Let's see, where have I seen that plotline before?
Of course, the film that ripped off this plot and became a Broadway musical sensation is much more well known than this, loosely based upon a series of Broadway revues that introduced many notable stars. This film is one of the early chances to see Uncle Miltie (Berle) on screen, and of course, his brash personality is already established. The Max Bialystock like producer in this is played by the equally brash Jerome Cowan who has no interest in finding talent for their big musical revue. When he sees that the opening number, "The Widow in Lace", is a delightful potential crowd pleaser, he decides to scrap the entire show and find as many untalented people as he can. He overlooks a tap trio of three men of completely different sizes, a rather effeminate man who does a hysterical impression of a woman taking a bath, and a singing girl trio who easily could have become the next Andrews Sisters. But when Cowan is suddenly taken ill and Berle takes over the show, he quickly must resort back to Cowan's original plan when he realizes what he may end up losing. Along the way, there's the annoying comedy style of Joe Penner (the 30's version of Adam Sandler) and Parkyakarkus, and a Bickerson like romance between Berle's assistant (William Brady) and singer Harriett Hilliard (later Nelson).
There are several highlights of this show which raised the rating for me to make this one of the most memorable musicals of 1937. "The Widow in Lace" features a huge set that all of a sudden is taken over by the rumba sounds of a group of little Hispanic boys, two of whom get to shine in solo segments that show off their ability to do some rather racy dance movements, and not even at the age of 10! Upon seeing the younger of the two boys basically push his way in and take over, I was reminded of the adorable little boy who got a huge round of applause in the recent Broadway musical "On Your Feet" (the biography of Gloria Estefan), shaking his maracas both on stage and in a memorable sequence on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Then, there is the hysterical audition sequence, showing a variety of levels of talent, but getting briefly annoying by a couple of intentionally overly cute moppets which may make some modern audiences cringe. The highlight of the finale comes when the sounds of tapping from behind the set become eerily familiar and out pops the very young (and yet very tall) Ann Miller whom Milton Berle introduces by name. That's much more amusing than the sequence with Joe Penner running on stage to do his musical number and the later sequence of a coal fight between him and Parkyakarkus that results in Berle in black face, making me wonder how intentionally offensive the creators wanted to be. In spite of that, there's plenty to enjoy here, and there's always that fast forward button.
Of course, the film that ripped off this plot and became a Broadway musical sensation is much more well known than this, loosely based upon a series of Broadway revues that introduced many notable stars. This film is one of the early chances to see Uncle Miltie (Berle) on screen, and of course, his brash personality is already established. The Max Bialystock like producer in this is played by the equally brash Jerome Cowan who has no interest in finding talent for their big musical revue. When he sees that the opening number, "The Widow in Lace", is a delightful potential crowd pleaser, he decides to scrap the entire show and find as many untalented people as he can. He overlooks a tap trio of three men of completely different sizes, a rather effeminate man who does a hysterical impression of a woman taking a bath, and a singing girl trio who easily could have become the next Andrews Sisters. But when Cowan is suddenly taken ill and Berle takes over the show, he quickly must resort back to Cowan's original plan when he realizes what he may end up losing. Along the way, there's the annoying comedy style of Joe Penner (the 30's version of Adam Sandler) and Parkyakarkus, and a Bickerson like romance between Berle's assistant (William Brady) and singer Harriett Hilliard (later Nelson).
There are several highlights of this show which raised the rating for me to make this one of the most memorable musicals of 1937. "The Widow in Lace" features a huge set that all of a sudden is taken over by the rumba sounds of a group of little Hispanic boys, two of whom get to shine in solo segments that show off their ability to do some rather racy dance movements, and not even at the age of 10! Upon seeing the younger of the two boys basically push his way in and take over, I was reminded of the adorable little boy who got a huge round of applause in the recent Broadway musical "On Your Feet" (the biography of Gloria Estefan), shaking his maracas both on stage and in a memorable sequence on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Then, there is the hysterical audition sequence, showing a variety of levels of talent, but getting briefly annoying by a couple of intentionally overly cute moppets which may make some modern audiences cringe. The highlight of the finale comes when the sounds of tapping from behind the set become eerily familiar and out pops the very young (and yet very tall) Ann Miller whom Milton Berle introduces by name. That's much more amusing than the sequence with Joe Penner running on stage to do his musical number and the later sequence of a coal fight between him and Parkyakarkus that results in Berle in black face, making me wonder how intentionally offensive the creators wanted to be. In spite of that, there's plenty to enjoy here, and there's always that fast forward button.