In "The Wizard of Oz", Tin Man Jack Haley was searching for his heart, but in this earlier 20th Century Fox musical, he found himself searching for courage, afraid of a big metal box that could have been melted down to make the Tin Man's hat. He's billed way below a bunch of top stars, but really is the lead, a milquetoast radio station page who has a crush on radio singer Alice Faye but goes numb as he tries to face his fears of singing. One day by accident, he tries to get over his fear and sings into what he believes to be a dead microphone but which actually goes live on the air as bandleader Ben Bernie plays. Pretty soon, Bernie's hated rival, Walter Winchell, is forcing Bernie (a real-life bandleader) to come up with what he has named as "the Phantom Crooner", with all but Faye unaware that Haley is singing into what he believes to be just a rehearsal session. That includes Winchell's wise-cracking secretary Patsy Kelly (who happens to be Haley's sister) and Kelly's vinegary voiced boyfriend (grouchy Ned Sparks), providing a lot of laughs and plenty of fun big band late 1930's music.
Plenty of insults fly around the room as Winchell and Bernie (the top-billed stars) go at each other-Winchell in his column and Bernie on the air. Like Jack Benny and Fred Allen, theirs is an obviously made up feud, and really, you can't help but realize that they actually worship the quicksand that the other one walks on. Having just played Haley's wife in the college football musical "Pigskin Parade", Kelly is very funny, while future star Joan Davis proves herself to be a very funny girl as she plays a knocked about Spanish dancer (!) in an amusing comedy dance sequence. Haley is actually dubbed by Buddy Clark, but it took some research for me to prove that. Haley had sung in musicals before, but something in his voice was very different, even if the crooner style is obviously not him, the sound is quite similar. "Never in a Million Years" is a very pretty ballad, but was overshadowed by Faye's big solo, "There's a Lull in My Life", a very blues style number that was part of her transition from brassy blonde bombshell to gentle leading lady.
A hysterical group of character actors add even more laughs, with Walter Catlett part of the unbelieving Winchell team, and Etienne Girardot (the religious nut from "Twentieth Century" and Edward G. Robinson's miniature imperious boss from "The Whole Town's Talking") very funny as the man sitting next to Haley during a radio show whom Haley incorrectly assumes to be the phantom crooner. Barnett Parker is hysterically funny leading the radio show audience in a chorus where Haley's "phantom crooner" voice is heard in the radio station's office and leads to the confusion concerning Girardot. An above average song score by Mack Revel and Harry Gordon makes this a must for classic movie fans. There will be no time for napping once this comedy gem gets going, so waking up isn't an option.
Plenty of insults fly around the room as Winchell and Bernie (the top-billed stars) go at each other-Winchell in his column and Bernie on the air. Like Jack Benny and Fred Allen, theirs is an obviously made up feud, and really, you can't help but realize that they actually worship the quicksand that the other one walks on. Having just played Haley's wife in the college football musical "Pigskin Parade", Kelly is very funny, while future star Joan Davis proves herself to be a very funny girl as she plays a knocked about Spanish dancer (!) in an amusing comedy dance sequence. Haley is actually dubbed by Buddy Clark, but it took some research for me to prove that. Haley had sung in musicals before, but something in his voice was very different, even if the crooner style is obviously not him, the sound is quite similar. "Never in a Million Years" is a very pretty ballad, but was overshadowed by Faye's big solo, "There's a Lull in My Life", a very blues style number that was part of her transition from brassy blonde bombshell to gentle leading lady.
A hysterical group of character actors add even more laughs, with Walter Catlett part of the unbelieving Winchell team, and Etienne Girardot (the religious nut from "Twentieth Century" and Edward G. Robinson's miniature imperious boss from "The Whole Town's Talking") very funny as the man sitting next to Haley during a radio show whom Haley incorrectly assumes to be the phantom crooner. Barnett Parker is hysterically funny leading the radio show audience in a chorus where Haley's "phantom crooner" voice is heard in the radio station's office and leads to the confusion concerning Girardot. An above average song score by Mack Revel and Harry Gordon makes this a must for classic movie fans. There will be no time for napping once this comedy gem gets going, so waking up isn't an option.