Something to Sing About (1937)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Cagney sings and swings in this enjoyable musical comedy about a bandleader who goes to Hollywood and winds up brawling with stuntmen. It's lightweight fluff done on an obviously low budget, one of two movies James Cagney did for Poverty Row studio Grand National. It has a nice turn from Jimmy, who gets to show off his dancing skills in the movie's best scenes. Lovely Evelyn Daw plays his singing fiancée and has some adorable dimples. The rest of the cast is fine, including William Frawley and Gene Lockhart. Some of the behind-the-scenes movie bits are fun but the songs are nothing to write home about and the musical numbers aren't as flashy or impressive as what was going on at the bigger studios at the time. Still, as I mentioned before, Cagney is a great dancer so it's worth seeing the picture just to watch him hoof it.

Dancing "Big Apple" band leader James Cagney (as Terry Rooney) heads for Hollywood to make his "Galore Pictures" debut. After his down-to-earth attitude is mistaken for arrogance, Mr. Cagney leaves tinsel-town thinking he's a failed actor, and marries singing sweetheart Evelyn Daw (as Rita Wyatt). Meanwhile, Cagney's debut makes him the country's newest movie star. Publicist William Frawley (as Hank Meyers) and studio chief Gene Lockhart (as B.O. Regan) hope to cash in, but with the now married Cagney as a more appealing single man.Mr. Frawley demonstrates some "Fred Mertz" mannerisms, and Mr. Lockhart apes a certain studio mogul.On "leave" from Warner Bros., and with multi-"talent to burn," Cagney more than proves his worth. Jack Warner wisely made him "an offer he couldn't refuse," and Cagney re-signed before another studio - MGM, the references to Gable, Montgomery, and Taylor would suggest - got too interested. His hoofer role reached its fruition with Cagney's magnificent "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942). "Something to Sing About" is a tuneful title; of the songs written by director Victor Schertzinger, "Right or Wrong" was the biggest minor hit, for swing singer Mildred Bailey.****** Something to Sing About (9/30/37) Victor Schertzinger ~ James Cagney, Evelyn Daw, William Frawley, Gene Lockhart

The plot of this film is fairly ordinary--bandleader/hoofer goes to Hollywood and becomes a star, studio wants to play up his credentials as a lover so they put the kibosh on announcing his marriage and cook up an on-set romance for the papers, the strain threatens his marriage. If it were with any other cast, that might have been the end of it. But with Cagney in the starring role, the movie just pops. The man had star quality positively oozing out of him, which had been evident from his earliest bit roles, in films like "A Handful of Clouds."This was Cagney's second and last film with Grand National studios, where he'd taken refuge during a contract dispute with Warner Brothers. The first film had cast him in standard dramatic fare, but this one reunited him with his NY dance coach, Harland Dixon, who staged the dances for the film. Cagney's dancing is even more spirited than in "Yankee Doodle Dandy"--at one point, where other dancers might kick their heels, he kicks his knees! According to a NY Times article cited in the AFI Catalog, Cagney practiced his steps with Fred Astaire before filming.What's most striking to me, though, in this film is Cagney's incomparably naturalistic acting. One scene in particular, where Cagney phones his fiancée back in New York while sitting in the dark in his Hollywood apartment, and listens to her sing a new song, is as moving and realistic as anything I've seen.Many scenes will evoke more famous moments from later films--Cagney dancing on piano keys, like Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia in "Big," or Cagney working on his pear-shaped tones, like Gene Kelly in "Singin' in the Rain." Cagney gives them all his unique brand of liveliness. There is also an almost anachronistic recognition of the degradation Hollywood visited on minorities, in the person of Philip Ahn, who plays Cagney's manservant, Ito.Evelyn Daw, as Cagney's fiancée, was a discovery of the director, Schertzinger, and this was her first film. She's got a cute little smile, but her voice is absolutely wrong for the sort of band Cagney is supposed to be leading. She does well enough, though, and holds her own with William Frawley as Cagney's sympathetic press agent and Gene Lockhart as the studio boss. The only real sour note is sounded by Mona Barrie, as the Hungarian star set up as Cagney's love interest by the studio press machine. She's neither attractive nor talented, and one has to wonder why she was supposed to be such a big star.This movie is out on DVD, unlike all too many of Cagney's early efforts, and it's worth checking out for a side of Cagney seen entirely too seldom.

This little-known film is surprisingly entertaining, with lots of pre-"Singin' in the Rain" pokes at Hollywood's star machine, good songs, and a few lively dance numbers, especially the one onboard ship. James Cagney is great as usual, and the supporting cast has some fine bits of their own, especially Gene Lockhart as arrogant but ineffectual studio head "B.O." Regan. William Frawley from "I Love Lucy" gets to show a different side as a tough and efficient publicist. Unusually, the film makes a small plea for treating minorities as full-fledged people (what a concept!), though how well it succeeds in that will be up to the individual viewer. The movie also proclaims that there's nothing wrong with women band leaders--an idea still unusual today. The production design will please 30's fans: the studio's offices are a small wonder of art deco intimidation, and even the regular movie theaters have signs with beautiful typography. Odd item to watch for: the shipboard cat boxing match--they wear gloves, so no one gets hurt, but some will find it cruel. But the film overall is a fine addition to musicals of the period.