Palmy Days: Still Got the Zest (Mostly) After All These Years?

Alright, so Palmy Days. If you’re a big fan of old-school musicals, especially the ones with that early 30s energy, you’ll probably find something to grin at here. Folks who love Eddie Cantor or are curious about Busby Berkeley’s early work will definitely want to give it a look. But if you're not already into black-and-white song-and-dance flicks, or you need your movies to move at a modern clip, this one might feel a bit like homework. It's an acquired taste, for sure. 🤷‍♀️

The premise is pretty neat for its time, though it gets a little lost in the shuffle. Eddie Cantor plays Eddie Simpson, who's the assistant to a phony psychic. He’s got this quick wit and a knack for getting into trouble, which is basically Eddie Cantor’s whole thing, right? When he bails on the fake psychic game, he somehow ends up as an efficiency expert. For a bakery. It’s a stretch, but hey, it’s 1931. Plots were often just excuses for musical numbers.

Cantor is, well, Cantor. His eyes bug out, his hands flap around, and he sings with this frantic energy. There’s a scene where he’s trying to streamline things in the bakery, and he just keeps getting in everyone’s way. It’s classic physical comedy. He’s charmingly annoying, you know?

What really sticks with you are the Busby Berkeley dance sequences. Even before he was the main event, you can see his fingerprints. The geometric patterns, the dancers moving like parts of a living machine. It’s mesmerizing. There’s this one part, with the dancers forming these incredible human shapes, it’s just wild. Like, how did they even rehearse that?

Some of the dialogue felt a little stiff, but then Cantor would deliver a line, and you’d forget all about it. He just brightens up the whole screen. He’s got this way of making even the silliest jokes land.

You’ve got a bunch of bakery girls, too, all trying to catch Eddie’s eye. They’re mostly there to look pretty and dance, which they do very well. One of them, I think it was Mary Halsey, has this really expressive face during the group numbers. She just pops out of the background. It’s a small thing, but I noticed it.

The movie kinda lurches along sometimes, especially when it’s trying to set up the next musical number. You can almost feel it trying to transition from a comedy bit to a full-blown spectacle. It’s not always smooth.

There's this whole subplot with the health food store that feels a bit random. It’s like they needed an extra five minutes of runtime or something. Eddie gets into a pickle there, but it doesn't really connect much to the main bakery story. It just happens.

The finale, though, is something else. It’s this massive, elaborate production number. Dancers everywhere, props flying around. It’s a bit much, but in the best possible way. It feels like the movie saved all its budget for that one big splash. You just gotta lean into the glorious absurdity of it all. It’s not trying to be deep, just dazzling.

It’s an interesting peek into early sound musicals. The sound quality isn't always perfect, but you can hear the enthusiasm. And that’s what really matters, I think. The pure joy of these performers.

• Didja notice?
• Eddie Cantor’s facial expressions are a whole show by themselves.
• That one elaborate dance sequence with the girls on the giant cake? Iconic.
• The villain’s mustache is just *perfectly* twirlable.
• The way the music swells and then just cuts off sometimes is kinda abrupt.
• You can spot a few background performers who clearly missed a step. It adds character!

All in all, Palmy Days is a fun ride if you know what you’re getting into. It’s got that specific kind of charm only a 1930s musical can deliver. Not perfect, not even close, but definitely memorable for its best bits. Worth a lazy afternoon watch if you're in the mood for some old Hollywood razzle-dazzle. ✨