Gold Diggers in Paris (1938)

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/16/2008 Product Description

not so bad--but it's even better if you watch it at an angle

Gold Diggers in Paris is indeed the last installment in the Warner Brothers "Gold Diggers" series of films--and not a moment too soon! Yes, the film has quite a few good musical numbers and the acting is rather good; but that slapstick "Schnickelfritz Band" and Rudy Vallée's stiffness when he sings the opening number bring the film down to some degree.

When the action starts, we see that a New York City nightclub run by Terry Moore (Rudy Vallée) and Duke Dennis (Allen Jenkins) is a miserable financial flop. They even tell the help (Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson plays the doorman) to tell arriving customers to go away! Suddenly, a naïve Frenchman arrives at their club to invite them to participate in a fancy dance competition in Paris. Little does the Frenchman know that he has accidentally mistaken Terry, Duke and the young ladies who dance in the New York City nightclub for the Academy Ballet of America run by the great Padrinsky (Curt Bois)! Terry and Duke need the money so bad that they decide to go to France even though they know they'll be masquerading as the Academy Ballet of America.

Soon they're all on a ship bound for Paris--along with Mona, Terry's ex-wife who connives her way onboard in exchange for forgiveness on Terry's back alimony payments. Terry and Mona are divorced but Mona sticks around to make sure she'll get a part in the show when they get to Paris. All of this is unknown to Kay Morrow (Rosemary Lane), a very pretty dancer in the New York nightclub who strikes up a romance with Terry onboard the ship to France. Complications arise, of course, when Padrinsky and his Academy Ballet of America discover that the group bound for France is merely pretending to be them! Padrinsky immediately goes to Paris with his troupe--taking along with him his ballet-loving gangster buddy, Mike Coogan (Edward Brophy).

But questions remain unanswered. What will happen to Terry, Duke and their crew of young ladies if or when they are discovered as frauds? Will Padrinsky succeed in his efforts to replace them? What about Kay and Terry--will Kay forgive Terry for not telling her about his past marriage to Mona? No plot spoilers here--watch the movie and find out!

The film has fine musical numbers by Rudy Vallée even if he is a bit stiff when he sings, ""I Wanna Go Back to Bali." The finale is a wonderful feast for the eyes; Busby Berkeley did a great job of choreographing this elaborate sequence; and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The DVD also comes with three extras; I especially liked the Merrie Melodies cartoon about Cinderella and the short about actors racing to get silly photographs of themselves is also very well done. Look for a very young Phil Silvers who acts wonderfully.

Overall, Gold Diggers In Paris deserves to be the last in the "Gold Diggers" series of films. It's probably the weakest "Gold Diggers" film; I missed seeing the actors from the other "Gold Diggers" films. In addition, "The Schnickelfritz Band" wears on me real quick. Nevertheless, the film does entertain--it's just that it doesn't entertain as well as its predecessors did. It is worth watching; but maybe you should see this one on a rainy day when nothing else is on TV.

Three and one-half stars. December 30, 2008

A postscript to the Golddiggers series

"Goldiggers in Paris" is the final entry in the Warner Brother's films of the thirties featuring the name Golddiggers. With a pleasant but less than starry cast, it plays almost as a postscript because none of the regulars, such as Dick Powell, appear. Rudy Vallee takes over and he is an awkward leading man. Immaculately dressed, he projects a very sophisticated lead but his looks are odd, his singing voice pleasant but strangled and his acting stiff. Paired with the charming Rosemary Lane, they make an odd couple. Lane's trained soprano, which always sounds uncomfortable with pop songs, hardly complements Vallee's crooning. Their duets are sometimes bizarre.

Here are some points to note:

- Busby Berkeley staged the musical numbers and while the budgets are curtailed, both "Honeymoon in Bali" and the finale, the "Latin Quarter" are pleasant songs, presented with visual vitality, particularly the latter.
- Carole Landis is clearly visible in an unbilled supporting role.
- Gloria Dickson, as Vallee's ex-wife, plays the compulsory predatory female and adds a shot of adrenalin to all her scenes. Dickson is a stunner and steals the film.
- a zany troop of musical performers called "The Schnickelfritz Band", appear. They have too many numbers and what is at first very amusing eventually becomes irritating although their train number is a stand out.

The print of the film is excellent, crisp, clean and crystal clear. The extras include the original trailer in which Vallee announces the debut of the Shnickelfritz mob and a short film in very poor conditon. Phil Silvers is featured long before his real fame but the soundtrack has deteriorated so much that the short is unwatchable. As is often the case, the cartoons are the best bits because the Warner's cartoons invariably had bite. These are no exception.

The DVD is quite expensive for what is on offer and so would really only be of interest to those who might want to view any of Busby Berkeley's work. It is available as part of the second collection of Busby Berkeley films. November 18, 2008

With the Schnickelfritz Band

Club Balle features plenty of beautiful hoofers and swinging musical acts. It is a real slice of America and a swell place to be. Maurice Giraud (Hugh Herbert) is a representative of France sent to the United States to enlist the American Ballet Company to perform at the Paris Exposition. Unfortuantely, his cab driver cannot understand his awful accent, so he takes him to Club Balle. He is none the wiser and hires the troupe, who accepts because of their desperate need for money. Off to Paris they go, but with the real (and angry) Ballet Company behind them.

A fun film filled with entertaining moments but nothing too substantial, Gold Diggers in Paris has a lesser known cast that does the job. Rudy Vallee is a wooden actor, but his voice is undeniably good. Rosemary Lane's beauty and skilled vocals make her a good match for him. Also featured are many of the Warner Brothers stock cast including Allen Jenkins and Mabel Todd who evoke a lot of laughter. September 22, 2008

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