Radio Row #9: A weird, musical time capsule

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a massive soft spot for 1930s vaudeville style antics. If you want a cohesive narrative, you will absolutely hate this. But if you want to see a bunch of performers doing their thing while a mailman wanders around, it's a fun ten minutes.

The whole thing feels like someone decided to film a series of auditions and just shoved a plot about Philadelphia in the middle to make it look like a real movie. George Jessel is trying his best, but the script gives him nothing to work with besides being confused about dinner plans.

It’s kind of funny watching the mailman walk into these rooms. Everyone is just waiting there, performing, like they don't have actual lives outside of their musical numbers. It's a bit surreal.

Random observations:

• Shemp Howard is in this, which is always a weird delight.
• The transition between the musical acts and the "plot" is barely there.
• The whole "starving moonlight-song writers" charity thing is such a bizarrely specific premise.
• Watching this makes me wonder how much of this was just improvised on the spot.

If you've ever seen Charles C. Peterson: Billiard Champion of Fancy Shots, you know the vibe. It’s just a showcase of talent with a thin veneer of storytelling. It’s not trying to be Raffles or anything complex.

The pacing is all over the place. One minute we're talking about dinner, the next we're in Philly. It doesn't matter though. You're just here for the songs and the odd energy of the performers. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s a weird little window into a lost era. 🎶