Movie-Mania (1937)
*** (out of 4)
Vitaphone short has Vaudeville performer Dave Apollon playing a know-it-all director who is making a new film that doesn't sit well with one man. Apollon gets to do various things including singing, dancing and playing the mandolin and it's clear he has talent but looking at his credits on IMDb you'll see he had a very short career in Hollywood. I always love catching this type of short on Turner Classic Movies because you get to see a part of history that is all but forgotten. I especially like catching these Vaudeville acts because most of them are very talented yet their level of success in Hollywood is usually very mixed. I'm not sure why this guy never caught on but this short does provide a lot of entertainment in its 20-minutes. The film starts off trying to tell what some would consider a story but then cuts loose and joins the musical category.