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6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Rambling 'Round Radio Row #1 remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're looking for a plot that actually goes somewhere, turn away now. This isn't for you. But if you have ten minutes to kill and want to feel like you're loitering in a 1930s studio, you'll probably get a kick out of Rambling 'Round Radio Row #1.
It’s essentially just a guy named Jerry Wald walking around a radio station. He’s trying to write an article, but he’s really just a vehicle for us to peek at rehearsals. It’s thin. It’s barely a movie. It’s kind of lovely because of that.
The whole thing feels like a collection of outtakes. You hear the Boswell Sisters practicing, and honestly, that’s worth the price of admission right there. Then there’s this grumpy orchestra leader named Abe Lyman who starts beefing with people. It feels uncomfortably real, like you’re eavesdropping on a lunch break argument.
Then they cut to Colonel Stoopnagel and Budd Hulick. If you don’t know their brand of radio comedy, it’s going to hit you like a weird, dated fever dream. It’s fast and goofy. It makes me wonder how these things aged compared to something like Peaches and Plumbers, which is a whole different brand of chaos.
The pacing is non-existent. One minute you’re listening to a song, the next you’re standing outside a door listening to someone rehearse a script. It doesn’t try to be clever or "cinematic." It just is.
It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Subway Sadie, where the setting is more important than the actual story beats. You aren't watching for the drama. You're watching because you want to see what a radio broadcast looked like before the cameras were supposed to be there.
Is it a masterpiece? No. Is it better than watching a stiff, overly-rehearsed drama? Probably. It’s just people doing their jobs in front of a lens that didn't know what else to do with them. 📻
