... instead it is a clash of musical styles. It can't figure out if it wants to accentuate the jazz of Tommy Christian and his Collegians and the accompanying eccentric dancing, or the operatic style of singing that is Ellalee Ruby's (as Betty).
The plot veers wildly, opening on the celebration of a boat race being won by Burdette University's crew team due to the prowess of Tommy (Tommy Christian). All of this seems strange for a couple of reasons - one being that sports are never mentioned again in the film, and another being that Tommy Christian is very slender and reed-like and does not strike me as the athletic type.
It's a tale of love (Tommy and Betty), an interloper that does her best to break up the romance and just cause trouble in general (Lucy Ames as Lulu), and a dean who is shocked!...shocked I say!... to discover that college kids like to hang out at nightclubs and drink - I mean Prohibition made it illegal!. Finally there are the police that just don't make arrests at a speakeasy, but take the apprehended back to their "college gang" and give lectures and pressure those arrested to put the finger on who else was there. I'm sure the police would have been unable to solve murders and robberies if they had exhibited such nanny state behavior during prohibition - it would have taken up all of their time.
The famous scene of the incompetent chorines is not what it is cracked up to be and comes at the end. I watched this scene carefully and it is typical of cinematic choreography in 1929 - with camera movement being so limited the chorus is confined to doing splits and simple routines that do not involve much movement. I saw no "botched splits" in which the dancers attempt a split, get halfway to the floor, and give up, as has been reported. Instead they do a partial split and then reposition themselves so that they curl their legs underneath themselves when they reach the floor.
Is there bad acting, cheap sets, and a mundane plot? Most certainly. Is it the worst thing I've ever seen coming out of the dawn of sound musicals? Certainly not. This very short film is now available from Alpha Video, and the public domain print they are circulating is not half bad if you want to give it a try.
The plot veers wildly, opening on the celebration of a boat race being won by Burdette University's crew team due to the prowess of Tommy (Tommy Christian). All of this seems strange for a couple of reasons - one being that sports are never mentioned again in the film, and another being that Tommy Christian is very slender and reed-like and does not strike me as the athletic type.
It's a tale of love (Tommy and Betty), an interloper that does her best to break up the romance and just cause trouble in general (Lucy Ames as Lulu), and a dean who is shocked!...shocked I say!... to discover that college kids like to hang out at nightclubs and drink - I mean Prohibition made it illegal!. Finally there are the police that just don't make arrests at a speakeasy, but take the apprehended back to their "college gang" and give lectures and pressure those arrested to put the finger on who else was there. I'm sure the police would have been unable to solve murders and robberies if they had exhibited such nanny state behavior during prohibition - it would have taken up all of their time.
The famous scene of the incompetent chorines is not what it is cracked up to be and comes at the end. I watched this scene carefully and it is typical of cinematic choreography in 1929 - with camera movement being so limited the chorus is confined to doing splits and simple routines that do not involve much movement. I saw no "botched splits" in which the dancers attempt a split, get halfway to the floor, and give up, as has been reported. Instead they do a partial split and then reposition themselves so that they curl their legs underneath themselves when they reach the floor.
Is there bad acting, cheap sets, and a mundane plot? Most certainly. Is it the worst thing I've ever seen coming out of the dawn of sound musicals? Certainly not. This very short film is now available from Alpha Video, and the public domain print they are circulating is not half bad if you want to give it a try.