Every Night at Eight

"Every Night at Eight" is a bit of fluff whose biggest distinction is that it introduced the classic "I'm in the Mood for Love"...sung by Frances Langford. Otherwise, it's pretty forgettable...aside from the Chicken Lady! Yes, in a tiny scene. three lady friends are in a talent contest and one of the contestants sings like a chicken. It's VERY funny and that as well as the song are the only reasons to watch this one. Even the stars aren't at their best here.

Patsy Kelly, Alice Faye (on loan from her home studio) and Frances Langford play Daphne, Dixie and Susan and they are all friends who work and sing together. But when the boss catches them badmouthing him, they're fired. So, they decide to try at being professional singers. So, they go on a radio talent show...and lose to a hot new band headed by 'Tops' Cardona (George Raft...who is totally wasted in the film). But Cardona is impressed by their singing and insists they join his band. And, success does come...but rather slowly and the ladies see little in the way of money or fun. What's next?

The film has a lot of music and the three women sound pretty good. But the relationship between Susan and Tops is completely underwritten and comes from out of left field. The same would go for the end of the film. It all just seemed rushed, formulaic and nothing special. Kelly comes off pretty good here but Alice Faye and the rest have little in the way of personality and charisma. Not bad...just not all that interesting.

This 1935 Walter Wanger comedy musical suffers in a number of technical areas. By 1935, the major studios were putting out films with very good quality "Every Night at Eight" is choppy, poorly edited and weak in the camera work and direction. The film has a good cast, and the idea of the three girlfriends together for a singing trio is good. Alice Faye and Frances Langford give some good examples of their singing. This was Langford's first feature film and one of her best for singing. While she had lead roles in several films and major roles in several more, Langford didn't have great screenplays.

Other reviewers have noted how Alice Faye so closely resembled Jean Harlow in appearance. In a couple of scenes early in this picture, one could easily see Faye as a sister of Harlow for her physical resemblance, especially in the face. Patsy Kelly is OK for the comedic element, but she soon begins to wear thin with her crass cracks. Thankfully, they are toned down to less frequent or harsh comments in the last half of the film.

At first, George Raft seemed about the least likely of any leading man in Hollywood to be able to appear real as a band leader. But his part is the biggest surprise of this movie. Raft shows real bounce and ability to keep with the beat as he leads his band. He comes across as knowing the business. But, other than for the girls singing, and a little bit of the band jamming, the story is wanting. The script is otherwise weak and Raft's acting especially seems to move between lively and nearly dead as he sits looking flat in some scenes.

The film has a good musical score, and that and the songs by Faye and Langford are reason enough to watch "Every Night at Eight."

Here are a couple of favorite lines from this film.

Dixie Foley, "Say, listen. What was the name of the picture where the girl gets the ride?" Daphne O'Connor, "It Happened the Other Night." (sic) Dixie, "I guess it don't work in the daytime."

Susan Moore, commenting on a woman who is imitating a chicken, "How did she ever learn to do that?" Dixie Foley, "You can't learn that, it's a gift." Daphne O'Connor, "Gift nothing! It's a curse."

Alice Faye, Frances Langford and Patsy Kelly lose their jobs and can't afford to pay the rent. They enter an amateur contest at a local radio station as a singing trio, but lose to a big band lead by George Raft when Langford passes out mid-song due to lack of food. Raft asks them to join his band, and they become famous, which throws obstacles in the way of a romance between Raft and Langford. An engaging enough little trifle which is largely an excuse to include a lot of musical numbers, the highlight of which is a lady doing a song as a chicken.

Snappy musical is a study in proposed star building. While Alice Faye is top billed along with George Raft her role is secondary to Frances Langford who the studio was trying to build up.

But while Frances sings like a angel she doesn't pop on screen in the way Alice does nor is she able to radiate a comic persona as Patsy Kelly, the other part of the singing trio, does. She's also hindered by some REALLY unfortunate styling in makeup and especially hair-dress. She eventually had a hugely successful music career and was an tireless touring entertainer during WWII who had a minor screen career in B pictures but never at the level that Alice Faye achieved.

The story of the picture is a stock scenario for 30's musicals. Three plucky girlfriends who sing meet a brash scrapper who is trying to make it as a bandleader they join forces and before you know it they hit the Big Time but there is dissension in the ranks all set aright by the fade-out.

Three adorable but out of work and homeless women try to win $100 in amateur contest on the radio, but when Susan (Frances Langford) passes out from lack of food, the prize goes to supremely confident and good-looking band leader Tops (George Raft). Once he really hears them sing, however, he brings them on board with his band. And by working them day and night brings them success with their own radio program. But his hyper-strict rules have Dixie (Alice Faye) and Daphne (Patsy Kelly) chafing for some freedom. Though Susan has quietly fallen for Tops, she goes along with the girls' scheme to buck his authority and possibly ruin his show.

Sure it's not much of a plot, but this is a good-natured showcase for a host of talents and great wisecracks from Patsy Kelly. The girls are fun, Faye and particularly Langford get great solos. Langford makes "I'm in the Mood for Love" a standard. Raft, besides looking cool, gets to do a little dancing. Harry Barris has some rousing if brief little vocal ditties. And truly marvelous is uncredited singer James Miller, who takes over in the middle of the extended "I Feel a Song Coming On" number.

If you're a fan of old-time radio you'll recognize all the corny exchanges and weird acts on the "gong show" radio program and maybe try to sing like a chicken yourself.