Kid Millions (1934)

A musical comedy about a Brooklyn boy (Eddie Cantor) who inherits a fortune from his archaeologist father, but has to go to Egypt to claim it.

Directors:

Roy Del Ruth, Willy Pogany (uncredited)

Writers:

Arthur Sheekman (original story and screen play), Nat Perrin (original story and screen play)

Stars:

Eddie Cantor, Ann Sothern, Ethel Merman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eddie Cantor	...	Eddie Wilson Jr.
Ann Sothern	...	Joan Larrabee
Ethel Merman	...	Dot Clark
George Murphy	...	Jerry Lane
Berton Churchill	...	Col. Harrison Larrabee (as Burton Churchill)
Warren Hymer	...	Louie the Lug
Paul Harvey	...	Shiek Mulhulla
Jesse Block	...	Ben Ali
Eva Sully	...	Princess Fanya
Otto Hoffman	...	Khoot
Stanley Fields	...	Oscar Wilson
Edgar Kennedy	...	Herman Wilson
Jack Kennedy	...	Pop Wilson
John Kelly	...	Adolph Wilson
Doris Davenport	...	Nora aka 'Toots'

Storyline

A musical comedy about a Brooklyn boy (Eddie Cantor) who inherits a fortune from his archaeologist father, but has to go to Egypt to claim it.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | nickname as title | year 1934 | 1930s | new york | 

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Taglines:

HE LOOKED FOR MOMMIES...AND HE FOUND MUMMIES! Eddie..laughs..and 1001 ever-lovin' Goldwyn Girls..in the grandest of musical fun shows! (Print Ad-Union-Recorder, ((Milledgeville, Ga.)) 20 June 1936)

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the song "When My Ship Comes In" Walt Disney, Paul Whiteman and Bing Crosby are mentioned.

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Quotes

Eddie Wilson Jr.: Go away! I can't talk to an idiot.
Princess Fanya: Come here! I can!

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Connections

Featured in Biography: The Nicholas Brothers: Flying High (1999)

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Soundtracks

Mandy
(1918)
Written by Irving Berlin
Danced by The Nicholas Brothers (uncredited), Eddie Cantor (uncredited) and The 1934 Goldwyn Girls (uncredited)
Sung by Eddie Cantor (uncredited), Ethel Merman (uncredited), Ann Sothern (uncredited), George Murphy (uncredited), Harold Nicholas (uncredited) with The Goldwyn Girls (uncredited)

User Reviews

Eddie Gets His Millions

In a recent and long overdue biography of Eddie Cantor it turns out that Cantor's daughter Marilyn was responsible for the casting of Ethel Merman in this and a subsequent film of her father's. The Cantors and the San Goldwyns saw each other socially quite a bit and young Marilyn Cantor became a fan of Merman's after seeing her on the Broadway stage. She lobbied with Goldwyn to get Merman opposite her father and the man relented.

Cantor and Merman did work well together here and in Strike Me Pink. Eddie is playing his usual bullied schnook who is living with what I guess would be considered a foster family on the New York docks. But it turns out he's the son of an archaeologist who went to Egypt and went missing, but who found a reputed treasure. All he has to do is claim the treasure over in Egypt. Of course there are some other people who think they have a claim.

Berton Churchill and daughter Ann Sothern helped finance the expedition and Ethel Merman claims a common-law relationship, a scheme cooked up by her hoodlum boy friend Warren Hymer.

All of these people perform well and I have to say that Warren Hymer who never exactly played intellectuals on the screen actually dumbs HIS usual character down for the film. But I have to say that the man who seemed to be enjoying himself most playing the villainous Arab sheik is character actor Paul Harvey. He overacts outrageously in his part and I'm sure he was grateful for the false beard and mustache he had to wear to contain the grins he must have had on his face.

Playing the Harvey's daughter and her beloved are the vaudeville team of Eva Sully and Jesse Block in their only screen appearance. I'm betting Cantor was responsible for their casting. Eva in her harem outfit and Jewish accent develops a crush on Cantor who's who'd rather be boiled in the sheik's oil than marry her. But that's part of the whole wonderfully silly plot.

A whole host of song writing talents contributed to this film, Irving Berlin, Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn and Burton Lane and Harold Adamson. Some sharp ears might recognize a Lane tune that was revived with a different lyric by Alan Jay Lerner and danced to by Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding then called You're All the World To Me.

There is also one of the strangest minstrel numbers ever shot on screen where no one but Cantor is in blackface. During it he has to dance with the Nicholas Brothers and I'm sure in the primitive minds back then it was felt he'd better look like them. He shouldn't have tried because Fayard and Harold dance him right off the screen.

Other than the minstrel number, Kid Millions is one of the best musicals from out of the Thirties and another showcase of the talented Eddie Cantor.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kid Millions

Filming Locations:

Calabasas, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Wide Range Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Color (3-strip Technicolor) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1