George White's 1935 Scandals

This buoyant Fox extravaganza turns out to be a fascinating backstage recreation of a Broadway revue and the process of putting on a lavish show, enriched by some tuneful and highly uproarious numbers.

It involves a big-time Broadway producer named George White who lures a beautiful young aspiring actress (Alice Faye) to star his next show, "George White's 1935 Scandals". It opens with White and his crew just completing their successful "1934 Scandals", and then he travels along with his gal to a music hall show, owned by Elmer White (Ned Sparks who provides the film's funnies gags), where Faye's Honey Walters is performing along with her sweetheart Eddy Taylor (James Dunn). White persuades Honey that she has what it takes to star his next big revue; she agrees and suddenly they all find themselves singing and dancing on Broadway.

This was one of Alice Faye's earliest roles and she really looks like a Jean Harlow-ish platinum blonde; her singing was fun and very enjoyable. We also see some fine tap dancing by Eleanor Powell in her movie debut!

The best numbers are "According to the Moonlight", "It's an Old Southern Custom", "The Hunkadola", and "Side by Side".