The Show of Shows

The Show of Shows (1929)

Runtime: The only version that exists today is around 123 minutes; it was originally 128 minutes

Directed by: John G. Adolfi

Starring and from: Most of the people that were on contract to Warner Brothers at the time; really

I basically watched this as it was on late last night on TCM and it's an oddity as... well, I'll explain it in the Letterboxd review:

Before I get to talking about this film, explaining what it is will be something I need to do. It shows that even back in this time period, Hollywood will be happy to notice something that was a hit then cash in as soon as they're able to. This is one of a few all-star musical revues that the studios put out when “the talkies” were still in their infancy, where it'd be like a variety show and much of the talent from each studio would be on display. MGM's The Hollywood Revue of 1929 happened and several competitors happened, from Paramount on Parade to Fox's Happy Days (presumably without The Fonz), Universal's King of Jazz and this movie, from Warner Brothers. It was on TCM late last night and as no one had given it a review before I figured I should be the first.

There's real no plot to speak of; like I said it's like a variety show, with a host (Frank Fay, a popular vaudeville star at the time) and a cornucopia of sketches, from musical bits to comedy, dramatic reenactments to dancing and marching around. I realize that at the time movies like this must have been hot s*** to audiences that were just getting used to movies that weren't silent but in 2014, I say that this is a real mixed bag, needless to say. Some stuff works and the rest doesn't. The humor isn't always funny and some songs were better than others. It certainly isn't imaginatively shot. I understand that some of the bits were references or spoofs of topical to things from the time, but that's lost on me as it's stuff that was forgotten long ago.

Still, I was worried I'd find this bad and at least I can rate it average. There's some oddness (such as ditties about singin' in the bathtub and having bad breath), the song and dance numbers were at least interesting to look at (if not quite Busby Berkeley) and the finale is quite extravagant with all the performers and people acrobatically flipping about and doing wacky dances. Oh, and personally I thought the movie seemed shorter than its 2 hour runtime. Only once in awhile did it drag; otherwise I thought it flew by.

Many of the people in the cast (i.e. much of the Warner Brothers talent at the time besides Al Jolson, who asked for too much money; the more things change...) will probably be obscure even on a site such as this but the more familiar names include John Barrymore, Ann Sothern, Mary Astor, Noah Beery, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Loretta Young, Rin Tin Tin, Broadway star Beatrice Lillie and Myrna Loy, who stars in the only part of the mostly two strip Technicolor film that remains in color (the only surviving print is from an old TV showing, or so I hear), “Chinese Fantasy”, where yeah, she plays an “exotic” lady. That wasn't the only part of the film that features questionable racial material, but I wasn't surprised by that. That bit is one of a few that can be seen on YouTube; you didn't hear that from me, though.

This is definitely a curio and it's definitely a “your mileage may vary” sort of thing, but I am glad it still exists as it shows how things were back then and how as the silents went away the studios weren't quite sure what to do. At least they eventually figured it out... generally speaking.

I'll return tomorrow afternoon.