Michael_Elliott Streamlined Swing (1938) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Buster Keaton directed this MGM short showcasing the original Sing Band. Keaton's direction is a tad bit dated and lazy as he doesn't really do much when filming the musical numbers, which just happen to be the best thing about the film. The story written around the musical numbers is also rather lazy and routine.It's a shame MGM let Buster's acting career go down the drain but I guess we can be happy that he was working at all.Turner Classic Movies shows this every once in a while.

theowinthrop Because of the hostility of MGM head L. B. Mayer, who had little use for comedians, and personal and alcohol problems, Buster Keaton's star career was in eclipse by 1938. He somehow got assigned to direct this film, which is a mixed bag - but distinctly a lesser effort of the Great Stone Face. He does not appear in this one, which all in all is just as well.Racially this film is offensive, even though there is an element in the story that suggests that better things were possible for African Americans if Caucasian Americans would assist them. Even that though does not really help: the African-Americans act like stereotypes, who mangle English, and have subservient jobs. They are the staff of a private railway car, and we see them entertaining the owner and two other men by doing the first of three skat numbers, where they sing and also pretend to be the instruments of the band. This is entertaining, but the effect in the second number is hurt by the members of the band playing instruments that include faking trumpets with toilet plungers.The band is rewarded by the owner of the private car - he is billionaire - and he is going (he says) to live on his private yacht for the rest of his life and does not need the car. So as a gift it is given to them - but as he does not own the railroad and it's tracks they have to remove it from the tracks and take it elsewhere. He leaves the band astounded at their good fortune - but they don't see him taken under the care of a German Psychiatrist. This billionaire is as crazy as a loon (and so he can't make gifts of his property).The members of the band somehow manage to get the diner (they call it a "Dinah") down Wiltshire Blvd. in L. A. and set it on some land - where they proceed to rebuild it as a diner. And here was the one positive point of the entire wasted short - they were quite industrious, and were intent on making their new business a success. It was a moment in the films of that era that one struggled to find usually - rare to see African-Americans striving to succeed in our capitalist system. But the moment is quickly shattered, when their hard work is threatened by two detectives (the men who accompanied the mad billionaire earlier) threaten to arrest them on their opening night. They tell the men that the billionaire was suffering from hallucinations. When the President of the Railroad shows up as a satisfied customer who will give them the car as a gift, they politely reject his offer. They don't trust gifts from billionaires anymore.It's a lame conclusion and a let-down on the one positive point of the film that I appreciated. Keaton's directing is adequate, but nothing more. It will never be one of his memorable classics, or even his good films - it is rather forgettable quickly. It illustrates how his career was wasted for so many years for stupid reasons.

MartinHafer While I was not originally going to watch this musical short since I usually hate musical shorts, I decided to see it when I saw that it was directed by none other than Buster Keaton!! It was obvious looking at Keaton's career that MGM had absolutely no idea how to use his many talents. Starting in the sound era, MGM did practically everything they could to unintentionally waste his talents. The first was pairing the visual comic with the loud, brash and pretty obnoxious Jimmy Durante. Their styles had absolutely nothing in common and Keaton just looked lost in the films--and worst of all, they weren't funny. It was so bad that by the late 1930s, he all but disappeared from the screen except in bit roles. MGM didn't know what to do with this contracted player, so they assigned him to direct some shorts. And the short, overall, is good and achieves what it intended--a short and amiable musical interlude before or between features. However, fans looking for a short that transcends this limited goal (such as Keaton's silent shorts) will be disappointed.In addition, the film is in some ways uncomfortable to watch here in the 21st century and is an important history lesson. The singing group in the film is made up of some talented Black men who, at times, act pretty stereotypical for the time period. Blacks were not often seen in mainstream films of the era, but when they did they were usually servants or child-like "boys" who could sing and dance. The singing is excellent and catchy, but you can't help but feel that the film is patronizing and these men are allowed to act within very prescribed limits--the characters can't have depth or anguish--they must enjoy being exactly who they are and nothing more. However, don't throw away the film because of this--it is a very important time-capsule and important to our history.This film begins with the men working as waiters on a train. They THINK they bought a used train car to convert into a restaurant, but it turns out the owner of the railroad is actually NOT the owner but an insane person! How this is all resolved in kind of cute and at least it's nice to see that in the end the men are rewarded for their decency and hard work--exactly the sort of "good Negro" image that White audiences of the time would accept.Overall, this is an interesting film but is hindered by the age in which it was made. It's a real shame that the singers were unable to do much more with their many talents.

Eventuallyequalsalways Warning: Spoilers ahead! Created in 1938 when America seems like a different world to a viewer in 2006, this short film about a group of African American singers who are apparently given a railroad dining car named "Dinah" by a crazy man; they believe him and innocently "steal" the dining car and set it up on a Hollywood street corner as one of the early RR car diners, and use it as a means of income and as a showcase for their musical talents. The police appear and tell them the car has been stolen, and then the President of the railroad appears and tells them they can truly have the diner. No longer trusting the word of the white men who keep giving them the car, the band politely declines the offer and the film ends. Certainly not one of Director Buster Keaton's best, but it's cute and watchable.