Musical Merry-Go-Round #5

Martin Block moves his disc jockey show to the big screen for the third of his short-subjects. In this case, he interviews Buddy Clark and Ray Noble and has them performing four of their songs: "I'll Dance at Your Wedding", "Good Night Sweetheart", "Linda" and "Serenade." Marjorie Hughes also participates.

This brief series of musical shorts was an interesting experiment in how to structure these shorts, but to my taste it doesn't really work: I usually maintain a -- probably disheartening -- lack of interest in artists outside of their arts. While the music is good, the structure is mildly distracting.

I have never heard of Martin Block before and this isn't surprising, since he was a popular disc jockey back in the 1940s. He made about a half dozen shorts for MGM...and knowing which is which is tricky. All have the same title AND all were made the same year! The only way to know which is which is by the guest stars in each film.

This installment is unusual because it features the music of Frankie Carle and His Orchestra...as well as with Carle's daughter, Marjorie Hughes, as the soloist. Block also interviews Marjorie and you learn about her involvement with her father's band. Overall, the music is very pleasant but not among the very best in this series.