So how did radio networks get started. After all, they are the precursor of modern-day TV and even computer networks. I don't know how accurate the depiction is here, but at least the screenplay got me to wondering after years of incurious radio listening. In my book, that depiction is the best part of this clearly second-rate musical. The numbers themselves vary rather wildly in quality— the Nicholas Bros. are a show-stopper and the very definition of "flying feet", while the Ink Spots shine with "Alabama Bound". I confess to even being captivated by Oakie in his underwear doing a soft shoe while warbling into a primitive microphone. However, I agree with the reviewer who characterizes the usually sparkly Alice Faye as looking unusually tired. At the same time, the Wiere Bros. violin pantomime may be the worst stage act I've seen in some time. I guess they are a matter of taste-- at best.
The production itself appears to be on a strict budget, with a series of rather drab sets and only one big production number, a chorus line backing up Faye. Now I'm no particular fan of Jack Oakie's. His sometimes relentless mugging can get tiresome. Here, however, he injects much-needed energy into a romantic plot line that too often sags under its own recycled weight. The overall result looks to me like Fox doing little more than meeting escapist demand on the eve of WWII.
The production itself appears to be on a strict budget, with a series of rather drab sets and only one big production number, a chorus line backing up Faye. Now I'm no particular fan of Jack Oakie's. His sometimes relentless mugging can get tiresome. Here, however, he injects much-needed energy into a romantic plot line that too often sags under its own recycled weight. The overall result looks to me like Fox doing little more than meeting escapist demand on the eve of WWII.