Cute 20th Century Fox film, very typical for them in the '30s, starring Alice Faye, Jack Haley, Ned Sparks, Walter Winchell, Ben Bernie, and Patsy Kelly.
Eddie Kane and Jean Roberts (Haley and Grace Bradley) are vaudevillians who come to New York to make it. Eddie's sister (Kelly) works for Walter Winchell. They are mentioned in Winchell's column and receive offers; sadly, Eddie can't sing in front of a live mike. Jean gets another job and Eddie works as a tour guide at the station.
In an effort to overcome his fear, he seeks out the star of the "Wake Up and Live" radio show, Alice Huntley (Faye) to help him.
One day, while working, Eddie comes across a microphone. Thinking it's dead, he sings "Never in a Million Years," which Ben Bernie's band is playing. He's heard over the mike, and everyone wants to know who he is. Even Eddie doesn't know! He's called "The Phantom Troubador" and there is a frenzied rush to find him.
Winchell has a feud going with orchestra leader Ben Bernie (kind of like the Jimmy Kimmel-Matt Damon feud) so they're in a race to reveal his identity first. Alice realizes who Eddie is, and has him "practicing" in her apartment at an exact time in front of a supposedly dead mike - it's live and feeding into the supper club where Bernie is playing.
Haley is dubbed by Buddy Clark, and both he and Faye sing like a dream. The songs, including "Wake Up and Live," "Swell of You," "Ooh, but I'm Happy," and "There's a Lull in My Life" are wonderful.
An uplifting film, enlivened by the performances and the singing.
