In one of her few films that may West made after leaving Paramount, she's top billed but featured intermittently as the star of a scandalous musical revue that stuffy Almira Sessions wants closed for breaking what she considers "indecent". with her going out of town, Sessions send brother Victor Moore to arrange for the show to be closed, and Moore tries to romance her to get her to star in his own show. There's a secondary young romance involving Moore's niece (Mary Roche) that distracts from West's wisecracks and racy metaphors that are still much cleaner than she warbled back in 1933 with "I'm No Angel" and "She Done Him Wrong".
Elaborate production numbers are the highlights of the film, especially those involving the brilliant pianist Hazel Scott who can actually play two pianos at the same time. One of her numbers ("When the black keys meets the white keys") features an amazing trumpet solo where the trumpets here is assisted by a cute little puppet. The comic highlight is Moore's attempt to romance Mae where his ridiculous looking toupee begins skidding. William Gaxton is also billed above the titles as Mae's producer, the only opportunity to see him on screen with Broadway partner Moore.
A good half of this film is the on-stage sketches which are and as a mixed bag, some dated comedy and others hysterically funny, as well as all of the jazzy production numbers. Topical references to various war issues gives it a topical feeling. In addition to Hazel Scott, there's veteran conductor Xavier Cugat. Moore's farmer specialty is particularly painful, one of the few uncomfortable moments that he ever spent on screen. If this had more Mae and less of the secondary romance, it might have been a bit better, but it's an interesting curiously that gives a nice cultural view to a difficult time period in American history where entertainment mixed with patriotism was the only goal.
Elaborate production numbers are the highlights of the film, especially those involving the brilliant pianist Hazel Scott who can actually play two pianos at the same time. One of her numbers ("When the black keys meets the white keys") features an amazing trumpet solo where the trumpets here is assisted by a cute little puppet. The comic highlight is Moore's attempt to romance Mae where his ridiculous looking toupee begins skidding. William Gaxton is also billed above the titles as Mae's producer, the only opportunity to see him on screen with Broadway partner Moore.
A good half of this film is the on-stage sketches which are and as a mixed bag, some dated comedy and others hysterically funny, as well as all of the jazzy production numbers. Topical references to various war issues gives it a topical feeling. In addition to Hazel Scott, there's veteran conductor Xavier Cugat. Moore's farmer specialty is particularly painful, one of the few uncomfortable moments that he ever spent on screen. If this had more Mae and less of the secondary romance, it might have been a bit better, but it's an interesting curiously that gives a nice cultural view to a difficult time period in American history where entertainment mixed with patriotism was the only goal.