Choreographer Busby Berkeley, known for his contributions to films like 42nd Street, Dames, the Gold Diggers films, and so many others, also did quite a bit of movie directing. He directed this 1938 musical starring Pat O'Brien, Margaret Lindsay, and John Payne. The leads were intended for Bette Davis and Dick Powell, but Powell allowed took a suspended rather than do the Payne role.
John Quinn (O'Brien) manages a night club, Garden of the Moon, that has booked Rudy Vallee and his band. When Valee is in a car accident, Quinn's secretary Toni (Lindsay) books Don Vincente (Payne) -- a nobody -- and his band.
The band is thrilled to have the steady work, but when they arrive, they find out that they are only to be there for two weeks. Vincente feels duped, and from there on, war is declared.
Toni and Vincente fall for one another, and Toni plots a scheme to keep him and the band there. By the time Vincente gets a lucrative offer to do some radio shows, Quinn is determined to do anything to keep him.
Pleasant musical with some very funny bits in it, including a maharajah "friend" of Don Vincente who brings a lot of publicity to the club, in spite of the fact that he is in reality an ex-waiter and a not so ex- thief.
Payne, a real find for Darryl Zanuck, who signed him and made him a star in 1940, sings like a dream and is a solid romantic lead. Like Powell, this wasn't his favorite kind of role, and, like Powell, he ultimately went the noir route.
This movie was a departure for Margaret Lindsay, who had played heavier roles in the past; nevertheless, she pulls it off and probably fit it better than Bette Davis would have.
As Quinn, Pat O'Brien is great. He plays an abrasive boss with a soft spot for royalty, and he can be friendly when he has to be - that's almost never to an employee, with the exception of Toni.
Berkeley did a good job with this - it's pleasant and funny with good comedy and singing. Not terribly special, but entertaining.
