Swing Parade of 1946

"Swing Parade of 1946" is a most unusual film for two reasons. First, because it was made by tiny Monogram Studios, I was surprised to see them take a stab at a traditional 1940s sort of musical extravaganza....the sort of movie usually made by the more prestigious studiots with more talent. Second, the Three Stooges were apparently slumming it and instead of being with their usual studio (Columbia), they were loaned out to Monogram. I wonder if perhaps Columbia was punishing them...though I must admit they did help the movie quite a bit.

The plot involves the son of a rich man trying to build a nightclub while process servers sent by his father are trying to stop him. Mostly, however, the plot is ultra-thin and the movie actually is a giant musical showcase with one song after another after another--occasionally punctuated by funny bits by the Stooges or some plot...but mostly just singing. As far as the singing and dancing go, it's all quite competent but none of it is memorable and the songs (aside from those done by the African-American band) were poor. I think a lot of it was because unlike the major studios, Monogram simply couldn't afford to pay for the rights for popular tunes.

Overall, a dullish sort of musical extravaganza made tolerable by some Stooges. While I am not a big fan of the trio, here they definitely helped.

I had never seen this until it came out on DVD in 2007. It's an undiscovered piece of Three Stooges history. It's been out of print for ages, except on VHS.

The DVD company that this is re-released by make it sound like it is a movie 'starring The Three Stooges', but it's really not. Moe, Larry and Curly are co-stars with Gale Storm and Phil Regan. It's so cool to see Louis Jordan and his band! For those commenting here who say that this is a 'mediocre film', well....it's basically a typical 1940's musical comedy. Hollywood cranked out hundreds of musical comedies in the 1930's and 1940's and this was just another in the long line.

It's NOT mediocre, and if you're a Three Stooges fan like me I have a question for you. Do you like it? Cointenly! Nyuk Nyuk Nyuk.

ALSO: I have a huge beef with the DVD company though. Why must there be any old movies colorized in this day and age? They were made in black and white for a reason! At least this DVD gives you the option of watching the restored version in its original BLACK AND WHITE glory!

Give this one a chance. Plus it has extra bonus stuff on it, too!

And a few other co-stars, obviously. I'm not that well versed in "Poverty Row" entertainment, like some of the major studios. When it comes to Monogram or PRC, or a few of those other outfits, it's either hit or miss. The presence of the "Stooges" may be the obvious draw for this one--they definitely provide most of the humor; although Ed Brophy in a Healy type role is great himself. A lot of attractive women running around too--if you're into that sort of thing.

The story--what there is of it--is easy enough to understand. Process servers, a father who doesn't want his son in the entertainment business, some jilted landlords, and a pretty good looking movie in spite of it's budget limitations. Usually these B or C grade turkeys look just like that--but, if you didn't know any better--this would look like the same sort of movie Columbia or Universal could have cranked out.

"Swing Parade of 1946" is a Monogram musical. Have you heard enough yet? Actually, it's not that bad a movie, with better production values than you would suspect. It's even in color, which is a definite plus. They gathered several 'B' list actors and some fairly good musical talent, and even some cute chorus girls. They just didn't get a good enough story to go with the rest of the production.

The Three Stooges are billed near the top of the ticket but their screen time is only about 6-8 minutes, which will be a disappointment to Stooges fans. Gale Storm is pretty, can sing and dance a little but I always felt her acting tended towards ham, and a little of Gale goes a long way. Louis Jordan and his Tympani Five are on hand, and they do "Caldonia", which livens up matters but the rest of the score consists of several forgettable songs. The dance routines are fair-to-middling.

I would have given this picture a rating of 4 but for the presence of the aforementioned Stooges - I confess I am a fan of their mayhem/ humor. I ended up with a 5 despite the uninspired storyline.

Swing Parade plays almost like one of those early talkie musical revues, that is, it has an acorn of a plot concerning an ambitious singer (Gale Storm) trying for a job in a nightclub. There are many musical numbers in the film's relatively short 74 minute running time, and just about everybody except The Three Stooges (quite funny here) gets a chance to sing. Gale Storm, one of my favorites, really gets a chance to show off her singing (and dancing) abilities here. Connee Boswell does a swell job on "Stormy Weather" and Louis Jordan tears up the stage doing "Caledonia". There is a big finale which looks like it cost little Monogram more of a chunk of money than they usually had to pay which again hearkens back to those early talkie revues. The version of the film I got can be viewed in it's original black-and-white or in a colorized version. A good example of an upscale Monogram film.