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A definitive 5.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Vaudeville remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have ten minutes to kill and a soft spot for the kind of grainy, black-and-white variety acts you’d see on a dusty projector, sure. It’s a curiosity. If you need a plot or anything resembling a modern pace, you’ll probably find yourself staring at your phone within the first three minutes. 🕰️
The whole thing is framed by a girl holding up little title cards. It’s quaint, but it mostly just reminds you that the movie is going to be interrupted every few minutes. The Honey family shows up first to do some acrobatics. They’re fine, I guess, but I couldn't help but think about how much more impressive their stuff would look today. Still, there’s a certain grit to their movements that you don't get with CGI.
Then we get Reece and Dunn. They sing a ballad. Honestly? It’s a bit of a snoozer. The piano accompaniment is loud and tinny, and the harmony is… well, it’s certainly there. It’s the kind of segment that makes you miss the energy of Puppy Love, which at least had some personality to its pacing.
The highlight—if you can call it that—is the Stepping Stars. They tap dance on a giant xylophone. It’s a total gimmick, but watching them try to hit the right notes with their feet while dancing is actually kind of endearing. It’s clumsy in a way that feels very real. You can tell they’re terrified of missing a step and ruining the whole tune.
Then there is Herb Williams. He’s the headliner, and he spends a long time bickering with the orchestra conductor. It feels like he’s trying to do a bit from a different movie entirely. He keeps promising to play the piano while standing on his head, but he spends so much time chatting that I actually forgot that was the goal.
When he finally gets to the trick piano, it’s a bit of a letdown. Maybe the humor just didn't age well, or maybe it’s just that modern comedy has spoiled us. It felt like watching a long, drawn-out joke where the punchline is just “the piano makes a funny noise.”
It’s not a masterpiece, and it’s certainly not high art. It’s just a snapshot of a night out at the theater in 1934. Sometimes, that’s enough. Other times, you just want to fast-forward through the singing. 🎹
IMDb —
1932
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