Something to Sing About

Contrary to many reviews there is much to like in "Something To Sing About", a minor Cagney movie produced by Grand National Productions (Cagney was in the midst of a dispute with Warner Bros. at the time). There are equal measures of comedy, music and romance blended together to create what must have been one of 1937's most underrated films. Cagney sings, dances and, counter to type, has some tender love scenes with Evelyn Daw, who is pretty and petite and has a lovely singing voice.

Nutshell; song and dance man Cagney gets an offer from Hollywood. He succeeds, and is bound to secrecy regarding his marriage to Daw, the 'band canary' in the same band. Complications arise as a result, with some alternately funny and tender scenes. On hand are William Frawley as the studio's publicity man, Gene Lockhart the studio head and Mona Barrie the studio prima donna. Victor Schertzinger directed and wrote the songs, the best of which are the title song and "Out Of The Blue". Unfortunately, all the songs are long-forgotten.

"Something To Sing About" is one of those forgotten gems which show up on TCM from time to time. Do yourself a favor and catch it next time it's on.

7/10 - Website no longer prints my star rating.

The plot of this film is fairly ordinary--bandleader/hoofer goes to Hollywood and becomes a star, studio wants to play up his credentials as a lover so they put the kibosh on announcing his marriage and cook up an on-set romance for the papers, the strain threatens his marriage. If it were with any other cast, that might have been the end of it. But with Cagney in the starring role, the movie just pops. The man had star quality positively oozing out of him, which had been evident from his earliest bit roles, in films like "A Handful of Clouds."

This was Cagney's second and last film with Grand National studios, where he'd taken refuge during a contract dispute with Warner Brothers. The first film had cast him in standard dramatic fare, but this one reunited him with his NY dance coach, Harland Dixon, who staged the dances for the film. Cagney's dancing is even more spirited than in "Yankee Doodle Dandy"--at one point, where other dancers might kick their heels, he kicks his knees! According to a NY Times article cited in the AFI Catalog, Cagney practiced his steps with Fred Astaire before filming.

What's most striking to me, though, in this film is Cagney's incomparably naturalistic acting. One scene in particular, where Cagney phones his fiancée back in New York while sitting in the dark in his Hollywood apartment, and listens to her sing a new song, is as moving and realistic as anything I've seen.

Many scenes will evoke more famous moments from later films--Cagney dancing on piano keys, like Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia in "Big," or Cagney working on his pear-shaped tones, like Gene Kelly in "Singin' in the Rain." Cagney gives them all his unique brand of liveliness. There is also an almost anachronistic recognition of the degradation Hollywood visited on minorities, in the person of Philip Ahn, who plays Cagney's manservant, Ito.

Evelyn Daw, as Cagney's fiancée, was a discovery of the director, Schertzinger, and this was her first film. She's got a cute little smile, but her voice is absolutely wrong for the sort of band Cagney is supposed to be leading. She does well enough, though, and holds her own with William Frawley as Cagney's sympathetic press agent and Gene Lockhart as the studio boss. The only real sour note is sounded by Mona Barrie, as the Hungarian star set up as Cagney's love interest by the studio press machine. She's neither attractive nor talented, and one has to wonder why she was supposed to be such a big star.

This movie is out on DVD, unlike all too many of Cagney's early efforts, and it's worth checking out for a side of Cagney seen entirely too seldom.

Weary of railing against Warner Brothers for the studio's mishandling of him, James Cagney moves to small Grand National, which produces for the star this sprightly musical compote. Cagney brings along all of his vigor and verve, and the little-known studio supplies a substantial budget for this tale of a Manhattan hoofer and bandleader, Terry Rooney (Cagney), and his sweetheart/wife (Evelyn Daw), who journey to Hollywood when Rooney is offered a film contract. Down-to-earth Rooney is resistant to receiving the prescribed "star treatment" and the head of the studio, Mr. Regan, (Gene Lockhart) construes his attitude as hauteur; when the initial film made with Rooney unexpectedly becomes wildly successful, the studio boss tries to keep the compass of his triumph from the budding star to prevent the latter from becoming more arrogant. Meantime, Rooney places his film experiences behind him by taking his bride on a lengthy cruise in a tramp steamer to the South Seas, and when they return and discover his exploding fame, comedic complications ensue. Cagney displays his customary class in his every scene with the musical production numbers being particularly effective, his dancing skill being a prominent element. True soprano Evelyn Daw performs beautifully throughout, and the classically trained singer makes for a comely female lead as well, while William Frawley as a press agent, Mona Barrie as the studio diva, and Philip Ahn, who plays Rooney's houseboy, all provide enjoyable turns. Director Victor Schertzinger utilizes his own Academy Award nominated score to a liberal extent throughout and the product becomes a tuneful and rather undervalued musical comedy.

This very well produced film from Grand National was it's downfall.

Costing $900k in 1937 to produce (3 times more than 42nd Street or a quarter of Gone With The Wind) it never recovered its costs and sank the studio. A mini major wannabe of its day, it grew from the reshuffle in 1934 that saw Monogram, Liberty, Mascot and Majestic studios all become Republic. Tiffany studios had gone dark about 1932 and Grand National reopened that lot in 1935 amid the talent and exec merry go round of forming and shedding.

A Warners squabble saw Cagney suspended so he walked to Grand National who much have thought they had won the talent lottery. To create industry credibility in their production values for any Cagney film, they had to spend big, and GREAT GUY in 1936 worked. But in 1937 their swing musical based loosely on their own studio tales (and lot) cost far too much and the loss by 1938 shortened their schedule and they went dark. Most jumped ship to re-formed Monogram Pictures and series films like the Shadow and Renfrew Of the Mounted Police had a new life there. Grand National had big hopes and plans and it is a huge shame they did not continue. It is a fascinating true story of ambition and crash and should be a film in itself. SOMETHING has been available in Australia on tape and DVD for years and is widely available here..like a lot of weird and small RKO titles. Lucky us and lucky you if you can find them. Grand national was a good outfit. The opening and closing nightclub scenes in this film are really smart and quite elaborate. There's even a BIG-like keyboard dance solo. And that Logo! Wow!

James Cagney got tired of film studios wanting him to make gangster films and typecasting him, so he went to Grand National Pictures and made this film with a Independent film maker. In this picture Caqney plays the role as Terry Rooney a band leader who has a great show in Manhattan with a great singer, Rita Wyatt, (Evelyn Daw) and there is plenty of comedy and great dancing routines throughout the show. Terry is very well liked as well as his singer Rita. Hollywood becomes interested in Terry and Bennett Regan, (Gene Lockhart) is a Hollywood director who wants to give Terry a contact to make a picture. Terry finds it hard to break into the Hollywood scheme of things and gets down in the dumps about his performances. Little does Terry realize that the producers and directors all like Terry and feel he is doing a great job, but Bennett Regan does not want to tell him that in order to keep him from getting a big head on his shoulders. Great Cagney film with outstanding dance routines.