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5.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Nine O'Clock Folks remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have nine minutes to spare and love dusty, weird 1930s vaudeville, Nine O'Clock Folks is worth a quick look. But if you need things like a coherent story or good audio quality, you will probably hate this immediately. 🕰️
Honestly, the curfew setup mentioned in the title makes zero sense and is barely in the movie. It is just a lazy excuse to cram a bunch of random stage acts into a tiny theater set.
First off, we get The Mound City Blue Blowers. They are playing some incredibly scratchy jazz, and you can see the legendary Eddie Lang just casually shredding his guitar in the corner.
It is wild how they captured his playing here, even if the audio mix is kind of garbage. His hands move so fast the cheap camera almost blurs them.
But then things get really weird.
This guy comes out to tap dance, but he has these massive wooden blocks attached to the bottom of his shoes. They look like miniature stilts.
He is just wobbling around, trying not to break his ankles while the crowd cheers. I kept waiting for him to fall face-first into the front row, which honestly would have been a better ending.
It reminded me of watching other bizarre talent showcases from this era, like Carlena Diamond: Harpist Supreme, where you just wonder how these people survived their own dangerous acts.
After the stilt guy, there is a dog. A literal dog doing tricks in the audience seats.
The dog looks very polite, though slightly confused by the bright lights. He does some basic jumps, and everyone claps like they just saw a miracle.
I love how cheap the whole production feels. You can actually see the shadow of the camera crew on the left side of the stage during the final number.
It is not a masterpiece by any means. But for a quick glimpse into what people found entertaining ninety years ago, it is pretty amusing.