This is an fun musical comedy with really no dancing, just marvelous singing to show off Russ Columbo's dreamy crooner voice. Unfortunately, Russ died before the opening from an accidental bullet wound.
The plot: Russ, Roger Pryor, and June Knight are all friends in a vaudeville act, and Roger Pryor is always coming up with crazy ways for them to make it big in show business, and his schemes usually result in big trouble. And Russ and Roger are both in love with June and she knows which of the guys she loves, but hasn't the heart to break it to to the other one. Winnie Shaw plays a Russ's vampy musical co-star. Herny Armetta plays his food-crazy Italian uncle who does, as the other reviewer says, steal every scene he appears in.
WAKE UP AND DREAM is obviously a B musical but still seems to shine through it's simple sets and costumes. After this movie June Knight would go to MGM where they knew what to do with her. I think she was better off playing supporting roles as "the other woman" or roles of the like. She looks hopelessly unglamourous and mundane in this movie and if you watch her in Broadway MELODY OF 1936, VACATION FROM LOVE or BREAK THE NEWS you can see a tremendous difference in her appearance. MGM sure was the expert at glamming up it's actors.
In all for WAKE UP AND DREAM: Cliché plot, miserable production values, and knock-out, fun performances. Worth your time if you like this sort of film.
