A different way of telling a story

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

With Black History Month starting tomorrow, I feel a need to point out that this vintage movie of the '30s has a couple of interesting contrasts concerning race relations at the time. When Hugh Hubert does a blackface scene in a filming segment taking place in the 19th century South, this was something that was considered humorously accepted by much of the American public though it would cause an uproar today. But the rare sight of African-American musicians Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton performing alongside Caucasions Gene Krupa and Benny Goodman on film (this was supposedly the first instance of this happening) is something that would be taken for granted today. For me personally, I tolerated the former and very much loved the latter especially the xylophone sequence. The story, about the Dick Powell character trying to get a break in movies, is quite satirical and very funny with many exaggerations of the way things were then. My main interest in seeing this was because of Ted Healy who once was the boss of who are now known as The Three Stooges. He can be overbearing but I laughed just the same. Also of interest, the future President of the United States-Ronald Reagan-as an announcer which was his initial foray in show business. Plenty of wonderful songs abound like the classic "Hooray for Hollywood" though I was surprised to hear the name "Donald Duck" retained in the lyrics as this was a Warner Bros. picture and Donald's a Disney character! So on that note, I highly recommend Hollywood Hotel.

What clever lyrics to open this wonderful Busby Berkley musical about a rising singer signed to a studio contract and the screen double he falls in love with thinking she is the real deal. Dick Powell is first seen leaving for the airport where his band serenades him with the title song accompanied by trucks with clever banners of how the great female stars will react to his "charisma". "Garbo, I Tank You'll Love Him!" one banner says. Sung by the wonderful Frances Langford and Benny Goodman's band, "Horray For Hollywood!" has become one of the screen's great anthems. Of course, there are fictional movie stars with somebody named Mona Marshall getting mentioned amongst the real life stars, most of them Warner Brothers contract players. A fictional studio, All-Star, is the setting for the goings on here.Once out in Hollywood, Powell meets Rosemary Lane, the extra standing in for the temperamental Lola Lane at a movie premiere, claiming illness with "Oh, My Thyroids!". Rosemary and Dick hit it off at the premiere, performing the delightful "I'm a Fish Out of Water". Lots of wonderful performers appear including Alan Mowbray as a hammy "Lothario", Mabel Todd as movie star Lane's dizzy sister (who allegedly suffers from anemia, but I think today's doctors would refer to it as something else), Hugh Herbert as the star's flighty father, Glenda Farrell as the wisecracking assistant, slow-burning Edgar Kennedy as a temperamental diner manager and Louella Parsons as herself. Even Ronald Reagan gets briefly into the act as the announcer at a premiere. The film slightly bogs down at the end with an extended sequence at the Hollywood Hotel' Orchid Room (Powell and Lola Lane re-enacting scenes from the film within-the-film), but for the most part, it is complete fun. A musical number at the diner ("Behind the Eight Ball") is the choreographic delight, although there are none of the signature Berkley overhead shots within the film. A black-face sequence with Herbert appears to be in bad taste, but in placing him amongst a group of black extras, this only shows how ridiculous the practice was in the first place. The extras all seem to know it, too, judging by the looks on their face, and a couple of them are having a difficult time keeping a straight face due to Herbert's silly antics. This hardly matters because the film is so filled with fun that you too will want to try your luck, you may be Donald Duck. Horray For Hollywood!

It may be that Hollywood has made a musical with a more energetic, dynamic opening than Hollywood Hotel, but I haven't come across it. Right off the bat there's Benny Goodman and his orchestra, all dressed in white suits, each standing in a convertible, all being driven down a highway led by motorcycle cops to the St. Louis airport, and all playing loud and fast one of Richard Whiting's and Johnny Mercer's greatest songs. They're sending off to Hollywood the orchestra's saxophonist, Ronnie Bowers (Dick Powell), who has just won a ten-week contract in Tinsel Town. Without skipping a beat, Johnnie Davis, a mug-faced trumpet player, starts singing the lyrics, then Frances Langford picks up a chorus or two. Hooray for Hollywood! / That screwy, ballyhooey Hollywood! Where any office boy or young mechanic / Can be a panic with just a good-looking pan! And any barmaid can be a star maid / If she dances with or without a fan! Hooray for Hollywood! / Where you're terrific if you're even good!Where anyone at all from Shirley Temple / To Aimee Semple is equally understood! Come on and try your luck, you could be Donald Duck! Hooray for Hollywood! It would be hard to top this, and Hollywood Hotel doesn't come close. The problem is the plot -- it's too complicated and goes on too long -- and, surprisingly, since Whiting and Mercer wrote the songs -- the songs they wrote. With the exception of Hooray for Hollywood, their songs in my opinion are pleasant but not especially memorable. "Let That Be a Lesson to You" has a clever Mercer lyric but is staged with great corn by director Busby Berkeley. It's no accident, I think, that Hooray for Hollywood not only became a smash but Tinsel Town's de facto anthem. It's that good. Hollywood Hotel is stuffed with mix-ups, misunderstandings and mistaken identities, but none of them are worth remembering. The plot has to do with the naive and enthusiastic Ronnie and his adventures thinking he'll be a star. There's the snooty leading lady (Lola Lane) who takes a walk, the waitress substitute who looks like her and fools Ronnie (Rosemary Lane, doing a nice job imitating an uber-gracious leading lady), the dense and egotistical leading man (Alan Mowbray) and on and on. Ronnie loses his big break, winds up selling hamburgers and malts, but then he comes back big. Mowbray is just fine, especially when he's miming "I've Hitched My Wagon to a Star" with Powell's voice. Dr. Benny Goodman and his orchestra provide a number of musical injections, including "Sing, Sing, Sing." Several of his key players such as Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, and Teddy Wilson are featured. There are the uncredited-and-very-young-future-stars to spot, such as Susan Hayward, Ronald Reagan and Carole Landis. On the other hand, there's Hugh Herbert to endure (he's even in a black face bit), Mabel Todd (a kind of bargain basement Cass Dailey) and Luella Parsons playing herself. Parsons is particularly awful. And there's Dick Powell, who manages to give the movie some energy as the likable, singing Ronnie Bowers. Powell seemed always to play cocky, confident guys. Here's he's an innocent in Hollywood, but just as energetic and confident. By now, 1937, he could see the writing on the wall...namely, the ruin of his career if he couldn't get out of playing light romantic singing leads in brainless musicals. He finally managed with Murder My Sweet in 1944 when he was 40, but it took him seven years. During that time he was placed in silliness with titles like The Cowboy from Brooklyn, Hard to Get, Going Places, Naughty But Nice and I Want a Divorce. He might have been a bit lucky with Murder My Sweet, but he also was persistent, ambitious and smart about what he needed. One of these days I hope we'll see DVD versions of two movies of his I like a lot. One is The Tall Target (1951). Powell is a detective out to foil a conspiracy to kill Lincoln as the President-elect travels to Washington for his first inaugural. It's a well-made, taut period mystery. Then there's You Never Can Tell (1951), a wry comedy about a German Shepherd who inherits millions and is promptly poisoned. He comes back to earth for a few days as a human to find who killed him and to protect the young woman who'd cared for him. Powell plays the temporary human, named Rex of course. Renting Hollywood Hotel may be the only chance you'll have to hear all the choruses to Hooray for Hollywood. It's one of Mercer's best sets of comedy lyrics.

Hollywood Hotel features the Benny Goodman band and quartet at their peak and preserves some of the best swing era music on film. The movie also introduces Johnny Mercer's immortal "Hooray for Hollywood." Unfortunately, that's it. A trite plot, a witless script, unappealing performers, and lifeless production numbers will soon wear you down. Twenty-six year old Ronald Reagan pops up as a radio announcer at a premiere, but you'll probably be dozing by then. Tasteless and at times even racist, the film is a huge disappointment.