MikeMagi

A relatively little-known Al Jolson vehicle, happily brought back by TCM, that's a pleasure to watch. Here, Jolson plays a Broadway star with a king-size ego who has alienated so many producers that he can't land even a bit part. So he decides to produce his own show, co-starred with a tap-dancing gamin played by Ruby Keeler. This is the only time the couple appeared on screen together and the chemistry works. Ms. Keeler wasn't that pretty and her dancing sometimes resembled an attempt to stamp out cockroaches but her spunky appeal shines through. The production numbers, particularly "A Quarter to Nine," are first-rate and the plot contrivances -- including a rub-out attempt by a ticked-off mobster -- don't detract from what the movie is really about. Watching Jolson sail through a half-dozen songs with his energetic verve, sidestepping a plot that never gets in the way.

I was surprised to see how many IMDb contributors gave this movie a thumbs down. The story isn't any more substantial than a few dozen other romantic comedies of the time. But it moves along at a merry pace, especially when the cast takes over an ocean liner. And there are enough plot twists to keep it rolling. Dick Powell is his usual easygoing self. Ruby Keeler is surprisingly good --for an actress who had more than her share of detractors. Hugh Herbert dithers amusingly. And even Joan Blondell scores as a woman on the loose. Add some stylish production numbers-- with the usual bevy of toe-tapping chorus girls led by Keeler and Paul Draper -- and you've got a pleasant 90 minutes or so.

If Lew Ayres hadn't refused military service during World War 2, he'd be remembered as one of the screen's most gifted actors. Here, at a remarkably early age, he gives a bravura performance as a smart, cocky, classy mob boss, making fools of the thugs who've sworn to rub him out. In support is Jimmy Cagney -- in only his second screen role -- as a double-crossing thug with a roving eye. Some contributors have complained that there's not a lot of gunplay in "Doorway to Hell" -- but that's no problem. The movie is more of a character study than a gangster film. And as such, it's remarkably entertaining (especially for a movie made back in 1930,) enlivened by Ayres' charismatic performance.