I love it when the movies go out of their way to show how phony the industry is, detailing the ridiculous publicity stunts of the agents and the pretentiousness of studio executives, and how the real person given the opportunity to become a Hollywood star discovers the truth and strikes back at it. This glamorous musical (made by Grand National, one of their few A pictures), is a lot better than I remembered it to be, mainly thanks to a witty script, a top notch James Cagney and find support by several members of the supporting cast, mainly William Frawley as the publicity guy and Gene Lockhart as Cagney's director. He's a singer and dancer who gets a movie contract after being discovered, leaves the nightclub scene and heads to California, only to but heads with those who try to change his whole image.
Frawley gets the best lines in trying to manipulate Cagney's whole career, and Lockhart is hysterically funny in his pretentious characterization. Johnny Arthur, as the flamboyant hair dresser, and Kathleen Lockhart as a Hedda/Louella type columnist also get memorable moments. However, the most surprising casting is Philip Ahn as the Japanese valet who talks with the stereotypical accent, and all of a sudden reveals a shocking truth to Cagney, very witty and delightfully truthful as he ridicules the stereotypes of minorities trying to make a break in the movies during the golden age. Leading lady Evelyn Daw has a similar voice to Jeanette MacDonald, playing Cagney's genuine love interest, while Mona Barrie is the leading lady of the movie he's in, utilized by Frawley as part of some fake publicity. They are just fine, but are overshadowed by the actors I mentioned previously.
Some people might get tired of hearing the title song being sung over and over again, reminding me of other movie musicals of the time where they kept repeating it. The other songs aren't as good, but they are pleasantly sung, and Cagney gets a chance to dance quite a bit, the first time since "Footlight Parade". He shows that he's much more capable an actor than just playing a gangster, and his dispute with Warner Brothers would lead to him getting some more versatile films, most notably "Boy Meets Girl" and "The Strawberry Blonde" and of course "Yankee Doodle Dandy". Grand National, best known for cheap westerns and crime dramas, had a real artistic triumph with this even though it didn't score much at the box office. It reminded me of the Warner Brothers musical "Hollywood Hotel" with its fine energy and amusing characterizations. Glad to be convinced that this deserve the higher rating than what I originally gave it, something I rarely do.
Frawley gets the best lines in trying to manipulate Cagney's whole career, and Lockhart is hysterically funny in his pretentious characterization. Johnny Arthur, as the flamboyant hair dresser, and Kathleen Lockhart as a Hedda/Louella type columnist also get memorable moments. However, the most surprising casting is Philip Ahn as the Japanese valet who talks with the stereotypical accent, and all of a sudden reveals a shocking truth to Cagney, very witty and delightfully truthful as he ridicules the stereotypes of minorities trying to make a break in the movies during the golden age. Leading lady Evelyn Daw has a similar voice to Jeanette MacDonald, playing Cagney's genuine love interest, while Mona Barrie is the leading lady of the movie he's in, utilized by Frawley as part of some fake publicity. They are just fine, but are overshadowed by the actors I mentioned previously.
Some people might get tired of hearing the title song being sung over and over again, reminding me of other movie musicals of the time where they kept repeating it. The other songs aren't as good, but they are pleasantly sung, and Cagney gets a chance to dance quite a bit, the first time since "Footlight Parade". He shows that he's much more capable an actor than just playing a gangster, and his dispute with Warner Brothers would lead to him getting some more versatile films, most notably "Boy Meets Girl" and "The Strawberry Blonde" and of course "Yankee Doodle Dandy". Grand National, best known for cheap westerns and crime dramas, had a real artistic triumph with this even though it didn't score much at the box office. It reminded me of the Warner Brothers musical "Hollywood Hotel" with its fine energy and amusing characterizations. Glad to be convinced that this deserve the higher rating than what I originally gave it, something I rarely do.