All due credit to screenwriter Leon Gordon: this picture may be a bit of a hodgepodge as it tosses together murder and drama with comedy, and tinges of a musical, but when it's firing on all cylinders, it's pretty sharp. I don't think it's unreasonable to say that some of Gordon's best wit here is turned toward the humor, as to my pleasure this earns some hearty laughs at a few different points. This isn't to say that the feature is otherwise lacking, though the wide array of characters to whom we're introduced rides a needlepoint of being smart and engaging at some times, and dull and insubstantial at others. In fairness - meaning no disrespect to filmmaker Benjamin Stoloff, but the strength of his direction in this instance is highly variable in my opinion, and maybe that has more to do with the wavering quality of the viewing experience than Gordon's writing. With no particular rhyme, reason, or pattern, some scenes are tight and hold our attention, others just flounder (sometimes it's hard to know what tone is intended for a moment); some are ill-fitting as they present, and others pass by so blithely that one risks checking out from the movie altogether. Suffice to say that 'Transatlantic merry-go-round' is a bit of a mixed bag.
It's not outright bad, mind you, but in no time at all after it begins there develops an irregular ebb and flow in which we as viewers are alternatively locked in, and struggling to actively keep our eyes on a film that isn't especially absorbing or convincing. For example, the musical numbers may be well done in and of themselves, and the last and largest such sequence is indisputably a minor delight with its choreography and camera tricks. Yet at best these feel like an empty concession to the fact that such inclusions were broadly popular in cinema in the 30s, and at worst come across as a bad joke; other inserted diversions are even more questionable as they present. Each of the characters and story threads herein are suitably worthy for exploration, some more so than others, yet they're often treated with a passivity that renders them bland and sterile. The cast is fine, but no one specifically makes an impression; those behind the scenes turned in good work, not least with regards to the sets, costume design, and of all things the editing, though even these aren't really anything to proverbially write home about. Meanwhile, it's not necessarily the fault of this 1934 title that the sound design and image quality are less than pristine - these may just as well be a reflection of the limitations of the production, or of technology of the time, or maybe a smidgen of degradation in prints from so many decades past. Nonetheless, these facets aren't a major point in this carousel's favor, either.
There is, truly, some cleverness in 'Transatlantic merry-go-round,' most of all in the dialogue and scene writing. I did enjoy myself in some measure while watching. The problem is just that very little of the resulting picture makes a mark, and even as the various pieces come together in the last third it's overall fairly forgettable. Other aspects, like Sydney Howard playing "Dan the Drunk," grow rather stale over ninety minutes; the climactic scene of The Reveal feels too jumbled and clamorous for its own good. Under such circumstances, it's hard to give the movie much of a recommendation. It's passably entertaining for a lazy day, but I think one has their sights set entirely too high if one is going out of their way to watch. Make a note of it, sure, and set it aside for when you want something light and uncomplicated that doesn't inspire or require significant investment. Like a merry-go-round in real-life, that may be the best way to get most out of this film.
