The Prisoner of Swing

The most surprising thing about this Vitaphone short from Warner Bros. is that JUNE ALLYSON appears in it in a supporting role as a princess. I'd always assumed she made her debut at MGM in BEST FOOT FORWARD ('43), but instead, this was her seventh appearance on film, mostly in musical shorts for Warner Bros.

Taking its storyline from THE PRISONER OF ZENDA's tale of dual identities in a royal kingdom, this one has HAL LeROY as the commoner who is the lookalike of a king, a saxophonist in a swing band while His Highness is a man allergic to swing. The plot vaguely follows the Zenda business of switching identities, crossing the moat where the prisoner is, and the final duel, all done in painfully obvious fashion with an attempt at humor.

HAL LeROY is fine as long as he's just tap dancing, but his screen charisma is nearly zero and he looks rather uncomfortable throughout. Can't say that I blame him. JUNE ALLYSON is almost unrecognizable in a blonde wig (supposed to look like Madeleine Carroll, I suppose), and gets a brief song duet that is instantly forgettable. No wonder it took her several more years before she had her big break.

Pretty bad with a tinny soundtrack that only makes things worse. As musical shorts go, this is one of the worst.

Hal Leroy stars in this dancing burlesque of THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, with June Allyson as the lovely princess. Leroy really lets loose with a fine tap number about thirteen minutes into this short, and he and Eddie Foy Jr. Manage a new way to duel with sabers.

This was the year after Selznick had released his screen version of ZENDA with Ronald Colman, Madeleine Carroll, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. In what was arguably his best screen role, so Roy Mack figured he could use Leroy's occasional, expensive short subject to spoof it. He was right, mostly because Leroy was one of those guys who always looked like he was a teenager until suddenly he was old. Wearing a beard and mustache in this movie, he looks like it's dirt that's gotten onto his face.

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.

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.

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.