The Devil's Cabaret (1930) User Reviews

Hades Image Problem

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 5 November 2008]

In this early MGM color short Satan as played by Charles Middleton is concerned about the fact that fewer and fewer folks are booking his place for an eternal vacation. He consults his assistant How E. Burns played by Edward Buzzell who decides to recruit from a gang of likely sinners at a New York speakeasy.

After that it's the entertainment with a few dance numbers by some scantily clad women, the better to sell the devil's product.

The main thing that The Devil's Cabaret has going for it is that we get to see the genesis of Ming the Merciless. After seeing this film, it's no wonder Charles Middleton was cast as Flash Gordon's outer space nemesis. Although there's a bit more twinkle in Satan's eye here than there ever was with Ming.

Amusing early 30s MGM short

[funkyfry · 6/10 · 3 August 2003]

I've watched this several times, and although the comedy is often just bad, it's pretty interesting because of the way hell's minions are portrayed as the protagonists, and because there's just something very odd about watching dozens of pretty girls in very skimpy outfits dancing around a giant devil head. It was filmed in color, which looks very poor.

The acting is of a vaudeville quality, and not exactly of the highest. I can't say a lot of invention went into this peice, but it is pretty fun to watch, and something that would never have been allowed just a few short years later. A novelty, not worth the price of admission, but worth five minutes of anyone's time.

THE DEVIL'S CABARET (Nick Grinde', 1930) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 23 January 2010]

Entertaining little short, still notable for its use of the attractive two-strip Technicolor process but also for taking full advantage of Pre-Code permissiveness. In fact, hero Edward Buzzell – later a musical comedy director himself – literally has the hots for Satan's scantily-clad secretary, while girls are seen performing a dance in their underwear (against the genuinely bizarre décor of a large replica of Satan's head)! The flimsy plot involves the Chairman of "Satan & Co." himself (portrayed by future Emperor Ming, Charles Middleton) commissioning Buzzell to come up with a measure to counter Hades' slipping business and the proposal he comes up with being to unveil the titular dive right Down There! As usual, the musical interludes for this early Talkie are a matter of taste and, consequently, perhaps hard-to-take nowadays but, given the other diversions, its 16-minute running-time whizzes by…unlike the eternal male-and-female separation in store for the Cabaret's patrons!

Unholy smoke!! Mindbending pre-Code musical short

[coltrane679 · 16 June 2003]

Another gem found by TCM, this pre-Code (1931) short has to be seen to be believed. "Hades" (the word "hell" is not used until the punchline) is need of new recruits, or so says "Mr. Satan" to his VP, Howie Burns (cute name!) The first clue that we are in the pre-Code era is the skimpy outfit worn by Mary Carlisle as Satan's secretary--hot hot hot. Burns and Satan have a brief exchange loaded with topical references of the day: when the secretary announces a call from Chicago, machine gun fire is heard in the background, and there is some banter about Scarface as well. Also, Satan reacts with disgust when the possibility of a stockbroker coming their way is raised by Burns (remember, this is not long after the stock market crash).

Eventually Burns heads to Earth (and a speakeasy) for more recruits. Those induced to go to Hades to keep the good times rolling arrive via slide, where they are treated to most jaw-dropping scene of all: a fairly lavish (for a short) music and dance number, where the dancers rip off their modest, fit-for-a-Quaker outfits to reveal their "satanic" (and scanty) outfits (complete with little horns), and surround a giant, illuminated devil's head that rises out of the center stage. Along with the "Marijuana" musical number in Murder at the Vanities, this is one of the pre-Code musical bits most likely to surprise modern audiences; I'm sure some religious types would take offense even now. One can only imagine what they thought back in 1931 (I guess the movement to enforce the Production Code, which achieved success in 1934, might offer a clue!)

This film is also a very good example of the two-strip technicolor technique used sporadically before the full, three-strip process was introduced in Becky Sharp (1935). The two-strip process doesn't really render hues of blue, but that flaw is not overwhelming in a short largely set in the reddish confines of "Hades".

You may need the luck of the Devil to catch this treat on TCM, so keep watching!

So tongue in cheek... or is it heels in horns....

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 13 October 2015]

Such imagination goes into this musical Dante's Inferno that jazzes up life in the underworld. Veteran screen villain Charles Middleton is the titled character who uses a barker like Eddie Buzzell to collect newcomers by putting on a hell of a show. Filmed in color, this has impressive if demonic looking sets. Musicap features may have been box office poison at the time, but audiences didn't mind the shorts too much. Looking back at them, you can't deny the artistry that went into them. Even if the subject matter is a bit disturbing in a spiritual sense, it just has to be taken lightly. Buzzell is charming and lively, while Middleton makes a rather mild master of damnation. A few funny bits give this a humorous flow with literally red hot dancing that is truly on fire.

More a Depression downer than good entertainment

[SimonJack · 3/10 · 14 May 2018]

"The Devil's Cabaret" is a B level short with no performers who made names for themselves on the silver screen. Edward Buzzell (Howie Burns) turned to directing in 1931 and had mild success over 25 years.

This is typical of most forgettable shorts that were packaged with feature films in those days. Lesser talents are clear throughout, in the choreography, the dancers, the acting and the music. The script is awful. Even the ballet number toward the end doesn't have dancers using pointe. Instead of dancing on their toes, they clearly prance around on the balls of their feet. None of it is very good or entertaining. A closing line might sum up why MGM made this short at all - "for the hell of it."

Here's a sample of what must have been intended as comedy. Howie Burns, "I'll do my best to do my worst." And, "He's the one who invented barbed wire fence so the little birdies couldn't sit down."

One can't help but look at a film like this in the context of the times. America and the world were deep into the Great Depression by December 1930 when this film came out. More than a year earlier, the stock market crashed, ending the decade of the Roaring Twenties with a thud. That freewheeling period saw much of an increasingly city population reject traditional moral tenets.

Hollywood soon began cranking out comedies and heroic dramas to help lift the mood of the nation. British cinema did much of the same thing. Few movies were made in the 1930s, and very few since that time, that had a moral reckoning as their theme. Yet, here was this short musical comedy by MGM that does the opposite - on the surface. It seems to flaunt the devilish lifestyle. The message seems to be that it doesn't make any difference - in the end.

With widespread unemployment, bank failures, industry closures, long bread lines and little income for many beyond bare necessities, people needed some cheering up. So, this short film is a puzzle. Instead of providing some comic relief or giving a message of hope, it probably led many to remember the past decade. The film uses a familiar phrase from the Bible in jest -- about the wages of sin. One wonders how many in the audiences then might have considered that in a more serious vein.

Everything a precode musical short should be

[AlsExGal · 9/10 · 12 September 2010]

There was supposed to be a sequel to the Hollywood Revue of 1929 entitled "The March of Time". Production was eventually abandoned once the Great Depression really set in and musicals became duds at the box office for a couple of years. Some numbers survive from the 1930 film such as The Lock Step. There was also some footage used to make this Technicolor short. It is an extra on the DVD of 1931's western epic Cimarron, strangely enough.

The plot is thus: Satan is concerned about the large amount of people going to heaven. He sends the flamboyant Mr. Burns up to earth to convince people to come to Hades instead of Heaven. Advertising like a carnival barker, Burns makes his pitch to an attentive crowd. When a preacher warns the crowd, Burns makes the preacher and heaven sound boring. The anxious recruits - the female ones that is - do a snappy dance number while disrobing down to their lacy undergarments. They then travel down a slide into hell. Once there the recruits are treated to a floor show that consists of chorus girls dressed in pink tights with hats that have horns on them. A large bronze replica of Satan's head rises from the over-sized bowl of boiling water they are dancing around.

After the floor show Mr. Burns tells the recruits it's time to retire. He shows the girls to their dormitory and the men to theirs. The crowd rebels and say they want to stay together. Mr Burns' retort? "Ah, that's the hell of it." You're really not losing anything even if you know the plot, since the real treats are the very attractive two-strip Technicolor, the sight gags, and the musical numbers. Highly recommended if you care anything about precode.

'It takes a lot of money to keep the fires burning down here'

[robert-temple-1 · 3/10 · 18 December 2013]

Mr. Satan complains: 'All this business of people going to Heaven has got to stop!' This weird MGM 16 minute short film in an early technicolor process is one of the weirdest films I have ever seen. It culminates in a ballet, with music composed by Dimitri Tiomkin, with girls in red tutus wearing devil's horns prancing beneath a gigantic face of a horned Satan. It is meant to be a riotously funny musical comedy, and the jokes are just about as corny as you can get, such as: 'That's the hell of it!' Satan's Vice President gets hold of St. Peter on the phone and accuses him of stealing all their clients. The film is saucy and sexy, what is known as 'pre-Code', before the ridiculous censorship code of the Hays Office was enforced, which meant that everything must be toned down and married couples on screen were only allowed to sleep in double beds. This film is so outrageous that it would be nice if it were really funny, or really entertaining at least, but I thought that it was a complete flop. Some of the jokes were funny in theory but were delivered so badly that it was impossible to laugh or even chuckle. The acting is so ridiculous, the film so badly made, the jokes so feeble, the dancing so absurd, that this strange curiosity should have been left in the cabinet.

THIS was made in 1931???

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 20 June 2003]

I caught this totally by surprise on TCM. I was really surprised this came out in 1931--they didn't make many shorts in color back then. I guess the 2-strip Technicolor should have tipped me off.

The comedy was pretty lame and at times pretty cruel (there are one too many jabs taken at an unattractive heavy woman) but I kept watching. The color itself looks faded (2-strip color never looked too good) and the print is in bad shape but still this was quite interesting.

Some of the sets are pretty elaborate, some of the costumes are VERY skimpy (no way they would have gotten past after the Code was established), the dancing and music isn't bad at all and the acting is so overenthusiastic that it's quite amusing.

A very interesting little short and a fascinating look at pre-Code shorts. Worth seeing--I just wish TCM would tell us when they're showing shorts like this (hint hint)!

devil of a color short!

[shoolaroon · 28 May 2002]

once again the remarkable TCM (the only network consistently worth watching- if i only had one station, this would be it) has discovered a remarkable little gem. this is a very early 1930s color short - real color, not tint, and it's very well done. the music (by dmitri tiomkin) is quite good and the dancing, especially the strip is very lively and fun to watch. Charles Middleton (better known as Ming the Merciless) shows up as Satan. hope you come across this some night on TCM!!!

Red Hot and quite Blue

[ptb-8 · 8/10 · 27 May 2008]

This astonishing musical short was created around a shelved musical number from THE MARCH OF TIME a 1929 musical extravaganza that had all the dance numbers filmed but not the story. In mid 1930 the uncompleted film was scrapped and its massive and spectacular musical sequences then used in other films, some features and some as here in a 15 minute mini musical. To say this must have offended any religious person or organization is an understatement: THE DEVIL'S CABARET (like WONDERBAR a few years later) seems created to defy all morality and offer the viewer a 'fun look' at the enjoyment to be had in Hell, as run by Mr Satan in his snazzy nightclub. Very effectively filmed in red/brown 2 color Technicolor by MGM and utilizing the Satan Chrous from TIME, the deco splendor of the office and the fun-park of the cabaret still shock today: you enter by sliding down the Devil's tongue into the pit of the dance floor where Chorus girls clad in Puritan outfits then wildly rip them off and jiggle about in their skimpy underwear. Our maitre'd crooner hands out cards dominoes and any sinful gambling device to have all the wicked fun you could desire, then the floor show commences of the edited TIME sequence: this consists of a jaw-dropping scene of ballet chorus girls wearing reddish sheer/lace outfits who dance around this gigantic Devil's head. Other shockers are: the rude jokes to a fat woman which are are just cruel, Satan's desk has a massive fat phallus near the edge behind which stands an assistant in a black suit... the whole thing positioned exactly in front of his pants.... all in hilariously vulgar offensive fun. THE DEVIL'S CABARET is a censorship-free time capsule of exactly why the Hays code was firmly enforce from may 1934. See it and show it to your friends so they scream and look shocked.

What the...??!?!?!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 11 January 2009]

This is an absolutely amazing short film and perhaps the best example of what a "Pre-Code Film" was. Up until 1934, the studios pretty much made whatever they wanted despite the Hays Office being there to ostensibly oversee the industry to make sure the films were acceptable for families. Not until the new Production Code came into effect in '34 did things change. The nudity, drugs, violence, sexual innuendos and rough language all were pretty much eliminated from films for decades and films became family friendly, though a tad sanitized as well. Here in this 1930 short from MGM, tons of material that the Production Code would have eliminated is present--and reveling in it!!

The film is set mostly in Hell and takes great advantage of the Two-color Technicolor process. Instead of full color, the film consisted of a black & white image, a green-blue image and a red-orange image all superimposed on each other. It was not true color but in a few films it looked really good (such as in the 1929 re-release of PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and in this film)--because of the subject and setting of the film. Often, however, over time the colors have either completely disappeared (resulting in a black & white movie) or the colors bleed so badly that the film is almost 100% orange--and an ugly mess.

It begins with one of the demons (in a nice suit) talking with a similarly dressed Lucifer. They are both upset because too many souls are going to Heaven and they are apparently losing the contest. So, it's up to Satan's #1 demon to go up to Earth and do some recruiting. With promises of a "heck" of a good time, tons of incredibly stupid young people come pouring into Netherworld for a huge party--complete with lots of dancing and an absolutely amazing set that you just have to see to believe.

So what's to like and what's to hate? Well, I must admit that some of the jokes are very, very corny and some of the dancing isn't very good compared to what was being made just a year or two later. In addition, some religious people will find the whole thing rather distasteful. However, on the plus side, this is the most astoundingly strange and original short I have ever seen from Hollywood, a great example of early color, is very entertaining and is historically significant in so many ways. While some might see these early shorts as old fashioned or expendable, they are a hugely important part of our cinematic history and what better way to illustrate how incredibly uninhibited and free people actually thought and acted during the supposedly conservative 1930s?! An absolute must for film historians, lovers of the strange and early film buffs.

Its a Red Hot Riot of a Jazz Age short ! Its a Pre-Code Panic!

[splicer · 13 October 1998]

I am so glad a fine copy of this Technicolor Jazz age gem survives today! Using the vernacular of its era, "Its a Wow"! In one scene, a crowd of naysayers and religious Puritans are gathered at the Cabaret entrance. Satan's slick salesman Eddie Buzzell tempts them all by singing a hot jazz tune,"Take off your Sunday Best Dress, cut out the I-C-E, put on your best asbestos, and come Hot It Up with me!" Soon the protest becomes a burlesque strip-tease as the puritans fling off their religious uniforms, respectability and moral restraints as well! The puritan women now stripped to their little french teddies and looking very much like the lust craving MGM chorus girls, engage in a sinful jazz dancing frenzy as they all mob the door to get in and Go To The Devil! Of course there is a clever twist at the end that rectifies its antics. Loaded with vaudeville style one-liners and cleverly mounted with some astonishing sets, this risque short has captured the "Devil May Care" spirit of its decadent Jazz age. I feel so guilty after watching this short I think I will have to put another $20 dollar bill in the church plate next Sunday!

"The Devil's Cabaret" Comments

[illinois-1 · 10/10 · 16 December 2005]

I was very fortunate to obtain a copy of "The Devil's Cabaret. A fantastic gem of a movie that ever film fan should have..

It used Technicolor 2 strip which was vastly superior to any competitors for years to come. Later the superior 3 strip Technicolor came out which is what most of us are familiar with.

The star Eddie Buzzell is a fabulous song & dance man with the confidence of an Al Jolson. He was a fantastically gifted person. He was a Broadway & Hollywood song & dance stage performer, a film actor, he was a songwriter, actor, director & producer. He even directed a Thin Man film. What a tragedy that I & countless more never heard of him until now. If he were still alive he would certainly be honored for his work by organizations such as the Cinecon.

The female lead was Mary Carlisle who later starred with Bing Crosby & many others. She was always a Hollywood Dream Girl & when I last chatted with her, just a few years ago, she was still a thrilling beauty. It is also interesting that as the secretary she uses a word that no film even today uses. Perhaps she is a profanity pioneer without, probably, knowing it. Importantly there is no violence in the film. The film shows that violence isn't needed to be a good film.

The dialog of the film is priceless. The use of standard phrases throughout the film is very clever right to the last words when we find out about Hell & Buzzell says "That's the Hell of it.".

Imagine what a thrill it must have been for audiences to watch this song & dance film complete with chorus girls & in color yet back in 1931.

john woodruff 16 December 2005

The best thing my TV ever gave me

[l0qii · 9/10 · 19 February 2002]

An amazing short filmed using 2 strip Technicolor. The best thing I ever found flipping channels late at night! Big ups to TCM for showing it. Now if only it were available on video/dvd...

Devil's Cabaret

[drghg · 20 September 2005]

I think some of the best things on TCM are the vitaphone shorts. I try to catch them whenever I am watching a movie, especially the musicals. I have seen some great ones--this one is near the top. The short is shot in 2 strip Technicolor and comes off pretty well. The dance sequences must be from another film that perhaps was not released. The March of Time (1930) comes to mind. I have seen dance sequences from that unreleased film interpolated into others.

The jazzy title music is great---very typical for the period. All in all, very good little film.

TCM is the best thing going now---one can only hope it never goes the way of AMC, who once was just like TCM, but now has gobs of commercials which render watching AMC nearly impossible.

Gary

Holy Smoke!

[wes-connors · 8/10 · 28 June 2011]

Down in Hades, sinisterly-clad Charles Middleton (as Satan) is upset because too many people are going to Heaven. Despite the lure of sin, Hell is "in the red." Accenting the first word in his title, vice-president Eddie Buzzell (as Howie Burns) is employed to drum up some business. "The Devil's Cabaret" begins with one-liners. Soon, a bevy of attractive young women strip to their underwear and dance. The jazz-age music and fun works, and people being sliding into Hell again… This great "Novelty" (short) was salvaged from an aborted feature. The "two-strip" Technicolor and sets are outstanding for this type of film. Other notables include new Hollywood composer Dimitri Tiomkin and hot "Satan & Co., Inc" secretary Mary Carlisle.

******** The Devil's Cabaret (12/13/30) Nick Grinde ~ Edward Buzzell, Charles Middleton, Mary Carlisle, Nelson McDowell

Devilish fun

[ctone · 1 November 1998]

This short has everything music, dance, and humor. If you like puns there is tons of puns about Hell. By today's standards some of the jokes are politically incorrect but they are of the time. There is also many special effects that are sure to please. The music is lively early 30's jazz with plenty of scantily clad beautiful young women dancing their hearts and souls all the way to Hell.

Classic Pre-Code

[Michael_Elliott · 31 March 2009]

Devil's Cabaret, The (1930)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Insane Pre-Code short has all the elements, which eventually forced the Hayes Office to step in with their censorship. The film takes place in Hades where Satan (Charles Middleton) wants to know why more people are going to Heaven. He sends his President, Howie Burns (Edward Buzzell) to Earth to see if he can convince people that Hades is the place to be. If you're a fan of Pre-Codes then this short is a must see because it contains all the dirty elements that make these films so special. We got insane characters, crazy dialogue, a barely clothed secretary plus so much more. To add some sugar into the film it's also in 2-strip Technicolor, which adds a lot of fun in the costumes that the characters where. The only type of film I can really compare this to is the 1936 shocker MANIAC just because of the insane stuff going on. Satan, for example, constantly has smoke pouring out of his mouth every time he talks. The supporting devils all have pitch forks and horns. Howie Burns, at the start of the film, is clearly mocking the gay stereotype, which was going on in a lot of films back then. We also have him sending a letter to Saint Peter offering to do some rather mean things. To go even further we get the scene where Burns tries to talk people into various crimes but then insults an overweight woman by saying she isn't welcomed in Hades because if she sat down her weight would put out all the fires! There are also two musical numbers, which are pretty creative. Director Grinde is best known for his Columbia pictures with Boris Karloff (THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG, THE MAN WITH NINE LIVES, BEFORE I HANG) but he does a very good job here.

Ming was always a devil

[earlytalkie · 25 September 2011]

Here is an entertaining little 16 minute pre-code short that I got with my DVD of "Cimarron." As it was released in Dec., 1930 and "Cimarron" was released in Jan., 1931 the two are a good fit chronologically. This story is about Satan's worrying about too many souls being taken to Heaven instead of Hades, and he dispatches his minions to devise a flattering view of Hell to tempt the many candidates. This little show was filmed in two-color Technicolor, and it looks pretty good for an 80 year old film. The "Devil Ballet" was cribbed from the stockpiled musical numbers from MGM's aborted extravaganza, "The March of Time." Charles Middleton, A.K.A "Ming the Merciless" from the "Flash Gordon" serials plays Satan here with the same devilish glee he infused in the serials which would debut about five years hence. Eddie Buzzell and Mary Carlisle are also in this.