Paramount on Parade (1930)

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I expected a lot more out of this, perhaps the hardest-to-find of the 1929-1930 musical revues of the big Hollywood studios, but the problems of early sound recording and the parade of some then-stars who are now virtually unknown limits its appeal to dedicated buffs of that cinematic era. There are some ingenious visual tricks, but the material is a series of duds. The most notable exception is the final number, which features some impressively synchronized pre-Busby Berkeley choreography. Of course all this applies to the version currently in circulation, I'm sure a complete print with all the missing footage (over 20 minutes!) and the Technicolor restored would be more memorable. ** out of 4 for this version.

I've just watched the current restoration and can add some information to the 2002 review.The footage of the opening "Showgirls on Parade" sequence is missing but the sound survives.The sound disc for "Isadore the Toreador" has been located (only a few days ago) and will be put into the next restoration with the surviving Technicolor footage..Nino Martini's number is now complete, and in Technicolor.The "Dream Girl" Technicolor footage survives but the sound is missing.The "Gallows Scene" is missing most of the sound except for Dennis King's song.

Odd mix of music comedy and sketches show casing all of Paramount stars at the time.Since its release the Technicolor sequences were removed or only presented in black and white (the final musical number on the roof tops). Trims over time reduced this from its original 104 minutes to 77. the version I saw ran 73 minutes.(and as anyone who's ever talked about the film has said this film has several introductions for sequences that never come) A scatter shot affair this has some winning things in it (the final dance number), some strange things (Fu Manchu, Philo Vance and Sherlock Holmes all together in a comedy sketch) and some not so good things (a couple of the songs are duds). Clearly made to cash in the idea of all singing and all dancing as well as to assure the public enough stars that some one they like would be in it, this film is too much of a "good" thing. If you like revues this film I suppose would be great, except that the up and down nature makes it hard to really get into an groove of enjoyment. The film isn't bad, but then again it isn't wholly good, or good enough to make it anything more than a curio. To be honest I don't know if I would watch it again in its present form, though if it were ever restored to full length and with the color sequences I might give it ago again (if for no reason then to see the introduced but removed sequences).6 out of 10. More if you're a fan of old musicals.

You get to see dozens of early talkie stars in this hodgepodge. The short "drama" sequences and most of the "comedy" sequences are awful, but the singing and dancing routines are tops. My favorites are the "I'm in Training for You" routine (Jack Oakie and Zelma O'Neal), the "Dancing to Save Your Soul" routine (Nancy Carroll and an uncredited Al Norman - the great deadpan rubberlegs dancer), Maurice Chevalier singing "All I Want is Just One" and "Sweeping the Clouds Away" and little Mitzi Green imitating Chevalier.