The Singing Kid (Warner Bros.) (1936)

SHOULD HIT AT BOX-OFFICE WITH SOME SWEET RETURNS WITH JOLSON AT HIS BEST, EXCELLENT CAST AND SPLENDID MUSIC, THIS LOOKS LIKE REAL BOX-OFFICE. This is one of the best shows Al Jolson has ever done. It should hit at the box-office to some sweet returns. And it isn’t all Al, there are the Yacht Club Boys who are terrific, Cab Calloway and his Band as an integral part of the show, Edward Everett Horton, Sybil Jason, Allen Jenkins and Beverly Roberts. The latter is a newcomer who should do well. From the moment the picture opens with Al singing songs from his Broadway shows and pictures to the very end, ‘The Singing Kid” is a fast moving show loaded with swell musical entertainment. E. Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen wrote some grand music, the lyrics of a couple of numbers being especially clever. The show may be one dealing with the backstage and it may be loaded with singing, but with Jolson, the Yacht Club Boys, and Cab Calloway, that’s all it needs. The story serves its purpose in being a good medium to let these boys do their stuff. William Keighley’s direction gives the picture a speedy pace and he gets some nice work from the players. Al, who is at the top as a musical show star, loses his voice, his girl runs off with his business manager, and the latter turns out to be a crook who has gotten Al into a terrible financial mess. Al, with his employees Horton and Jenkins, goes to Maine, where he meets Sybil Jason and her aunt, Beverly Roberts. Al and Beverly fall in love, but a slight misunderstanding comes up which causes them to break up. Al recovers his voice. His show is just about to open when Beverly and Sybil come in and Al goes on with a new enthusiasm. FILM DAILY tips aw es) e ep : Reet ae cx Lp ea IT WILL SURELY PLEASE HOLLYWOOD, March 10.—Here’s an AI Jolson picture that departs widely from the beaten path. A gay combination of gags, musical comedy, drama and romance, flavored with ‘a girl-decorated backstage theatre spectacle, it has those qualities which will surely please exhibitors and audiences. It opens to Jolson’s singing of a number of his best known hits of other years on stage and screen. The backstage atmosphere is embellished by Jack Durant and Frank Mitchell, knockabout comedy duo, and is highlighted by a musical chase featuring the Yacht Club Boys and Jolson. After this talented group has the whole.city dancing to its rhythm, Jolson winds up with a performance of his well known mammy music. Jolson is the traditional Al Jolson that people like to see and hear. The comedy provided by the Yacht Club Boys, Horton and Jenkins is chock full of fun. The romance and drama involving Jolson and Beverly Roberts, also Talbot and Miss Dodd, is intriguing. Miss Roberts, a newcomer, shows great promise. The majority of the songs, apart from the semi-spiritual Jolson-Winifred Shaw scene, are lilty and catchy. Bobby Connolly's dance numbers give plenty of sparkle, while William Keighley’s direction keeps it moving at a pleasant pace. The exhibitor is offered a whole load of unique showmanship potentialities, making possible the liveliest of exploitation which should result in a wide popular response. MOTION PICTURE DAILY Already ACCLAIMED by the Press NOVELTY IN EVERY PHASE There’s much that’s entertaining in this picture. Most of it is new; funny comedy, catchy, oddly devised music, eye-thrilling spectacle, intriguing love interest, a compensating bit of drama and a couple of traces of vivid villainy. The show, not discounting the value of star—and the name Al Jolson takes on a new significance here as he’s always a first water entertainer— and the worth of supporting personalities, is its own selling argument. Not much that any exhibitor could want, no matter what kind of a theatre he has or what kind of audiences, has been omitted. Embellishing the story, in which Jolson appears to better advantage than in any of his recent appearances, is a newcomer, Beverly Roberts, who gives promise of amounting to something. It has the Yacht Club Boys in a specialty number that’s a riot of frothy fun. It teams them with Jolson in a musical chase sequence that’s surprisingly different. With Mitchell and Durant contributing their bust-’em-around foolishness, it also has the comedy standbys Edward Everett Horton and Allen Jenkins performing in characteristic fashion. For spectacle it has plenty girl adorned backstage musical show atmosphere. With the Jolson-Yacht Club Boys musical chase feature, in which modern rhythm comes into conflict with the Mammy theme and succumbs to it after a whole city dances, there’s an interpolated semi-spiritual sequence with Negro chorus, ae featuring Winifred Shaw and Cab Calloway and his Band. a Novelty in every phase is the tune to which the S eh ~ at fie 3 % Me show spins. As such it is unique entertainment. Clean and entertaining, it would be wise, if possible, to see iS Riese cre a * eo: ap en AS fom. the picture in advance of playing, to get ideas on how eee best to publicize. aged Previewed in Warner Hollywood Theatre, first-run es deluxer. Enthusiastic audience reaction many times broke out in applause. MOTION PICTURE HERALD RS UR tC Sry HAO SOR PARAS a ATOMS EM EEA : ion aN Aes SUBSTANTIAL MONEY MAKER Good entertainment, reflecting credit in all departments, ‘The Singing Kid’ should be a substantial money maker. Robert Lord has handled the picture well both in story and numbers. Screenplay by Warren Duff and Pat Flick is smartly written; topnotch dialogue throughout. Al Jolson works hard, finishes stronger than he has done in his past two pictures. Of the three numbers in the picture, he sings two. Third is handled in grand fashion by the Yacht Club Boys. The Arlen-Harburg melodies are exceptionally tuneful. However, the tunes will be overlooked due to their topnotch lyrics with two numbers, ‘How This Country Has Changed’ and ‘I Love to Singa,’ giving Cole Porter something to shoot at. Horton and Jenkins handle the major comedy assignments in their usual expert fashion. Mitchell and Durant carry the secondary comedy honors as two gag men, work overtime in their face slapping routine. Beverly Roberts impresses in her first picture with a 1 nice reading voice and a sincerity that appeals. Sybil Jason works well with Jolson, sings one chorus with him nicely. Lyle Talbot, in for three sequences, contributes a nice performance as does Claire Dodd. Joseph King and William Davidson, in small parts, are well cast. Winifred Shaw is in for one number, sings ‘Save Me, Sister’ with Jolson. William Keighley’s direction is exceptionally good. This is the director’s first musical and he hasn’t missed a trick to give his picture dramatic and comedy value. VARIETY DAILY RURAL N Renee ey eae Get ie Page Three