The Prisoner of Swing

Hal Le Roy in a dual role - he's a swinging saxophonist Mr. Razzenstill on his way to the country of Sulvania. There, he discovers he is a distant cousin to the country's Prince Rudolph. The prince hates Swing music, and declares that, after his coronation, the music will be banned. Swing lovers swap the identical Le Roys - and, Rudolph is thrown in his dungeon. Will he escape?

The film is far too dependent on the films it spoofs ("The Prisoner of Zenda"). Given that, you can't follow the story; for example, why does Razzenstill decide to try and rescue Rudolph? June Allyson is the princess who seems to fall in love with the other man; it's an interesting, but unresolved, subplot. "The Prisoner of Swing" highlight is Le Roy's expert tap dancing performance following the scene with Ms. Allyson.

** The Prisoner of Swing (6/11/38) Roy Mack ~ Hal Le Roy, June Allyson, Eddie Foy Jr.

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.

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.

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.

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.