Palmy Days (1931)

not horrible nor great

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

I guess even butch, straight women need love, and for bakery supervisor, Charlotte Greenwood, this Amazon woman of the bread line is looking for a man she can mold like the dough she's kneading. Poor Eddie Cantor gets the work-out of his life, first with a medicine ball, and later with a mechanical bull, with Greenwood becoming more head over heels in love with him as she realizes the challenge that lies ahead. Literally, Cantor does end up with his heels over head as she gives him an exercise regime he will never forget. "Reach for a pickle instead of a pie!", she tells one of her pretty Goldwyn Girl employees as she heads into the film's first big musical number, "Bend Down Sister!". A few of Greenwood's famous high kicks mix well with the Busby Berkley overhead shots, and when Cantor breaks into his big number, "Yes Yes, My Baby Said Yes Yes!", it is Greenwood in the wedding veil in the finale shot of that number, not the boss's daughter as he had hoped.Delightfully silly and fast moving, "Palmy Days" was the follow-up vehicle after Cantor's first major Goldwyn film, "Whoopee!", casting him as the sap working for evil phony psychic Charles Middleton (the villain of the "Flash Gordon" serial) and making all sorts of hilarious mistakes as he tries to get out of this racket. A very young George Raft is one of Middleton's henchmen who work Cantor over in order to get the combination to the safe where the bread factory owner has put employee bonuses. When the money is found missing, Cantor is blamed, and a chase with the villains ensues, resulting in a hysterical finale. Cantor even gets into drag, posing as a waitress, and ends up in a pool where Greenwood tries to strip him of his clothes. Hey, Cantor's not the first drag queen I've seen wearing a shower curtain although he probably is the only one who didn't bother to take out the rings.The film opens with a hysterical gay reference that rivals Jolson's encounter with two men dancing in "Wonder Bar". Later on, insinuations about Cantor himself are tossed about, although his character is clearly heterosexual. Pretty daring, even in the pre-code Hollywood era, and not as offensive as some overly sensitive P.C. advocates would make it out to be. But it's the musical numbers which stand out (only 3, but what's there is top grade), and fans of the Steve Martin film "Pennies From Heaven" will enjoy hearing "Yes Yes, My Baby Said Yes Yes", which was utilized in the 1981 MGM musical. So go ahead, flirt with noodle soup, sniff but don't give in.... Greenwood and Cantor are a hysterical pair together, and "Palmy Days" ranks as one of Cantor's best.

First off: I've always liked this one - I thought it Eddie Cantor's best film, maybe partly because the 2 main songs in it were so wonderful and summed up the early Hollywood musical for me. Second: it's a classic anyway. Third: coming back to it after a 15 year gap brings it home to me just how weird this would probably appear to the unwary who stumble across it. Notwithstanding its relentless wit and charm, belief in character, plot and set logic must be totally suspended for the 77 minutes to get the most out.Eddie is mistakenly employed as Efficiency Expert by scatty owner of an art deco bakery run by scantily clad females. He falls in love with the boss's daughter whilst gangly Charlotte Greenwood falls for him; meanwhile machinating phoney séancer Charles "Ming" Middleton and his henchmen are machinating in the background after their chance to rob the boss. The workers exercise routines may be coyly exploitative - but remember many Japanese multinational companies around the globe still use similar if more updated techniques on their benighted employees. Millions back then were probably thinking how lucky all the Goldwyn girls were to have a job, even if only as delightful looking objects. Favourite bits: Bend Down Sister sung by Greenwood and the girls with some nice patterns arranged by Busby Berkeley; There's Nothing Too Good For My Baby (but a Black-Face routine warning goes out for those with a weak constitution) – delivered with such vim; Yes Yes! My Honey Said Yes Yes! (at the engagement party with even nicer patterns. Astounding to think he never recorded it commercially); Greenwood's admission that Cantor was the key to her ignition (Roll over R Kelly); at the séance Greenwood being surprised it was her dog talking to her; many more - the smart ass one liners come so fast it's hard to pick the best.Cantor was an incredible performer with zest and vitality up to the max, but it appears as time goes by he (with Al Jolson) becomes more and more of an acquired taste. This film is fast funny and farcical as well as far-fetched fanciful and fluffy; I love it - open not only your mind but your heart. Ya-da-da and Ohyoudon't, that's what Eddie had plenty of.

With "Whoopee" one of Samuel Goldwyn's biggest moneymakers, the follow up for Eddie Cantor, Busby Berkeley and the Goldwyn Girls didn't need to veer away from the tried and true formula. Unfortunately it was released in those dark "this is NOT a Musical" days. Even though it was filmed in black and white and at just over 70 minutes was pretty short for a major production, it had an eye catching opening performed by some of the most beautiful chorus girls around (Betty Grable leading the line). "Bend Down Sister" proved to be the hit of the movie and was sung by lanky Charlotte Greenwood as she instructs her bakery girls to be conscious of their figures - "don't go messing with French Dressing" and "Ham and eggs should always be outside looking in". The girls go into a typical Berkeley geometric formation with exercise sticks as props.Eddie Cantor plays Eddie Simpson, a bumbling assistant to a phoney fortune teller (Charles Middleton). Eddie has an odd habit of singing whenever he is nervous and that is happening a lot because he has just been installed as an efficiency expert at Clark's Bakery (the medium wants to hypnotise the owner to take control!!) There's lots of laughs - at one point Eddie (in his love happy state) breaks off a corner of the desk and as the boss fumes, Eddie blithly tells him that will now discourage people from sitting on the desk and wasting time. Eddie gets to like the job and wants to go straight. He breathes new life into the bakery - even though it has the best food and the prettiest girls, it has no pizazz - until Eddie puts on a floor show and in "blackface" sings "There's Nothing Too Good for My Baby" - ("Baby wants a limousine - I show her one in a magazine").The crooks learn of a $25,000 payroll that Eddie has been given charge of - this makes for a lot of comic situations, Eddie posing as a woman, having to go into the girl's change rooms and at the end having a swimming lesson with the girls as they swim "au natural" -pretty racy but good fun. He ends up taking the money out of the safe and baking it in a loaf of bread - then accused of theft he must find the loaf to clear his name. Charlotte Greenwood joins him as his comic romance - the "physical torturist" according to Eddie."Palmy Days" was intended as a straight comedy with one song, "Yes, Yes" but when Goldwyn saw it at a preview he ordered more songs. "Yes, Yes" is performed at Joan's (Barbara Weeks) engagement party - Eddie thinks he is the lucky man (in reality it is really colourless Paul Page) and sings the energetic "Yes, Yes" followed by another formation dance by the Bakery Girls ("Bend Down, Sister" was a more enjoyable, precise routine). In this dance there were hat boxes as steps and at the end the dancers hold up cards to become a train. Audiences were more intrigued with Eddie's "put put" antics - a weird quacking noise he made throughout the movie. When the movie was re-released in the 1940s George Raft (formerly billed 7th) replaced Greenwood's name from 2nd billing. It must have been puzzling to Raft's many fans to find he played a henchman - "Joe the Frog" with only a few mumbled lines.Highly Recommended.

At a time when musicals had fallen completely out of favor with the movie-going public, Eddie Cantor and Busby Berkeley were still able to bring smiles to faces and audiences into theaters with this 1931 pseudo-musical by offering a bankable star (Cantor) in a foolproof formula. The title refers to a ring of bogus spiritualists for which Cantor's character has served unwittingly as a front man. During the film Eddie falls repeatedly into some dangerous or embarrassing situation and by virtue of his own hyperactivity emerges victorious in each case.The film includes only three major song sequences, but they are all very well done, and coupled with Cantor's delivery they are infectious. Busby Berkeley opens the film with a musical number involving a gymnasium full of scantily clad Goldwyn Girls - supposedly employees of a surrealistic bakery where all the action takes place - in the aptly titled "Bend Down, Sister". The cast includes long and lanky Charlotte Greenwood, a regrettably forgotten character actress. She plays the physical fitness instructor who believes - thanks to the bogus spiritualists - that Cantor's character is her future husband. The chemistry between Greenwood and Cantor is priceless as she relentlessly pursues Eddie. Then there is George Raft as a hood who is out to get Eddie. Finally, there is Mr. Clark, the president of the bakery, who has confused Eddie for an efficiency expert. when he asks Eddie "How many girls do you think work here?", Eddie's answer is a very professional "About half". The whole thing is 77 minutes of enjoyable musical and comedic nonsense that I never get tired of and that could only have been possible pre-code.Singin in the Rain it isn't, but like that film it is sure to put a smile on your face every time you watch it.