Sitting on the Moon

Good little 'B' musical with some pluses going for it, mainly Grace Bradley. Vivacious and very pretty, she brightens every scene she appears in. And she can sing, in addition to her other assets. Had never heard of this picture before, and as someone noted, it was most likely the bottom half of a double feature.

"Sitting On The Moon" just goes to show you; you never can tell where or when a good movie will pop up - even tiny Republic Studios could ring the bell once in a while. I especially liked the closing number, "Lost in My Dreams", a song never heard nowadays.

Republic Pictures released Sitting On The Moon in 1936 and it serves as a nice vehicle for stars Roger Pryor and Grace Bradley. Pryor is a composer of note and Bradley is a movie star of musical pictures whose been blacklisted around the town. Seems as though she committed Hollywood's unpardonable sin by walking out on a picture. But she still can sing and Pryor wants to help.

But it turns out he needs the help as he may be just slightly married. When the film opens a barely conscious Pryor is dropped off in the company of a beautiful blond in Joyce Compton by taxi driver George Cooper. Pryor was really hitting it last night and can't remember a thing. Later on Compton shows up to remind them they went to Mexico and got married. Then she proceeds to bleed him dry for 'support', make that 'hush money'.

Of course it all works out though nature and the plot do take an interesting roundabout view.

For a film from Republic it's not bad, but it could have used better production values and a better score.

I purchased this movie in a pack of musical DVDs and I'm tickled to have it because the star, Grace Bradley, is the wife of the cowboy star, Hopalong Cassidy (William Boyd, who died in the early 1970s). I've been looking for years for any movie that she was in. She is still alive and a very beautiful lady to be in her 90s. This movie was made around the time she and Bill Boyd married. She was interviewed in a documentary on Hopalong Cassidy and she is such a delight to watch. I've always wanted to see what she looked like when she was young, and she does not disappoint. I can see why Hoppy fell in love with her! Watch this movie just to see what "might have been" if she hadn't quit her career to marry Hoppy!

When I looked at the main credits for this movie, I didn't expect much. Nat Levine producing for Republic? Ralph Staub directing? I certainly didn't expect this movie about mediocre songwriter Roger Pryor and washed-up star Grace Bradley falling in love and inspiring each other to success to be more than a cheap programmer, especially when the main supports are William Newell and the annoying Pert Kelton; it's not until I delved further into the cast list that I spotted Henry Kolker as a radio sponsor and Joyce Compton as the wife Pryor married on a toot in Tijuana that I saw anything to hope for.

Yet this cheaply done, cynical romantic comedy matches its subject so well, and Pryor and Bradley speak what would all too often be gushy lines simply, offers a good deal of charm to this this 53-minute B movie. Their characters' decency overcomes a few plot holes and a couple of decent songs fit the picture very well. While it's by no means a classic, it is an extremely engaging little flick.

"Sitting on the Moon" is a pretty good B-movie, so don't believe the notion that Bs were bad. They weren't...they were just intended as an inexpensive second film at a double-feature.

Danny West (Roger Pryor) is a successful songwriter, though he isn't exactly disciplined. However, when he sees that Polly Blair (Grace Bradley) is out of work, he cleans himself up and helps her on her feet. You see, Polly had been a big movie star but had fallen on hard times...and he's determined to help her. And, help her he does. But in the meantime, Danny gets himself into hot water and it's time for Polly to return the favor.

"Sitting on the Moon" is a solid and enjoyable film. The title refers to a song Danny wrote for Polly and the acting and writing are very nice. In addition, look for Pert Kelton as Polly's friend. Pert was the original Alice from "The Honeymooners"...before Audrey Meadows.