Fanfare of Love: Why cross-dressing comedies never really age out

If you're looking for something light and don't mind a bit of pre-war scratchiness on your screen, Fanfare of Love is a weirdly charming relic. It’s definitely for people who like old-school farce and don't mind a plot that hinges entirely on the 'men in dresses' trope that became a staple decades later. If you hate slapstick or get annoyed by characters making the worst possible decisions for 80 minutes straight, maybe skip this one.

The whole setup is pretty simple. Two guys, no money, no work, and a band that only hires women. The transition into drag is handled with that classic 1930s breeziness—no one thinks about it too hard, and the costumes are honestly funnier than they have any right to be. It’s not trying to be a deep dive into anything, which is probably why it holds up better than a lot of heavier stuff from the same era.

There’s a specific scene involving a train compartment that feels like it goes on forever. It’s awkward, it’s frantic, and the camera work is just frantic enough to keep you paying attention. Sometimes the movie feels like it’s struggling to keep its own rhythm, especially when the dialogue gets bogged down in setups that don't quite pay off. But then, somebody trips over a chair or makes a face, and you're back in it.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Devil-May-Care where the plot feels like it might fly apart at any second. There’s that same sense of 'let's just see if this works' that you don't get in modern, over-polished comedies. The pacing is messy, sure. There are moments where characters just wander into frame because the script needs them there.

Odd little notes from my notepad:

• The orchestra name 'Tulips from Holland' is peak 1930s camp.
• The way they handle the wigs is… let’s call it 'creative'.
• I’m pretty sure one of the extras in the back of the cafe is just trying to hide a laugh during a serious dramatic beat.

Is it a masterpiece? Hardly. But it’s got a heartbeat. It’s a movie that knows exactly what it is, even if it occasionally forgets its own lines. If you want something that feels like a dusty, forgotten postcard from another lifetime, this fits the bill. Just don't expect it to explain why anyone would think this was a foolproof plan in the first place.

It’s nice to watch something that isn't obsessed with being 'smart'. It just wants to get the joke across, even if the joke is older than my grandparents. Sometimes that’s enough. 🎺