Every Night at Eight

Three girl -- Patsy Kelly, Frances Langford, and Alice Faye make a play for a career as a singing trio by going on Walter Catlett's amateur hour show. They miss, but the winning act, George Raft and his band, hire them and eventually get a rich radio contract, billing them as 'The Swanee Sisters.' Raft is all business, which annoys them, particularly Miss Langford.

Despite the talent in front of the camera, and director Raoul Walsh, it's a fairly standard musical, with a ridiculous variety show during the Catlett segment. What makes this stand out are the Jimmy McHugh-Dorothy Field songs, including "I Feel A Song Coming On" and the standout number, Miss Langford introducing "I'm In The Mood For Love". Songwriter Harry Barris ("Mississippi Mud", "I Surrender Dear") demonstrates a fine voice.

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.

"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.

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.

A cast like this under the direction of Raoul Walsh results in a strangely talky and uninvolving film. The script has its share of amusing wisecracks, most of them delivered by Patsy Kelly; but the end result is very bland and conventional.

Walsh shows an interesting liking for visually lining up his three female leads across the screen; and while its always fun to see Alice Faye during her glossy platinum blonde phase (further enlivened by an all-too-brief scene when she has it dyed jet black) with the mysterious exception of the uncredited James Miller nobody is really given much to do.

And it does go on.