Masks and Memories

Julie and Bob leave Mardi Gras. Bob takes Julie to his home where he lives with his sister Queenie and his Uncle Andy who hasn't left the mansion for 60 years. He still thinks that it's 1874. The young folks try to entice him to party. Along the way, they uncover his past.

This is a musical short from Warner Bros. I'm not taken with the story or the performances. I can leave Uncle Andy behind. The trio is fine. There is some good production value here. The songs aren't half bad. There is one big dance number where the girls are all just reclining. It's an artifact of an era and a studio construction.

I'm always curious about these little trifles from the thirties. Often the studios have an expensive production number that was cut from a feature for one reason or another. Rather than have the expenses resting on the bottom line of that film they would have a short built around it. Hey, everybody is under contract. PLANE CRAZY with The Three Stooges is one example. The big finale of Masks and Memories is Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Lady featuring a borderline pre-code misc en scene. Two chorus lines of Hollywood blonds in flimsy full length gowns in diaphanous white, and, most importantly, back lighted, holding long cigarette holders, march up and down the stepped set making geometrical patterns while in the center of the frame there is a giant poppy blossom. There is a last shot showing one of the characters from the preceding 'story' surrounded by the chorus girls but that could have been shot later as there is no set to be seen or matched. The 'story', such as it is, plays off of one of the elements from Showboat, that is the contrast between a post-civil war Mississippi steamboat and the 'modern urban world'. Its always interesting to witness a performance by the legendary Lillian Roth, 24 at the time of this film's release, whose appearance here was the last in a motion picture until the 1970s. While her screen presence really can't be ascertained she must have been, when she was on, a magnificent vaudeville and cabaret performer.

Annual Mardi Gras celebrations are in full swing for brunette singer Lillian Roth (as Julie) and boyfriend Weldon Heyburn (as Bob). They take a break from the festivities and visit his reclusive old uncle George Houston (as Andy). The elderly man mistakes Ms. Roth for his long-lost sweetheart. This leads to flashbacks with Roth playing "Emmy Lou" during Mr. Houston's youthful showboating days. Back in the present and feeling sentimental, Houston agrees to leave his mansion. Also venturing out, love-starved sister Queenie Smith finds a bench and receives her first romantic kisses from young Jack Good. While secondary, they steal the show until a final production number in which shapely females fill the screen with enough back-lighting to see many of their creases and curves.

***** Masks and Memories (5/12/34) Roy Mack ~ Lillian Roth, George Houston, Queenie Smith, Jack Good

Granted this short film was written and produced in a drunken haze and is an incredible mismatching of contradictory styles ripping off "Show Boat", here is another element to add to the equation:

In 1894, Jules Massenet penned a one-act sequel to his monumentally popular 1884 opera "Manon" (which would later itself inspire the convent scene in "Show Boat"). The work received its United States premiere at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on 13 December 1897.

Here is the synopsis of the book by Georges Boyer. I'm just putting it out there (from Wikipedia). You be the judge:

"The opera opens with a chorus of peasants singing outside the home of the Chevalier Des Grieux; they remind him of his own happier days and he looks at his miniature portrait of Manon (in his youth, Des Grieux loved Manon, a courtesan who eventually died young). His nephew Jean arrives for a history lesson but tells Des Grieux that he is in love with Aurore. Des Grieux believes that the young girl is unworthy of Jean having neither noble birth nor money.

Tiberge enters and tries to persuade his old friend Des Grieux to allow young love to run its course; left alone Aurore and Jean are in despair. Jean tries to snatch a kiss from the girl but in the chase knocks the chest and the portrait of Manon falls out. They admire the face of the portrait. After Tiberge has called Aurore away, Des Grieux lectures Jean again and dismisses him. But now Aurore appears wearing the dress which Manon wore on her first meeting with Des Grieux in Amiens. When Tiberge reveals that Aurore is in fact the niece of Manon - the daughter of her brother Lescaut - Des Grieux yields and consents to Jean's marriage."

Masks and Memories (1934)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Three-reel film from Warner shows off some of their lesser known Musical acts. There's no question that this was inspired by the 1929 SHOW BOAT but one also wonders what impact this short might have had on the 1936 version considering Queenie Smith has a part here and of course would be featured in the wonderful James Whale version. With that said, what we've got here are several musical acts thrown together in one long short. I'm really not sure why the studio would decide to expand this into three reels. The reason I say this is that they've got countless shorts out there to show off talent in the form of one reels and for those Musicals with story they've got two reels. Why they felt the need to add another reel is beyond me but for the most part the music here is good. I think the highlight is The Day That I Bust Loose by Smith as well as Lillian Roth doing Mardi Gras. The music numbers are pretty good considering I'm sure this thing didn't get much time or money. The most impressive thing is perhaps that ability to make the 32-minute running time go by so fast. I doubt this film is going to turn an older film hater into someone who appreciates the genre but fans of these types of film should enjoy it.