Comments on She Blogged By Night: Hollywood Hotel (1937)

Hi Amy - this is embarrassing since 2 months have ...

2008-09-16T23:58:00.000-05:00

Hi Amy - this is embarrassing since 2 months have passed, but I swore I had answered your comment earlier! I wanted to tell you how much I love the idea of the Westmore Score. Back when the IMDb was run by some guy in the UK (whose name escapes me now) I used to do nothing but add what I called the "MGM Trifecta" to films: Douglas Shearer, Edwin B Willis, and Cedric Gibbons.

Eric, that line kills me! I love those types of meta-jokes in old films.

Regarding the "Miracle Pictures" joke- I've found ...

2008-09-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

Regarding the "Miracle Pictures" joke- I've found one I like better from "We'll Smile Again" (1942).
"The Anglo-American Film Corporation announces proudly that no expense has been spared to save money on this production."

I absolutely MUST see this for the Westmore presen...

2008-07-25T17:28:00.000-05:00

I absolutely MUST see this for the Westmore presence!

Long ago I started scanning old movies' opening credits to see who did the makeup, and announcing the resulting Westmore Score in the voice of "The Simpsons'" Comic Book Guy ("Westmore Score: One" if any of the W. family are involved, and "Westmore Score: Zero" if not).

And no, I really could not tell you why.

Hi Melissa! I think "Hollywood Hotel" would be a ...

2008-07-08T15:12:00.000-05:00

Hi Melissa! I think "Hollywood Hotel" would be a pretty good movie for examples of how Hollywood looked back then, although I should mention most location exterior shots are brief. The outside of the real hotel is shown only for a moment, and the montage of famous Hollywood landmarks does go by rather quickly.

The Hollywood Bowl is shown in an extended scene during a duet, though.

Good luck with your book! It sounds like fun, please come back and let me know when it's been published!

I caught part of this movie on TCM the other night...

2008-07-08T10:50:00.000-05:00

I caught part of this movie on TCM the other night, but couldn't finish watching it - but I'm glad I found out what happened by reading your blog. :-)

Since I am actually writing a novel set in Hollywood in the
'40s, I'm thinking this would be a good film to watch to get a feel for what Hollywood looked like back then. Yay or nay?

Stacia,

Maybe you should review "Ball of Fi...

2008-07-07T13:34:00.000-05:00

Stacia,

Maybe you should review "Ball of Fire", you know, for the Krupa fans!

I loved seeing Gene Krupa! I did notice the band ...

2008-07-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

I loved seeing Gene Krupa! I did notice the band was not all-white, but didn't realize it was the first racially mixed group. For some reason I thought there was a 1920s jazz group with Louis Armstrong that was mixed, but I'm finding NOTHING about it right now, so I must have made that up in my noodle.

And YES to Johnnie Scat Davis! I thought he was a woman at first, and I was pleased at how progressive the movie was. Then I had to hit pause and digest that, no, this was Johnnie Scat Davis, who I'd heard of but had never seen before. He was such a doof. Even when the entire Goodman orchestra was playing, Davis wasn't content to just being part of the trumpet section. Oh no, he had to lean forward and swing his shoulders and just basically do everything he could for attention. Ick.

The best thing about this movie is seeing the Goom...

2008-07-02T11:55:00.000-05:00

The best thing about this movie is seeing the Gooman Orchstra perform "Sing, Sing, Sing", with Gene Krupa tearing up the drums. You also get some great footage of the Goodman Quartet with Krupa, Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton, which was the first racially mixed group to play in public, if you can believe that!

You also get to see Harry James and Krupa ham it up during the "Hooray for Hollywood" number.

Also, Johnny "Scat" Davis rivals El Brendel as an irritant in this movie.

I haven't seen "Going Places" before - hey, looks ...

2008-07-02T02:36:00.000-05:00

I haven't seen "Going Places" before - hey, looks like it has Allen Jenkins, and I love him too! I'll put it on my list of movies to watch for on TCM.

For a long time I didn't like Dick Powell, but I just absolutely love him now. I can't get enough. If you get a chance, see "Hollywood Hotel" just for the first 30 minutes or so, because Powell is great.

Dick Powell is so adorable I want to take him h...

2008-07-01T09:31:00.000-05:00
Dick Powell is so adorable I want to take him home and feed him a saucer of milk, and give him a little yarn toy and some catnip...

XD I've felt that way about Dick Powell for a looong time. He's one of my favorite musical stars. What a great voice and easy manner before the camera. He's quite hard to resist and even makes movies like "Flirtation Walk" have a few good moments.

I haven't seen "Hollywood Hotel" yet, but I have seen another one with Dick and Ronnie Reagan in it. They were both in "Going Places" from 1938, which also features Louis Armstrong, Rochester Anderson, and has a killer musical number towards the end with Maxine Sullivan, one of my favorite vocalists. It also premiered the song "Jeepers Creepers". It's decent, but not fantastic. And Powell is his usual charming self.