Sing, Baby, Sing

1936 "A Mad, Merry, Musical Delight!"
Sing, Baby, Sing
5.8| 1h30m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 21 August 1936 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

The "Caliban-Ariel" romance of fiftysomething John Barrymore and teenager Elaine Barrie is spoofed in this delightful 20th Century Fox musical. Adolphe Menjou plays the Barrymore counterpart, a loose-living movie star with a penchant for wine, women, and more wine. Alice Faye plays a nightclub singer hungry for publicity. Her agent (Gregory Ratoff) arranges a "romance" between Faye and Menjou. Eventually Faye winds up with Michael Whalen, allowing Menjou to continue his blissful, bibulous bachelorhood. Sing, Baby, Sing represented the feature-film debut of the Ritz Brothers, who are in top form in their specialty numbers--and who are awarded a final curtain call after the "The End" title, just so the audience won't forget them (The same device was used to introduce British actor George Sanders in Fox's Lancer Spy [37]).

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rhoda-9 The rest of the movie is pleasant/mediocre, but Adolphe Menjou's parody of John Barrymore is fantastic. As daring as it is accurate, it makes one feel almost guilty at enjoying it so much (the movie was kicking a man when he was down in lampooning Barrymore's drunken antics and publicly disintegrating marriage). Menjou doesn't just copy Barrymore's mannerisms but has conveyed his essential noble but impish spirit, and the fun he is having is contagious--the scene in the hotel room ends on a moment of inspired hilarity, as truthful as it is loony. This inspired impersonation had an ironic sequel: Four years later, Menjou played the Barrymore role in a remake (why?) of A Bill of Divorcement. That time he was not able to channel, in a serious way, the personality he had assumed so well in this film; it was a terrible performance.
JohnHowardReid Although this movie could be rated as a pleasant musical comedy, it's a bit disappointing – particularly for Alice Faye fans. She's in good voice and looks great, but unfortunately, 20th Century Fox insist on surrounding her – and at times obliterating her altogether – with lesser talents, including the atrocious Ritz Brothers (here making their feature film debut and hogging every aggressively going-on- forever second of it), Adolphe Menjou, Patsy Kelly, Gregory Ratoff, and Ted Healy. Sidney Lanfield is not a strong director and it says much for the aggressive Brothers, plus Kelly and Ratoff, that they succeed in almost obliterating Healy. Ted was no slouch when it came to hogging a scene, but here he's reduced to fourth banana at best. Considering his co-star billing, Menjou's role is actually rather small. His material is no world-beater either. All told, the movie is watchable, but we expect better – much better! – from producer Buddy DeSylva!
mark.waltz Radio singer Alice Faye finds out that her radio job is ending due to the obsession with publicity-seeking society girls with no talent and nothing else to do. With the help of agent Gregory Ratoff, she tries to pose as one of those girls (who actually has talent) yet fails to land a contract. When a drunken John Barrymore like movie actor (Adolphe Menjou) falls under her spell, she begins to get some unwanted publicity as a gold digger, and his agent strains to keep them apart. There's really little more to the plot than that, several mediocre Ritz Brothers sketches thrown in for groans, showing the audience laughing hysterically at their antics, including one "Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde" sketch that isn't even remotely amusing. A magic act by Ted Healy while Patsy Kelly sings a medley of past 20th Century Fox movie themes is much funnier. Tony Martin comes in late as an electric company employee who is discovered by Faye simply walking down the street and ends up on the finale radio show as well. Faye's sultry singing voice is well utilized, as in the title song and the haunting "You Turned the Tables on Me". The result is mixed, fun comedy with Healy and Kelly, the husky voiced Faye very likable, yet plot wise, pretty weak. Menjou's spoof of the Barrymore image, though, is very funny, with references to "Hamlet" which ironically had two productions on Broadway the same year at the same time.
Kalaman "Sing, Baby, Sing" is a passable, sometimes alluring lightweight Fox musical starring Alice Faye, Gregory Ratoff, Patsy Kelly, Adolph Menjou, and introducing The Ritz Brothers. Faye is an aspiring singer/actress who becomes involved with a drunken Shakespearean actor Bruce Farraday(Menjou). Farraday becomes infatuated with Joan after seeing her one night in a nightclub. Joan's agent(Ratoff) sees this occasion as a way of advancing her showbiz career. Patsy Kelly provides good supporting role as Fiz, Joan's friend. The Ritz Brothers perform their often hilarious, often annoying shenanigans, interrupting the story for their routine comic acts. As the other user-comment has said, "Sing,Baby,Sing" is mainly for fans of Alice Faye. It is a good early role for Faye to shine and sparkle, but it is way below her best, most spirited musicals at Fox.