I came across this short one morning on TCM and I was excited to see something of Betty Hutton's I hadn't seen before. The initial premise looked interesting: characters from stories (Cinderella, Huckleberry Finn, Count of Monte Cristo, etc.) interacting and singing. Sort of like a cartoon from the 30s. Unfortunately there isn't much done with this premise. It seems pointless and irrelevant to the story that these people are characters from books. Anyway, the bulk of this short is old corny vaudeville jokes and offensive minstrel schtick. However after the midway point Betty Hutton has two musical numbers that are great and totally steal the show. Not that stealing the show from old fat white guys in blackface doing jokes that were out of date even in 1940 is exactly hard. So see it for Betty but be prepared to fast-forward through the rest.
9 Reviews
Live Action Cartoon
boblipton28 December 2020
On a set filled with books, men and women emerge from the volumes. They play around with a bottle of ink and proceed to offer a minstrel show with most of the players not putting on blackface. There are a couple of songs sung. Some antique jokes, and costume changes are on offer.
At first I thought this was going to be a live-action equivalent of one of those cartoons set in a magazine store after the lights are turned out. Then it changed into a minstrel show, and then into something else again. I don't think they knew what they wanted this to be.
Well, at least Betty Hutton gets to sing "Old Man Mose".
At first I thought this was going to be a live-action equivalent of one of those cartoons set in a magazine store after the lights are turned out. Then it changed into a minstrel show, and then into something else again. I don't think they knew what they wanted this to be.
Well, at least Betty Hutton gets to sing "Old Man Mose".
Painful and unfunny.
planktonrules28 December 2020
"One for the Book" is a live action short that has a plot exactly like you'd see in a Looney Tunes short....in fact, I've seen a couple cartoons nearly identical to this. It consists of a lot of huge oversize books and characters coming out of the books and performing a lot of awful acts. Some awful is in the eye, or ear, of the beholder. I know some folks like Betty Hutton, but frankly I find her grating. Instead of singing, she seems (as usual) to scream the lyrics much like a six year-old. Again, I know some folks actually like Hutton...but I found her singing painful. The jokes told in the short were also incredibly unfunny....and were told by minstrels. While this is definitely politically incorrect and racist, it also was so unfunny. So, overall you've got a lot of unfunny and painful entertainment and not much to recommend it.
A Musical Mishmash
Ron Oliver26 June 2003
A Warner Bros. & Vitaphone Broadway Brevity.
A collection of tiny literary characters emerge from their books at midnight to cavort atop a reading desk.
Brief and rather bizarre, ONE FOR THE BOOK features a young Betty Hutton as a singing, dancing Cinderella. She's highly energetic, but the film makes no cohesive sense whatsoever, playing out like a collection of musical acts in desperate need of a plot. Minstrel singers, a marching girls band, a shuffle dancer, scary Old Man Mose and plenty of bad jokes are some of the disparate elements in this short subject. Miriam Grahame appears for a few minutes to sing the pretty ballad, Love Will Find A Way,' but it's not enough to save the film.
Among the characters who appear are Captain Kidd, Robinson Crusoe, Huckleberry Finn, Ben-Hur, Rip Van Winkle & the Count of Monte Cristo.
Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.
A collection of tiny literary characters emerge from their books at midnight to cavort atop a reading desk.
Brief and rather bizarre, ONE FOR THE BOOK features a young Betty Hutton as a singing, dancing Cinderella. She's highly energetic, but the film makes no cohesive sense whatsoever, playing out like a collection of musical acts in desperate need of a plot. Minstrel singers, a marching girls band, a shuffle dancer, scary Old Man Mose and plenty of bad jokes are some of the disparate elements in this short subject. Miriam Grahame appears for a few minutes to sing the pretty ballad, Love Will Find A Way,' but it's not enough to save the film.
Among the characters who appear are Captain Kidd, Robinson Crusoe, Huckleberry Finn, Ben-Hur, Rip Van Winkle & the Count of Monte Cristo.
Often overlooked or neglected today, the one and two-reel short subjects were useful to the Studios as important training grounds for new or burgeoning talents, both in front & behind the camera. The dynamics for creating a successful short subject was completely different from that of a feature length film, something akin to writing a topnotch short story rather than a novel. Economical to produce in terms of both budget & schedule and capable of portraying a wide range of material, short subjects were the perfect complement to the Studios' feature films.
Early Betty Hutton short!!
SkippyDevereaux6 April 2001
Weird little film from 1939 with an early appearance by Betty Hutton, before she made it big at Paramount!! Some parts aren't too bad, while other parts are so bad, they are good!! Sort of like an early "Gong Show" episode, circa 1939, where everyone wants to appear in front of a camera and show the world just how bad their talent is!! The humor falls flat, while the musical numbers are not bad at all. The only part I really disliked was the minstrel part--I never did like that type of humor--I just don't understand why anyone would find that funny!! But, all in all, a nice slice of American humor(?) and music from way back when.
black face problem distracting
SnoopyStyle18 November 2023
It's after hours for a collection of books on the shelves. The characters in the books emerge to sing and dance. It would help if I recognize all these characters. Some are big name characters. Why is Cinderella in a glittering dress? For example, I don't know this big band and dancers. Are they from a book or are they just made up for the show? The black face characters are really distracting and I don't know who they are. Where does Sassafras come from? I don't know these performers. The black face problem just won't go away. They are either front and center or prominently in the background.
"ONE FOR THE BOOKS" - Hal Sherman
DanceMarathon120 September 2005
Hal Sherman, my internationally renown hoofer dad, is absolutely delightful in this fun B movie from the 1930s, filled with story book characters like Rip Van Winkle, Huck Finn, Cinderella and my dad as a Victorian comedian.
Hal Sherman tells a few corny Vaudeville jokes, then slips and slides across the stage in Victorian baggy suit and top hat in his inimitable Chaplinesque eccentric dance style.
In a Parisian review in the 1920s he was described as the "Charlie of the Dance." In "One For The Book" Sherman does the "moonwalk" long before Michael Jackson and appears to skate while not moving anything but his rubber legs.
My son, "Dustbrothers" music producer, my grandson, nor I had seen my father dance, so we were delighted to find this film.
A limited edition of one hundred, signed and numbered books, "One For The Book" which will include dance clip, Parisian review (1928) and caricatures of the eccentric dancer is in the works.
Hal Sherman tells a few corny Vaudeville jokes, then slips and slides across the stage in Victorian baggy suit and top hat in his inimitable Chaplinesque eccentric dance style.
In a Parisian review in the 1920s he was described as the "Charlie of the Dance." In "One For The Book" Sherman does the "moonwalk" long before Michael Jackson and appears to skate while not moving anything but his rubber legs.
My son, "Dustbrothers" music producer, my grandson, nor I had seen my father dance, so we were delighted to find this film.
A limited edition of one hundred, signed and numbered books, "One For The Book" which will include dance clip, Parisian review (1928) and caricatures of the eccentric dancer is in the works.
Decent If Old Fashioned
Michael_Elliott29 August 2009
One for the Book (1940)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Decent musical from Warner features Betty Hutton playing a singing Cinderella. The film takes place on a book shelf where several famous characters come out of the books for some nice music. Captain Kidd, Huck Finn, Ben-Hur, Rip Van Winkle and Robinson Crusoe are a few of the other characters who show up. Fans of Hutton will certainly want to check this short out as she clearly steals the film with her Jitterbug singing that really packs a nice punch and makes for a fun time. The story itself doesn't make a bit of sense and at times gets downright confusing but we can overlook this. Some will probably be offended by the politically incorrect humor, which includes actors in blackface talking black slang. Having seen enough of this humor, I know this is just a part of film history so I don't get offended by it even though it's incredibly out of touch with today's common sense. With that said, it really brings the film down because the humor is just lame and not funny at all.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
Decent musical from Warner features Betty Hutton playing a singing Cinderella. The film takes place on a book shelf where several famous characters come out of the books for some nice music. Captain Kidd, Huck Finn, Ben-Hur, Rip Van Winkle and Robinson Crusoe are a few of the other characters who show up. Fans of Hutton will certainly want to check this short out as she clearly steals the film with her Jitterbug singing that really packs a nice punch and makes for a fun time. The story itself doesn't make a bit of sense and at times gets downright confusing but we can overlook this. Some will probably be offended by the politically incorrect humor, which includes actors in blackface talking black slang. Having seen enough of this humor, I know this is just a part of film history so I don't get offended by it even though it's incredibly out of touch with today's common sense. With that said, it really brings the film down because the humor is just lame and not funny at all.
Great song and dance short comedy
Bill-4652 September 2001
This was a great short. The politically correct will not find humor in the minstrel part, but I find it great. The PC crowd looks for things to be insulted over...reaching deep into history if need be to find it. This was humor...nothing more so don't let your imagination run away with you. Betty Hutton was great as was the whole cast. You can't judge 1939 by 2001 standards. Lighten up, get a grip and enjoy.
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