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Roman Scandals

  • 1933
  • Passed
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
738
YOUR RATING
Lucille Ball, Bonnie Bannon, Myrla Bratton, Eddie Cantor, Dolores Casey, Rosaline Fromson, June Gale, The Goldwyn Girls, and Marguerite Caverley in Roman Scandals (1933)
ComedyFantasyMusical

A kind-hearted young man is thrown out of his corrupt home town of West Rome, Oklahoma. He falls asleep and dreams that he is back in the days of olden Rome, where he gets mixed up with cour... Read allA kind-hearted young man is thrown out of his corrupt home town of West Rome, Oklahoma. He falls asleep and dreams that he is back in the days of olden Rome, where he gets mixed up with court intrigue and a murder plot against the Emperor.A kind-hearted young man is thrown out of his corrupt home town of West Rome, Oklahoma. He falls asleep and dreams that he is back in the days of olden Rome, where he gets mixed up with court intrigue and a murder plot against the Emperor.

  • Director
    • Frank Tuttle
  • Writers
    • George S. Kaufman
    • Robert E. Sherwood
    • William Anthony McGuire
  • Stars
    • Eddie Cantor
    • Ruth Etting
    • Gloria Stuart
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    738
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Frank Tuttle
    • Writers
      • George S. Kaufman
      • Robert E. Sherwood
      • William Anthony McGuire
    • Stars
      • Eddie Cantor
      • Ruth Etting
      • Gloria Stuart
    • 22User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos41

    Eddie Cantor in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Eddie Cantor in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Gloria Stuart, Myrla Bratton, Eddie Cantor, and Ruth Etting in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Eddie Cantor and David Manners in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Lucille Ball, Barbara Pepper, and Beatrice Hagen in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Lucille Ball in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Gloria Stuart and Eddie Cantor in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Gloria Stuart in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Gloria Stuart in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Gloria Stuart, Ruth Etting, and Verree Teasdale in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Richard Alexander, Edward Arnold, Eddie Cantor, Lane Chandler, Harry Cording, and Jack Rutherford in Roman Scandals (1933)
    Eddie Cantor in Roman Scandals (1933)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Eddie Cantor
    Eddie Cantor
    • Eddie…
    Ruth Etting
    Ruth Etting
    • Olga
    Gloria Stuart
    Gloria Stuart
    • Princess Sylvia
    Edward Arnold
    Edward Arnold
    • Emperor Valerius
    David Manners
    David Manners
    • Josephus
    Verree Teasdale
    Verree Teasdale
    • Empress Agrippa
    Alan Mowbray
    Alan Mowbray
    • Majordomo
    Jack Rutherford
    Jack Rutherford
    • Manius
    • (as John Rutherford)
    Willard Robertson
    Willard Robertson
    • Warren Finley Cooper
    Lee Kohlmar
    • Storekeeper
    The Goldwyn Girls
    • Slave Girls
    Richard Alexander
    Richard Alexander
    • Valerius' Soldier
    • (uncredited)
    Stanley Andrews
    Stanley Andrews
    • Official
    • (uncredited)
    Charles Arnt
    Charles Arnt
    • Caius - the Food Taster
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Austin
    Frank Austin
    • Shantytown Resident
    • (uncredited)
    Silver Tip Baker
    • Roman Citizen
    • (uncredited)
    Lucille Ball
    Lucille Ball
    • Shantytown Resident
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Bonnie Bannon
    Bonnie Bannon
    • Shantytown Resident
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    • Director
      • Frank Tuttle
    • Writers
      • George S. Kaufman
      • Robert E. Sherwood
      • William Anthony McGuire
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The chorus girls - among them Lucille Ball - chained to the wall in the "No More Love" number are actually nude. The number was filmed during the night, when no studio bosses were around on the lot, with a minimum of technicians involved.
    • Goofs
      On commonly available reissue prints of this film all the cast and credits are reprinted, with the following spelling errors: Songwriter Al Dubin's surname is spelled Dublin. Chariot sequence director Ralph Ceder's surname is spelled Cedar. Actress Verree Teasdale's first name is spelled Veree.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Mayor of West Rome: As mayor of West Rome, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you and to introduce our first citizen, Warren Fenwick Cooper!

      Warren F. Cooper: Thank you, mayor. Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. Heh, heh, you see I know my Roman history.

    • Connections
      Featured in The Dick Cavett Show: Lucille Ball (1974)
    • Soundtracks
      Build a Little Home
      (1933) (uncredited)

      Music by Harry Warren

      Lyrics by Al Dubin

      Performed by Eddie Cantor and chorus

      Reprised by him and chorus near the end

      Played often in the score

    User reviews22

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Building A Little Home in Rome
    I recently read an account of the creation of Roman Scandals and the miracle is the film got made at all. A whole lot of creative minds butted creative heads.

    Sam Goldwyn had it in mind to make a film version of Androcles and the Lion starring Eddie Cantor and I think Cantor would have been perfect in the title role. Unfortunately George Bernard Shaw thought there would be more Cantor than Shaw in the finished product and he nixed that idea with Goldwyn quick.

    The idea of a story in ancient Rome had really taken hold with Goldwyn so he then hired George S. Kaufman and Robert Sherwood to write a screenplay. They did come up with the story outline you see on films, but got into problems with Cantor who insisted he wanted the lead role more personalized along with the gags that went with it. Kaufman and Sherwood quit on Goldwyn.

    Sam got a few more writers and gave Cantor more creative input into the film and the result is Roman Scandals. Admittedly Roman Scandals is one of the best showcases for the talents of Eddie Cantor.

    Eddie plays one of his usual meek little schnooks who turns the tables on those oppressing him. He's the curator of a small museum in West Rome, Oklahoma and uncovers evidence of corruption by the local bigwigs who give him the bum's rush out of town. He soon finds himself walking on a road leading out of ancient Rome and gets involved in the political situation there.

    Co-starring with Cantor are Gloria Stuart, David Manners, and as the Emperor Edward Arnold who is playing one of his early villains. Cantor uses both Arnold and his chief henchmen Alan Mowbray to great effect in several gags. My two favorite scenes are his avoiding the Emperor's poisoned food by feeding it to the royal crocodile and Cantor being sold at the slave market with the bidding done by people who want him for all kinds of purposes.

    Ruth Etting who co-starred on Broadway with Cantor in Whoopee has a part and a real good torch song number No More Love. Busby Berkeley gave it and other songs sung by Cantor a big production number. Etting of course was the subject of bio film Love Me or Leave Me with Doris Day playing her. Roman Scandals is your opportunity to see the real deal and what a talent she was.

    Gloria Stuart who was on loan from Universal could not believe the lavishness of a Sam Goldwyn film, she was used to more cost conscious operations at her home studio. But if you hire Busby Berkeley lavish comes with the territory. Two of Cantor's numbers Build a Little Home and Keep Young and Beautiful got the lavish treatment and they were good.

    Eddie Cantor an entertainer of amazing talent should be seen and studied today. I can't think of anything better to start with than Roman Scandals.
    helpful•16
    0
    • bkoganbing
    • May 10, 2006

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 29, 1933 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Skandal u Rimu
    • Filming locations
      • United Artists Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA
    • Production company
      • The Samuel Goldwyn Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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    Lucille Ball, Bonnie Bannon, Myrla Bratton, Eddie Cantor, Dolores Casey, Rosaline Fromson, June Gale, The Goldwyn Girls, and Marguerite Caverley in Roman Scandals (1933)
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    By what name was Roman Scandals (1933) officially released in Canada in English?
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