This burlesque spoof of how shows get produced and move from local barns to the big time is a fun vehicle for fans of "Tin Man" Jack Haley and the future "Maisie", Ann Sothern. The subject of the show is another "little man", Italian General Napoleon Bonaparte who later became emperor of France. The show within the show numbers are very funny, and in fact can be compared to Mel Brooks' "The Producers" years later.
Haley looks hysterical in his Napoleon get up, playing the violin and reciting some of Napoleon's speeches to some pretty good music. Standing in the way of his Romance with leading lady Ann Sothern is Roger Pryor who produces the show originally and hopes to move it to bigger venues. Standing in the way of the show moving forward is money man Thurston Hall, playing a producer very similar in temperament to legendary Broadway showman David Merrick.
Haley is truly outstanding in this part, looking every bit like certain portraits of the legendary leader who basically conquered all of Europe in the late 1700's. As a burlesque of power-hungry conquerors, it ridicules that type of mentality and makes Napoleon same as foolish as other similar megalomaniac throughout history (and the present). There's not much in the way of a truly strong plot, but as a spoof of this type of historical event, it works very well on that level and certainly deserves to be recognized for that.
Try not to laugh as Haley sings of Napoleon conquering Europe in comparing it to Paul Revere's ride. America, the baby, wasn't quite the beautiful just yet in history, but at least what came after that in entertainment and parody has been exclusively an American art form. Ann Sothern wasn't the greatest of singers, but she certainly was charming, and had a great year in 1935 with two other musicals as well, RKO's "Hooray for Love", and 20th Century's " Folies Bergere" opposite Maurice Chevalier.
Haley looks hysterical in his Napoleon get up, playing the violin and reciting some of Napoleon's speeches to some pretty good music. Standing in the way of his Romance with leading lady Ann Sothern is Roger Pryor who produces the show originally and hopes to move it to bigger venues. Standing in the way of the show moving forward is money man Thurston Hall, playing a producer very similar in temperament to legendary Broadway showman David Merrick.
Haley is truly outstanding in this part, looking every bit like certain portraits of the legendary leader who basically conquered all of Europe in the late 1700's. As a burlesque of power-hungry conquerors, it ridicules that type of mentality and makes Napoleon same as foolish as other similar megalomaniac throughout history (and the present). There's not much in the way of a truly strong plot, but as a spoof of this type of historical event, it works very well on that level and certainly deserves to be recognized for that.
Try not to laugh as Haley sings of Napoleon conquering Europe in comparing it to Paul Revere's ride. America, the baby, wasn't quite the beautiful just yet in history, but at least what came after that in entertainment and parody has been exclusively an American art form. Ann Sothern wasn't the greatest of singers, but she certainly was charming, and had a great year in 1935 with two other musicals as well, RKO's "Hooray for Love", and 20th Century's " Folies Bergere" opposite Maurice Chevalier.