Who payed the critics

A Disappointing Continuation

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This was sort of a 1930s version of one of those wild party movies that include girls, dancing, wild hyjinks, and funny comical set pieces. Even though not exactly the same, numerous more recent versions of the same idea are well known.The film starts out as Jimmy Durante who is a unsteady film star playing "Shnarzan" and sequels (obvious ripoff Tarzan and sequels) who's popularity is slipping and being taken over by rival Liondora (George Givot). Durante then decides to throw the party of all parties to boost his ratings. Givot himself shows up masquerading as the Grand royal duke of...something something, I can't remember. Anyway, he introduces himself to people getting his hand kissed, including by a man, Charles Butterworth. But those kinda jokes in those days were played as more wacky and ridiculous rather than gay. Charles' wife Polly Moran (who plays "I've had my moments" on piano very well later on in film) is there and pretty daughter June Clyde. June meets Eddie Quillin in elevator (right after humorous moment of Polly trying to get Charles to remove his hat). June and Eddie have a romantic dance and singing together to instrumental version of "I've had my moments". Many more guys, pretty girls come in and dance, sing, display comical and/or raunchy comments and/or visuals throughout two more songs, " Hollywood party" and "Feeling high". Many young people having a wild, fun time. Even though some things have changed a whole lot since the 1930s, there were always people who loved to just drink and have a good time. Even so, many people were still more mannerly and with values than people today are. Further funny hygincs in this film include real lions being wheeled in in cages outside the house (which leads to a crazy hilarious scene later in film), the stooges showing up, a curious cameo from Micky mouse (including Micky hilariously impersonating Durante), a rare off- beat yet amusing cartoon (Hot chocolate soldiers), and then a funny slapstick sequence with Laurel and Hardy and beauty Lupe Velez involving eggs. Also shown is a funny yet off beat Durante visual with a horse.Spioler alert for this last paragraph: here's where I subtracted a couple of points. I'm with a lot of people who don't like films that turn out to have an " it was all a dream" deal show up.

I love it when Hollywood parodies itself. That's one reason I decided to watch this film, which depicts the unprecedented frenzy surrounding Hollywood of its time, with everyone wanting to become a movie star or at least be close to one, rich people investing money in movies for both profits and fame, film producers and cast willing to do anything for a profit and movie stars considered to be, both by the public and themselves, the most important persons in the country.The film shows all that by depicting a wild party in Hollywood thrown by movie star Schnarzan (as Tarzan), who wants to be some new, wild lions for his pictures because the public is bored of his old ones. There's not a sequenced plot, but rather a number of musical and humorous sketches, each directed by a different, always uncredited, director and with a different combination of actors appearing. There's even a short Technicolor cartoon presented by Mickey Mouse!Both the musical numbers and the jokes presented would probably be entertaining in 1934, but in this day and age seem rather outdated. The clever portrayal of Hollywood paranoia and great performance by Jimmy Durante as Schnarzan save the day, however, and movie fans who have a thing for classic and pre-Code films might enjoy it.The main reason I watched this movie is because I'm a Laurel and Hardy fan and I thought the boys were the stars. No such thing, however, as they appear only in two not-so-funny sketches, including one with Mexican bombshell Lupe Velez, and their screen time is about a mere ten minutes.The film is hard to find nowadays and you should just skip it unless you are a fan of similar pictures and, in general, films of this particular era. In that case it's probably worth a shot.

What a bizarre little MGM movie, more of a filler than anything else. Jimmy Durante, Laurel and Hardy and The Three Stoogers (!) all make appearances in this oddball musical romp. Most of this hour-length flick is unmemorable, but it is worth noting that this was the only time L&H and the Stooges appeared in the same film. Mickey Mouse (!) and Durante have a bit of business together, which segues into a Disney animation sequence involving a battle between edible soldiers. This sequence was restored to the film in the 1990s, after settlement of a legal issue. All in all, not worth the trouble to hunt down. But it pops up on cable channels now and then.

What a hoot. Hilariously bad musical comedy that was butchered by MGM and dumped as a B film stars Jimmy Durante as a failing actor whose Schnarzan character needs a boost. So they decide to buy new lions (with teeth) to beef up his screen image. But his rival, Liondora, also wants the lions. So Durante throws a Hollywood party to lobby the lions' owner, Baron Munchausen, for a sale.A great cast and some terrifically snappy production numbers and funny bits make this a total trip. Along with Durante we get Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy who got cheated out of the lions, Lupe Velez as Durante's spitfire Jane, Polly Moran and Charles Butterworth as Oklahoma oil millionaires, Arthur Treacher as a butler, Jack Pearl as the Baron, Ted Healy and the Three Stooges as autograph fiends, Eddie Quillan and June Clyde as the lovers, Frances Williams in the great "Hollywood Party" number, Shirley Ross, Harry Baris, and Robert Young as themselves, and a ton of small-part actors like Ferdinand Gottschalk, Nora Cecil, Clarence Wilson, Leonid Kinskey, Tom Kennedy, Gilbert Emery, Jed Prouty, Richard Carle, Edwin Maxwell, Ray Cooke, George Givot and Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse! "Hollywood Party" and "My One Big Moment" are great songs. Jimmy Durante is fun, Laurel and Hardy get a funny sketch with Lupe Velez and eggs, Polly Moran gets to sing, and then there's leggy and glittery Frances Williams and her great jazzy voice!