The Prisoner of Swing

This short is a take-off on the Ronald Colman version of Prisoner of Zenda, sort of like a 1930's Abraham-Zucker film. The King is going to outlaw swing music upon his coronation so his loyal retainers have him kidnapped & replaced with his cousin, who looks just like him. It's very funny & surprisingly well done and you'll especially enjoy it if you've seen the film. The characterizations and mannerisms are spot on & the only flaw is that the sound quality isn't optimal. But it's worth putting up with to be able to see the film.

This appears as one of the extras on the recently-released DVD of Dawn Patrol.

I was fortunate enough to catch this short on TCM this morning. I really enjoyed it. (At first I thought Hal LeRoy was Fred MacMurray). The fact that June Allyson was in the cast is what prompted me to continue watching (can't believe she's eight-five). Let's just say this short was thoroughly entertaining, and I am hoping that someone will have the good sense to put this on video or DVD. If you've been lucky enought to catch this on TCM, please place your vote.

The most surprising thing about this Vitaphone short from Warner Bros. is that JUNE ALLYSON appears in it in a supporting role as a princess. I'd always assumed she made her debut at MGM in BEST FOOT FORWARD ('43), but instead, this was her seventh appearance on film, mostly in musical shorts for Warner Bros.

Taking its storyline from THE PRISONER OF ZENDA's tale of dual identities in a royal kingdom, this one has HAL LeROY as the commoner who is the lookalike of a king, a saxophonist in a swing band while His Highness is a man allergic to swing. The plot vaguely follows the Zenda business of switching identities, crossing the moat where the prisoner is, and the final duel, all done in painfully obvious fashion with an attempt at humor.

HAL LeROY is fine as long as he's just tap dancing, but his screen charisma is nearly zero and he looks rather uncomfortable throughout. Can't say that I blame him. JUNE ALLYSON is almost unrecognizable in a blonde wig (supposed to look like Madeleine Carroll, I suppose), and gets a brief song duet that is instantly forgettable. No wonder it took her several more years before she had her big break.

Pretty bad with a tinny soundtrack that only makes things worse. As musical shorts go, this is one of the worst.

London sax player Mr. Razzenstill (Hal Le Roy) arrives in the kingdom of Sulvania. Everybody takes a doubletake. He looks exactly like King Rudolph. He's playing with the band in the palace. The King gets kidnapped by usurpers and Razzenstill is put in his place.

It's a relatively simple short. It's a lot of swing music and swing dancing. Hal Le Roy does his lanky tap dancing. It's not that dramatic. There are a lot of dancing babes. It's a musical spoof of The Prisoner of Zenda. It's not really aiming for much more than a few dance numbers. Don't expect too much and one won't get disappointed.

In 1937, Selznick Pictures scored a big hit with "The Prisoner of Zenda" (with Ronald Colman) and the film is still a delight to watch. Apparently, Warner Brothers thought parodying the picture in this musical short would be a good idea.

The film begins with a guy (Hal Le Roy) arriving in the kingdom to play at the King's ball. It just so happens that the King and the musician look identical...and soon the musician is drafted to pose as the King after he's abducted. Soon, however, some realize this guy CANNOT be the real King because he's not a jerk!

Hal Le Roy was never a big star but appeared in quite a few pleasant shorts. He often sang and danced in them. I think he never went further because, sadly, he was a gangly looking guy who just didn't have the Hollywood look. On hand for support was a complete unknown at the time...a young June Allyson in one of her earliest roles.

So is this any good? Well, the singing and dancing are nice, though I thought they should have infused more comedy into the film...though there are a few funny moments. Overall, a pleasant films...but by all means DON'T skip the 1937 movie...it's amazing.