Billboard Girl: A weird little musical romp

Is this thing worth your time?

If you like old-school musical shorts or are a completionist for Bing Crosby’s early work, sure, why not. It’s barely twenty minutes long, so you won't lose much of your afternoon. If you’re looking for a plot that makes sense or doesn't feel like a series of excuses to sing, stay far away.

The whole premise is built on a lie, which is fine for a comedy, but the execution is… well, it’s frantic. Bing and his buddy go on this road trip to find a billboard model. I mean, who does that? The commitment to the bit is almost impressive.

The prankster classmate is the real wildcard here. He’s clearly having the time of his life being a nuisance. The way he giggles during the setup scenes? It’s kind of grating, but it’s hard not to notice how much he’s carrying the energy of the film. Seriously, the guy deserves a medal for how hard he commits to being annoying.

The musical numbers are tucked in between the pranks. They don’t always land, but they feel very much like the era. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Si, Senor, where the music feels like it's trying to outrun the plot.

Oddly specific observations:

• The billboard looks like it was painted by someone who had only ever seen a human face in a dream once.
• The dialogue is snappy, but sometimes it feels like they’re shouting at each other for no reason.
• The ending hits like a car crash. One second they’re singing, the next, the screen just goes black.

It’s not as polished as The Lady and the Beard, but it has that same strange, dated charm. It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It’s just trying to fill a slot in a double feature. You can feel the studio pressure to make things move faster.

At one point, a character walks through a door and I’m pretty sure they missed their mark by a solid three feet. Nobody fixed it. They just kept rolling. I kind of love that about these old shorts. It’s messy, unpretentious, and slightly dumb. 🤷‍♂️