Hotel a la Swing

A performing arts troupe can't afford to pay the hotel bill and try to sneak out behind the manager's back. Literally! Ha ha - they all come down the stairs at the same time trying not to be noticed. Well, they get busted ("We all have a sinus problem - nobody will sign us"). Their leader, Eddie Foy Jr (Reed), agrees to run the hotel for 90 days and get customers in by updating the hotel into a 'Swing Hotel'.

The film is an excuse to string together several musical set pieces and they are all entertaining apart from a very tiresome male 3-some who get 2 slots. They perform (!) a detective song that is meant to be funny but isn't and goes on way too long, but their cook routine has some redemption in that we get some tap dancing and they were clearly the influence for the Swedish chef ("urdi birdi boom boom") on the Muppets in the way they toss around their ingredients.

The other performers all put in memorable performances from the tap-dancing elevator girl to the roof top dinner entertainment - "Holiday in Hades" and the mystical, strange tall woman section. I wish all hotels were like this. Shame it ends so suddenly.