 16mm
collections. Are we crazy? Maybe. But our toes are tapping!
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