This is one of those publicity shorts where big and minor stars get together for no apparent reason. There are some definitely bizarre pairings. First of all who would think that Mary Pickford and Bing Crosby would ever appear together in a film? When they do, it's playing themselves. Crosby, a contract player at Paramount had only made one film at MGM, "Going Hollywood" the previous year. Pickford herself had moved into producing, having made her last film the previous year as well. Sir Guy Standing is shown sitting at a table with Warner Brothers chorus girl Toby Wing ("42nd Street's" Young and Healthy babe), while Gary Cooper and Richard Cromwell sit at a table together, giving a different picture as to why they are together as opposed to with some lovely starlet. Crosby begins to sing, and all of a sudden chorus girls come out of nowhere. It is a bizarre little short that really has no relevance other than to show off stars that play. The color however, is gorgeous and there are some interesting specialty acts as well. However the presence of character performers that I particularly loathed during the golden age of Hollywood, especially El Brendel, destroyed my interest in it almost from the start.
Review of Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove
