O.K., Rosina Lawrence is sweet. For those who remember her as one of the schoolteacher's from "Our Gang", it will be a nostalgic memory to see her as the ingenue in this Hal Roach musical comedy that has a shell of a plot yet enough humor to keep the audience's attention. There's a sense of delight which comes in the opening credits when it switches to the famous Laurel and Hardy theme after the lead players (Lawrence, billed below Patsy Kelly, Jack Haley and Mischa Auer) and shows them in one of their stereotypical funny poses. Laurel and Hardy come on in two amusing scenes as themselves, filming a sequence in a comedy western and later resting on the set. But the film focuses on contest winner Lawrence's determination to make it as a movie star in Hollywood and her preparation for a screen test. Sister Patsy Kelly and old pal Jack Haley (who loves Lawrence in what appears to be more brotherly love for her) do all they can to encourage her, but the audience is on the fact that Kelly and Haley have more star quality than she does. Lawrence had enough sense to know it too, leaving movies for good just a few years later to become a footnote in the Hal Roach division at MGM.
"Do you mind if I smoke?", egotistical Latino lothario movie star Mischa Auer asks Kelly during their limousine ride to a night out on the town. "I don't care if you burn", Kelly replies in her deadpan style which made her a favorite in the 1930's. Yes, that line which has become a cliche is utilized here, although I'm not sure if this was its first appearance on film. Kelly's character should have been singled out for a screen test here, because she's naturally funny, and even the insulted Auer seems amused by her insolence. In fact, much of the film has Kelly reacting either verbally or visually to something stupid Auer says or does, and that is worth the price of a ticket to see this. Having been paired with Haley as his wife in the 20th Century Fox movie musical "Pigskin Parade" (where a real star, Judy Garland, was picked, along with a young Betty Grable), Kelly is much more appealing onscreen than Lawrence. Sure, her voice is sweet, but outside a church choir, who would rush to see her? It takes a lot of trinkets and lavish sets and chorus boys to make her appear to be the new hot ticket, and that is where the film fails to convince.
As for Laurel and Hardy, they get their two funny scenes rather late in this 70 minute film, first showing Patsy how the breakable bottles work (which results in them being knocked unconscious) and the even more funny sequence of them playing music with various forms of instruments, including a teeny tiny harmonica that leads to some very funny gags. Kelly's co-star in several shorts, Lyda Roberti, appears briefly as a very temperamental movie star performing a lavish production number. Another brief production number seems like it contains outtakes of the "I Gotta Feelin' Your Foolin'" number from "Broadway Melody of 1936". Laurel and Hardy regular James Finlayson is made up to look like a very eccentric European director and just that visual is enough to stir up some laughs. So while this fails as far as its promotion of a new musical star is concerned, the remainder of the film is pretty top notch.
"Do you mind if I smoke?", egotistical Latino lothario movie star Mischa Auer asks Kelly during their limousine ride to a night out on the town. "I don't care if you burn", Kelly replies in her deadpan style which made her a favorite in the 1930's. Yes, that line which has become a cliche is utilized here, although I'm not sure if this was its first appearance on film. Kelly's character should have been singled out for a screen test here, because she's naturally funny, and even the insulted Auer seems amused by her insolence. In fact, much of the film has Kelly reacting either verbally or visually to something stupid Auer says or does, and that is worth the price of a ticket to see this. Having been paired with Haley as his wife in the 20th Century Fox movie musical "Pigskin Parade" (where a real star, Judy Garland, was picked, along with a young Betty Grable), Kelly is much more appealing onscreen than Lawrence. Sure, her voice is sweet, but outside a church choir, who would rush to see her? It takes a lot of trinkets and lavish sets and chorus boys to make her appear to be the new hot ticket, and that is where the film fails to convince.
As for Laurel and Hardy, they get their two funny scenes rather late in this 70 minute film, first showing Patsy how the breakable bottles work (which results in them being knocked unconscious) and the even more funny sequence of them playing music with various forms of instruments, including a teeny tiny harmonica that leads to some very funny gags. Kelly's co-star in several shorts, Lyda Roberti, appears briefly as a very temperamental movie star performing a lavish production number. Another brief production number seems like it contains outtakes of the "I Gotta Feelin' Your Foolin'" number from "Broadway Melody of 1936". Laurel and Hardy regular James Finlayson is made up to look like a very eccentric European director and just that visual is enough to stir up some laughs. So while this fails as far as its promotion of a new musical star is concerned, the remainder of the film is pretty top notch.