The Opry House (II) (1929) User Reviews

Nothing fancy but well done.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 31 January 2012]

Like many of the Vitaphone musical shorts of the era, this is one that might not appeal too much to modern audiences because the style of the songs are old fashioned. However, they also are wonderful historical treasures--showing acts that might never have been seen again had it not been for the Vitaphone folks who featured them in their short films. In this case, The Mound City Blue Blowers and Doris Walker perform.

As to the plot, there really isn't any other than the MC of the opera house announcing that the road wash out prevented the acts from being there and they have replaced them with local talent....and their are no refunds. Other than that, it's pretty typical except for one thing--there is an audience. Now it could have really been a few stage hands clapping and cheering, but this was very atypical. As far as the Mound city Blues Blowers go, I liked their music quite a bit--it was very charming. Doris Walker had a very nice voice and sang on the third tune. Nothing fancy here--just a nice typical Vitaphone short.

A little down home theater

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 24 November 2018]

The Opry House is one of Warner Brothers earliest Vitagraph shorts and I doubt it got much play in New York City or the west coast. But in what would become red state America this short subject no doubt played a lot of theaters newly equipped for sound.

An act called the Mound City Blowers gives us a selection of songs from the era and from further back. I doubt the act ever played the palace, but I'm sure they were featured at the Rheinman auditorium where the Grand Old Opry would be playing.

A nice piece of nostalgia.

Before the invention of movies . . .

[tadpole-596-918256 · 5/10 · 30 November 2018]

. . . it was "anything goes" in the Music World, THE OPRY HOUSE suggests. No matter how lame, tone deaf, or out-of-sync self-proclaimed "musicians" were, if they could sit upright in a chair, folks apparently assumed that they were worthwhile entertainment. Take the four jokers comprising the "Mound City Blue Blowers," for instance. This haphazard quartet monopolizes "center stage" throughout the four hours of THE OPRY HOUSE. (Though my screen counter indicates that this musical murder mystery--as in, "Why were these four bozos allowed to strangle a trio of songs?!"--was more than three and a half hours shorter than that, it sure SEEMED like an endless marathon to me!) The obviously underfunded Mound City gang even have one dude playing a can, with another "drumming" on a cuspidor wielding two whisk brooms! THE OPRY HOUSE was such a bust that Mound City itself went belly up, due to guilt by association. Consequently, Music took a quantum leap forward, resulting in such headline acts as Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli Today.

Delightful Surprise from a Bygone Era

[sobaok · 10/10 · 26 February 2002]

William "Red" McKenzie's Mound City Blue Blowers make great music together! Guitar-legend Eddie Lang is on hand as well as Jack Bland on banjo -- I believe the rubber-legged dancer playing the whisk brooms with the Stan Laurel grin is Dick Slevin (he steals the show). Red's kazooing and honeyed-vocals are very impressive -- he later went on the sing with Paul Whitemans band. The was pure joy to see!

Possibly the best variety short ever

[brausahol · 10/10 · 10 August 2003]

Superb music, great guitar & banjo playing, beautiful singing, and a quirky little dance number at the finale make for 9 brilliant musical minutes. Released in 1929, "The Opry House" is more hip and modern than anything made today for MTV or VH1. Yet, it has an unpretentious, nostalgic charm that only adds to its luster. A masterwork.

These guys were cool

[tarapata · 24 November 2004]

Just saw this for the first time. This is really fresh. The band is young and, for the time, very hip. There is a guitar, a banjo, a guy playing the top of a suitcase with whisk brooms (who also does a sort of shuffle dance) and the singer Lew Hearn, who vocalizes and plays a tin can with both ends cut off, as well as a comb and tissue paper. He has a very light, jazzy way of singing. (think Leon Redbone as a tenor instead of a baritone.)Very gentle delivery, a remarkable necktie and a great hat. These guys were cool. The only deadly part is Doris Walker singing Let Me Call You Sweetheart. It's positively Victorian, plus she wears an ugly short dress that shows her very unattractive knees.

Overall, I can't wait to see this again.

A gem

[rowe-4 · 10/10 · 3 March 2001]

Lovely short that transports you back in time. Luscious and delightful!

Possibly the best variety short ever

[brausahol · 10/10 · 5 August 2003]

Superb music, great guitar & banjo playing, beautiful singing, and a quirly little dance number at the finale make for 9 brilliant musical minutes. Released in 1929, "The Opry House" is more hip and modern than anything made today for MTV or VH1. Yet, it has an unpretentious, nostalgic charm that only adds to its luster. A masterwork.

Fun short

[Paularoc · 8/10 · 12 March 2013]

This enjoyable short features the Mound City Blue Blowers and Doris Walker (performers I had never heard of). Lew Hearn as the small town Opera House manager makes an introduction telling the audience that the scheduled performers couldn't make it because the road was washed out. He then tells them "It's our policy not to refund money so enjoy the show as best as you can." I especially enjoyed the numbers "I ain't go nobody" and "Let me call you sweetheart." The short ends with a quirky and fun dance number. Many decades ago, I was in a very small town in Nebraska that still had a well preserved Opera House (no longer used as that, though); it was a grand old and small building. I can easily imagine performances such as those in this short being held there. A by-gone era that this short wonderfully captures.

Delightful Surprise

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 27 November 2018]

When the manager of the opera house comes out and tells the audience that featured act had train trouble and wouldn't make it, they are treated to ten minutes of delight. I don't know the featured players, but the lead singer uses an improvised kazoo to perfection. There are two true musicians: a banjo player and guitarist. Both are wonderful. But the guy who I couldn't take my eyes off was a percussionist, playing drum beats with a couple whisk brooms on what looks like a large suitcase. I'm going to watch it again. So much fun.

Fun Vitaphone Short

[Michael_Elliott · 3 August 2009]

Opry House, The (1929)

*** (out of 4)

Early Vitaphone short shouldn't be confused with the Mickey Mouse short of the same name and released the same year. This 9-minute musical is actually one of the best of its type as we get a few short songs and a closing dance number. Red McKenzie sings "I Ain't Got Nobody Much (and Nobody Cares for Me)" and clearly steals with film with a unique voice and some great playing by his band. The two other songs are quite as classic but they're still a pleasure to listen to.

If interested you can catch this on Turner Classic Movies from time to time.