Alice Faye and Don Ameche were both rather young Fox contract players, both with acting and singing talent. So, it made sense to put them together as the stars of a musical comedy. This was the first of 6 films they made together over the next 5 years, 5 of them musical comedies, although Tyrone Power would usurp Ameche as Alice's main romantic interest in two of them. In terms of music and star power, no doubt the most famous of this series was the Irving Berlin-scored "Alexander's Ragtime Band". As with the often quoted summation of the appeal of the Astaire & Ginger musical team, Ameche gave the Hell's kitchen-bred Alice class, and Alice gave Ameche additional sex appeal. Of course, it was actually more complex than that. Alice was then the more famous to movie goers, having costarred in two Shirley Temple films the previous year, where she got to sing solo or with Shirley. The team of Harry Revel and Mack Gordon composed most of the songs for those films, as well as the present one. While not as memorable as many of Berlin's songs, they are certainly generally adequate in the context of the screenplay. Beginning in 1940, when Harry Warren moved from Warner to Fox, Mack would write the lyrics to some more enduring songs, including Alice's best remembered song: " You'll Never Know", and a number of Glen Miller's hits.
Here, we have additional musical and comedic talent in the supporting players. The Ritz Brothers were signed by Fox for the last years of the '30s, and usually were first or second -billed. They permeate this whole film. most viewers today, including me, don't find them terribly amusing. However, as some others have noted, they are at their most tolerable in this film. Who else could carry a musical comedy production about long underwear? They aren't the only featured male trio. The African American gymnastic dance team of Tip, Tap, and Toe are featured in one number. They were one of several AA groups of 2, 3 or 4 gymnastic dancers featured in the occasional musical, long before Michael Jackson. The Nicholas Brothers, no doubt, were featured in the most films. The Four Step Brothers were also impressive in their performances in Universal's "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (see on You Tube).
Gypsy Rose Lee, in one of her few film appearances, is another major character, cast as 'the other woman', trying to hold onto Ameche in the face of his obvious infatuation with Alice's character. Blond Phyllis Brooks takes on the thankless role of Alice's unpleasantly snooty established stage rival. Phyllis comes across as much more appealing in the contemporary Shirley Temple-starring "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm", where she was allowed to show that she could sing as well as Alice, and be appealingly sexy, even if she was again 'the other woman'.
Veteran vaudeville and film character actor Charles Winninger is given a subdued straight role as the Broadway producer of musicals, and associate of Ameche, not allowing him to exhibit his comedic talent seen in some other films of the '30s and '40s(example: "Pot of Gold"). Noted violin player David Rubinoff is given several opportunities to show his talent. Tony Martin, Alice's new husband, shows off his considerable singing talent in several numbers, albeit without commensurate acting talent. Band leader and singer Louis Prima also gets several chances to strut his stuff. Stiff Arthur Treacher does his usual British butler role. He is probably best remembered for his contributing roles in several Shirley Temple films.
The film begins with Alice entering a NYC Italian restaurant, ordering several plates of spaghetti, then announcing that she has no money, and strangely requesting that the waiter call a policeman to arrest her. Why?? The nearby tipsy Ameche offers to pay her bill. She refuses, but it's discovered she has singing talent, in rendering the (so-so) title song. Ameche inquires why she can't get a job as a singer.She replies her ambition is to be a playwright of serious dramas, being a descendant of Edgar Allen Poe. Ameche arranges with Winninger to pay for the rights to Alice's poor play "North Winds", to help further his hoped-for romantic relationship with her, never mind that he already has a serious girlfriend and maybe wife in Gypsy. Gradually, he warms her up to the idea that she could make an excellent lead play actress and singer. However, she backslides periodically, especially when she discovers who he really is, and that her serious drama has been totally redone as a musical comedy. However, as expected, all are smiles at the end, after Winninger points out that, with this success, her future serious plays are more likely to be accepted.
The musical productions and fashion walk portions of the film would certainly have benefited by being filmed in 3 strip Technicolor, just recently commercialized. The women are sometimes decked out with outrageously huge ornate headpieces.
After the Ritz Brothers' "Long Underwear" production, Tony Martin later warbles the romantic "The Loveliness of You", with accompanying fashion walk. Alice later follows with the jazzy "Danger, Love at Work". Ameche, and later Martin, follow with the romantic "Afraid to Dream", then Alice, with the swing-styled "Please Pardon Us, We're in Love". Martin dominates the romantic singing, and the Ritz brothers the comedy in the final big production: no great shakes. Presently available on a minimalist DVD.
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