8/10
A forgotten comedy gem
8 April 2017
Sometimes I think I've seen every great movie from the 30s and 40s, but every once in a while I discover something wonderful, like Sing and Like It.

The movie stars Zasu Pitts as a mousy accountant (or something) who sings in community theater. Her terrible rendition of a terrible song about mothers stirs the heart of gangster Nat Pendleton, who decides to make her famous by forcing musical producer Edward Everett Horton to star her in his new show. Zasu is thrilled, and fully willing to pay *any* price to achieve fame (which is how you know it's a pre-Hays-code film).

The dialogue is crisp and hilarious. The acting is terrific; other notable cast members are the frozen-faced Ned Sparks as a sort of erudite-to-colloquial translator and Pert Kelton as a brassy moll.

What keeps this from being a truly great comedy is the rather abrupt ending. The movie just suddenly says, basically, well, this has gone on long enough, and ejects. It's a little unsatisfying, even though there is one last nice gag.

While not perfect, this is a really, really funny movie full of amazing character actors and clever bits. You should watch it.
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