Was this MGM's revenge on England for some unknown slight? Only the long dead bosses of MGM really know as to why they did not toss this ridiculous "entertainment" on the American public. The only really amusing thing about this messy attempt at a light hearted musical revue is the funny conclusion, too humorous to even spoil by bringing it up. No "Ziegfeld Follies" this one, even though the presence of certain actors would give that indication. It's a messy compilation of shorts and musical clips, rushed together and ultimately making character actor Frank Morgan ("The Wizard of Oz") look like a fool full of himself. That's not the image I have of the great befuddled funny man who livened up many an MGM comedy or musical with his presence alone, so I have to blame this on the screenwriter who thought that casting him as himself trying to become a movie producer would be amusing. Thalberg and Selznick need not worry. Morgan is given the green light by studio head Leon Ames (OK as a character actor, but no Louis B. Mayer) to produce a film, and when they go to see the rushes, what comes out of it is absolutely embarrassing and completely unfunny.
Yes, the film within the film is supposed to be a mess, but the sloppy insertion of a John Nesbitt Passing Parade short and a Pete Smith specialty only makes the viewer ask, "huh?". A romantic musical number featuring Carlos Ramirez and Lucille Norman ends up looking sloppy as it gets interrupted without reason, the film is all of a sudden upside down and then the sound goes too fast or is out of sync. Eleanor Powell all of a sudden comes in for a tap number (having left MGM three years before, this is obviously an outtake), and then Virginia O'Brien comes in for a slightly amusing deadpan number that aids in raising this up a notch. I will say that I was amused by the Pete Smith specialty, but if I wanted that, I'd watch a Pete Smith specialty, not expect it all of a sudden rudely inserted into a film. It's another typical MGM obnoxious episode of self promotion that falls flat. Fortunately, the cast wasn't really affected by this, but had it been indeed Baby Jane Hudson who was in it, uttering those words written in my review headline as Bette Davis did, it would be enough to destroy her career.
Yes, the film within the film is supposed to be a mess, but the sloppy insertion of a John Nesbitt Passing Parade short and a Pete Smith specialty only makes the viewer ask, "huh?". A romantic musical number featuring Carlos Ramirez and Lucille Norman ends up looking sloppy as it gets interrupted without reason, the film is all of a sudden upside down and then the sound goes too fast or is out of sync. Eleanor Powell all of a sudden comes in for a tap number (having left MGM three years before, this is obviously an outtake), and then Virginia O'Brien comes in for a slightly amusing deadpan number that aids in raising this up a notch. I will say that I was amused by the Pete Smith specialty, but if I wanted that, I'd watch a Pete Smith specialty, not expect it all of a sudden rudely inserted into a film. It's another typical MGM obnoxious episode of self promotion that falls flat. Fortunately, the cast wasn't really affected by this, but had it been indeed Baby Jane Hudson who was in it, uttering those words written in my review headline as Bette Davis did, it would be enough to destroy her career.