I recently got a hold of the multi-disk set "Warner Brothers Big Band, Jazz & Swing Short Subject Collection". It's made up of over 11 hours of Vitaphone musical shorts. Disk 1 is a bit different in style, as it consists mostly of the "Ramblin' Round Radio Row" shorts. These mostly star Jerry Wald. Wald apparently was famous for a newspaper column on radio programs and this was parlayed into him getting the chance to produce these shorts.
Like the rest of the films in the series, the plot was a very thin disguise for a talent show. In this case, it begins with a radio salesman trying to sell a radio to Gypsies who show him their magical crystal ball that receives music videos! The acts you see aren't bad but they're all virtually unknown to anyone watching the short today. The Hispanic singing was an odd one, as his singing wasn't bad but seeing him just sit there in a chair and sing made me wonder why he didn't just stick to radio! The Pickens Sisters were very unusual and hit notes and made sounds I didn't think were possible from humans! However, overall, it all makes you think that maybe the crystal ball wasn't all that magical after all as the film was not especially memorable--though the acts were certainly a lot better than you would have seen in #2 and 4 in the series.
Like the rest of the films in the series, the plot was a very thin disguise for a talent show. In this case, it begins with a radio salesman trying to sell a radio to Gypsies who show him their magical crystal ball that receives music videos! The acts you see aren't bad but they're all virtually unknown to anyone watching the short today. The Hispanic singing was an odd one, as his singing wasn't bad but seeing him just sit there in a chair and sing made me wonder why he didn't just stick to radio! The Pickens Sisters were very unusual and hit notes and made sounds I didn't think were possible from humans! However, overall, it all makes you think that maybe the crystal ball wasn't all that magical after all as the film was not especially memorable--though the acts were certainly a lot better than you would have seen in #2 and 4 in the series.