Sing, Baby, Sing (1936)

The rest of the movie is pleasant/mediocre, but Adolphe Menjou's parody of John Barrymore is fantastic. As daring as it is accurate, it makes one feel almost guilty at enjoying it so much (the movie was kicking a man when he was down in lampooning Barrymore's drunken antics and publicly disintegrating marriage). Menjou doesn't just copy Barrymore's mannerisms but has conveyed his essential noble but impish spirit, and the fun he is having is contagious--the scene in the hotel room ends on a moment of inspired hilarity, as truthful as it is loony. This inspired impersonation had an ironic sequel: Four years later, Menjou played the Barrymore role in a remake (why?) of A Bill of Divorcement. That time he was not able to channel, in a serious way, the personality he had assumed so well in this film; it was a terrible performance.

While not a great film, 'Sing Baby Sing' regardless has many pleasures, more so than caveats. Not one of my favourites when it comes to musicals and films, but there are also a million things worse with which to spend your time with.Getting the debits out of the way, the story is wafer-thin which would have been forgivable but it's also same-old-same-old and utter nonsense often. The Ritz Brothers' opening routine does go on too long, and while amazingly athletic it's not a sequence that burns in the memory forever and not as funny as it could have been. Ted Healy is wasted, with only his magic trick properly registering, due to the Ritz Brothers, Patsy Kelly and Gregory Ratoff having more to do and in the case of Kelly and Ratoff their material is broader.Had mixed feelings on the Ritz Brothers in their film debut. They are admittedly incredibly athletic and there are some very funny moments, however they are used too much, a couple of their scenes go on too long and disrupt the story's flow and they do tend to try too hard, which also makes some of their slapstick comedy annoying and overdone.On the other hand, Alice Faye is charm personified and sings sensually and beautifully in "You Turned the Tables on Me". Adolphe Menjou is also hilarious in a John Barrymore-inspired role, especially when quoting Shakespeare in a hospital. Kelly and Ratoff have broad comedy that could have been overplayed, bizarre or irritating, instead they have a ball with it and are lots of fun.Tony Martin turns up in a somewhat randomly placed but quite touchingly pleasant scene with him singing the film's best song (and all of them, while not timeless, are lovely with no obvious misfires) "When Did You Leave Heaven", which was also unsurprisingly Oscar-nominated. Brisk pacing and direction, elegant production values and a script that is not only funny and the right side of sweet but properly allows all involved to have fun with it and not hide behind.On the whole, 'Sing Baby Sing' may not be entirely heavenly, but it is also definitely not one to turn the tables on. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Radio singer Alice Faye finds out that her radio job is ending due to the obsession with publicity-seeking society girls with no talent and nothing else to do. With the help of agent Gregory Ratoff, she tries to pose as one of those girls (who actually has talent) yet fails to land a contract. When a drunken John Barrymore like movie actor (Adolphe Menjou) falls under her spell, she begins to get some unwanted publicity as a gold digger, and his agent strains to keep them apart. There's really little more to the plot than that, several mediocre Ritz Brothers sketches thrown in for groans, showing the audience laughing hysterically at their antics, including one "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde" sketch that isn't even remotely amusing. A magic act by Ted Healy while Patsy Kelly sings a medley of past 20th Century Fox movie themes is much funnier. Tony Martin comes in late as an electric company employee who is discovered by Faye simply walking down the street and ends up on the finale radio show as well. Faye's sultry singing voice is well utilized, as in the title song and the haunting "You Turned the Tables on Me". The result is mixed, fun comedy with Healy and Kelly, the husky voiced Faye very likable, yet plot wise, pretty weak. Menjou's spoof of the Barrymore image, though, is very funny, with references to "Hamlet" which ironically had two productions on Broadway the same year at the same time.

This movie is for fans of Alice Faye and Patsy Kelly, and probably film collectors. The movie isn't the greatest, but every studio now and then makes films so actors and actresses have something to do. This movie is what you call a "B" movie. The singing of Alice Faye keeps you watching, the music and dancing is a most, especially if you wanna see how nightclubs, songs, dancing, and life was like in the mid-1930s. Patsy Kelly a great, forgotten comic, keeps you smiling and laughing with her quick one-liners and wisecracks. Patsy Kelly was a skilled, natural comic, she could give Lucille Ball, Martha Raye, Jean Arthur, June Allyson, Ann Sothern, and Carole Lombard a run for their money. All of them were great, but Patsy Kelly had a style of their own. She could also sing and dance. Their were many great female comics, more then men in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Patsy Kelly is a treat.But, some of the forgotten men were The Ritz Brothers are a funny, dancing team, their what you call musical comedy. When Daryll Zanuck saw them in a nightclub he signed them quickly. Basically the movie is about Joan Warren-Alice Faye, who wants to make it, but she doesn't want to be something she's not to make it, but her agent will do anything, anything for her to make it, and while he's doing it they run into all kinds of "drama" but through it all the songs, music, dancing prevail. Great movie if you can catch it on tv.