Radio station ownerJack Benny (as Jack Carson, no relation to the long time Warner Brothers contract actor) takes on Burns and Allen, and especially Gracie in this All-Star musical comedy that was the third out of four installments in Paramount's successful series of the 1930's. When you've got a variety of
musical acts stretching from Benny Goodman and his band to Leopold Stokowski and his orchestra, you know that you're in for versatility of talent. Supporting Benny, Burns and Allen are Martha Raye as Benny's clumsy secretary, Shirley Ross as a promising singer whom Benny takes a romantic interest in (in addition to talent agent Ray Milland), and most unfortunately Bob Burns as a country bumpkin who keeps intruding on live broadcast for his obnoxious commentary.
But with a bad, there's also plenty of good, and the musical numbers are spectacular, ranging from Frank Forest banging the bomb goes to an obscure Spanish tune called "La Bamba" (no relation to the Richie Valens song) and production numbers led by Ross and Raye. Jack Benny gets to show his serious acting side in this a lot more than normal, reacting much like Burns to Gracie's wackiness and showing a sensitive side as he realizes the extent of Ross's feelings towards Milland, and even becoming a bit ruthless here and there. Ross is also very good and could have had a long movie musical career besides assisting Bob Hope with the introduction of "Thanks for the Memory". the Paramount lavishness makes this an exciting entry in the series that certainly will linger in your memory once you have the opportunity to see it.
But with a bad, there's also plenty of good, and the musical numbers are spectacular, ranging from Frank Forest banging the bomb goes to an obscure Spanish tune called "La Bamba" (no relation to the Richie Valens song) and production numbers led by Ross and Raye. Jack Benny gets to show his serious acting side in this a lot more than normal, reacting much like Burns to Gracie's wackiness and showing a sensitive side as he realizes the extent of Ross's feelings towards Milland, and even becoming a bit ruthless here and there. Ross is also very good and could have had a long movie musical career besides assisting Bob Hope with the introduction of "Thanks for the Memory". the Paramount lavishness makes this an exciting entry in the series that certainly will linger in your memory once you have the opportunity to see it.