The Goldwyn Follies (1938)

Undescribable Perfection

To me, this movie is perfection.

Memorable, crazy movie

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

While there are a lot of things to praise about this Samuel Goldwyn musical extravaganza, the most obvious failure in this overlong attempt to bring the "Ziegfeld Follies" to the movies is its hypocritical fight against its own theme, bringing reality into the movies. Adolph Menjou is cast as a Samuel Goldwyn like film producer who keeps making the most pretentious movies with his temperamental star (Vera Zorina) and searches for reality after a preview goes bad. He happens to overhear two sisters discussing what they witnessed in the filming of his next opus, and hires one of them (Andrea Leeds, "Stage Door") to be "Miss Humanity", to tell him how to alter his plots to be more realistic and acceptable to the average movie goer. What happens then becomes even worse than the tripe he was making before as Leeds even makes him change the ending of "Romeo and Juliet", seen here in a modern ballet that is the epitome of audaciousness.When Leeds happens to meet a singing fry cook (Kenny Baker), she secretly pushes for him to get an introduction to Menjou in order to become the juvenile in the altered version of the movie she had seen him making before. Baker spends more time singing "Love Walked In" that you get to the point where you want to walk out if he warbles it again. When he breaks into "Our Love is Hear to Stay", he hits the nail on the head of the song you'd rather hear over and over. Both songs are classics in the Gershwin repertoire (two of the last he ever wrote), but in the case of "Love Walked In", less is more.Broadway legend Bobby Clark gets one of his rare film roles as a casting director who always seems to have future "Finian's Rainbow" star Ella Logan in his lap whenever Menjou calls and is responsible for the parade of buffoons who come in to audition for Menjou while he's looking for a tenor. This audition sequence reminded me of the "Hitler" auditions in "The Producers" with the line-up of high-pitched male voices singing everything with the exception of "The Little Wooden Boy".The presence of the Ritz Brothers will be a hit or miss with today's audiences. The pop-eyed trio first encounter Menjou with their various animals, and then harass him some more during the tenor audition scene where they sing a song about Old Man Jenkin's cat. Later on, they pop up in a water ballet where they encounter a plastic whale then later turn into mermaids. Some of the humor is silly and dated, yet you'd have to be made out of iron not to laugh at some point, even if you are raising your eyebrows while doing it. Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy have a delightful routine of insults with the character man who keeps being shifted from one part to another, and never getting to play his accordion. McCarthy adeptly notes how the man sings through his teeth, praising his "falsetto". You get the drift of how this routine will play out.Menjou's character goes a little overboard when the tough producer becomes a bit lecherous towards Leeds, making demands that are totally absurd in nature. The ballet sequences might cause some viewers to hit fast forward, although a brief operatic sequence performed by Helen Jepson is a delight for the ears, even for a non opera buff like myself. I really didn't feel that this film really was made for "the common man", stuffing in several different styles of comedy and music that at times are a bit highbrow when mixed in with the likes of the Ritz Brothers.

Some reviewers hated this movie and, admittedly, it is relatively plot-free, but it's such a time capsule of movies, acts, and music of the period that I love it. If you ignore the script and realize you're listening to some FABULOUS Gershwin songs and that you're seeing The Ritz Brothers, Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy and others, it can be pretty great. Unlike the some others, I love the Ritz Brothers' specialty about the cats. Some people just don't appreciate silly. Later on, they get bogged down in the plotlessness, but WOW!! . . the kitty cat number is hilarious!!!!!!!! "Where is the gosh, darn cat?????" Some people just don't appreciate silly. Lighten up, people!!Face it, the movie studios of the day used to trot out all their stars for these Cast of Several movies. Take it for what it is. It was never meant to be "Gone With the Wind". It's more along the lines of "Hollywood Party" (1934) . . Enjoy!!

Mostly dreadful and overlong this "Follies" attempt patches together a lame plot with a variety of acts.Adolphe Menjou is fine as the movie producer who hires Andrea Leeds to give him the "human touch" in his films. He falls for her but she's in love with a hamburger slinger (Kenny Baker) she tricks Menjou into hiring for his new film. Throw into this stew Vera Zorina as a temperamental ballet star and you have the framework for this film.Edgar Bergen (and dummy) provide some humor, especially in a funny bit with radio star Phil Baker. Helen Jepson sings a few numbers (she's no Jeanette MacDonald), Bobby Clark plays the harried casting director, Ella Logan (trying to be Martha Raye) is the chaperone, Nydia Westman is the friend, Frank Shields (tennis pro and grandfather to Brooke) is the assistant director to Jerome Cowan. The Ritz Brothers (dreadful as usual) have one funny bit and stink in the rest of their appearance. Alan Ladd has a bit as an auditioning singer.

I agree that the film is in many ways a mess, but what grand songs! Some of the last songs George Gershwin composed (a few actually finished by Vernon Duke). Especially lovely is Kenny Baker slinging hamburgers in a diner, singing "Love Walked In," and later "Love Is Here To Stay." It is also a very early example of a Technicolor film. So although often quite dumb, this film has its moments of fine entertainment.