Sing, Baby, Sing

1936 "A Mad, Merry, Musical Delight!"
5.8| 1h30m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 21 August 1936 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

The "Caliban-Ariel" romance of fiftysomething John Barrymore and teenager Elaine Barrie is spoofed in this delightful 20th Century Fox musical. Adolphe Menjou plays the Barrymore counterpart, a loose-living movie star with a penchant for wine, women, and more wine. Alice Faye plays a nightclub singer hungry for publicity. Her agent (Gregory Ratoff) arranges a "romance" between Faye and Menjou. Eventually Faye winds up with Michael Whalen, allowing Menjou to continue his blissful, bibulous bachelorhood. Sing, Baby, Sing represented the feature-film debut of the Ritz Brothers, who are in top form in their specialty numbers--and who are awarded a final curtain call after the "The End" title, just so the audience won't forget them (The same device was used to introduce British actor George Sanders in Fox's Lancer Spy [37]).

... View More
Stream Online

The movie is currently not available onine

Director

Producted By

20th Century Fox

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Images

Reviews

HeadlinesExotic Boring
BeSummers Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.
Ava-Grace Willis Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.
Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
rhoda-9 The rest of the movie is pleasant/mediocre, but Adolphe Menjou's parody of John Barrymore is fantastic. As daring as it is accurate, it makes one feel almost guilty at enjoying it so much (the movie was kicking a man when he was down in lampooning Barrymore's drunken antics and publicly disintegrating marriage). Menjou doesn't just copy Barrymore's mannerisms but has conveyed his essential noble but impish spirit, and the fun he is having is contagious--the scene in the hotel room ends on a moment of inspired hilarity, as truthful as it is loony. This inspired impersonation had an ironic sequel: Four years later, Menjou played the Barrymore role in a remake (why?) of A Bill of Divorcement. That time he was not able to channel, in a serious way, the personality he had assumed so well in this film; it was a terrible performance.
TheLittleSongbird While not a great film, 'Sing Baby Sing' regardless has many pleasures, more so than caveats. Not one of my favourites when it comes to musicals and films, but there are also a million things worse with which to spend your time with.Getting the debits out of the way, the story is wafer-thin which would have been forgivable but it's also same-old-same-old and utter nonsense often. The Ritz Brothers' opening routine does go on too long, and while amazingly athletic it's not a sequence that burns in the memory forever and not as funny as it could have been. Ted Healy is wasted, with only his magic trick properly registering, due to the Ritz Brothers, Patsy Kelly and Gregory Ratoff having more to do and in the case of Kelly and Ratoff their material is broader.Had mixed feelings on the Ritz Brothers in their film debut. They are admittedly incredibly athletic and there are some very funny moments, however they are used too much, a couple of their scenes go on too long and disrupt the story's flow and they do tend to try too hard, which also makes some of their slapstick comedy annoying and overdone.On the other hand, Alice Faye is charm personified and sings sensually and beautifully in "You Turned the Tables on Me". Adolphe Menjou is also hilarious in a John Barrymore-inspired role, especially when quoting Shakespeare in a hospital. Kelly and Ratoff have broad comedy that could have been overplayed, bizarre or irritating, instead they have a ball with it and are lots of fun.Tony Martin turns up in a somewhat randomly placed but quite touchingly pleasant scene with him singing the film's best song (and all of them, while not timeless, are lovely with no obvious misfires) "When Did You Leave Heaven", which was also unsurprisingly Oscar-nominated. Brisk pacing and direction, elegant production values and a script that is not only funny and the right side of sweet but properly allows all involved to have fun with it and not hide behind.On the whole, 'Sing Baby Sing' may not be entirely heavenly, but it is also definitely not one to turn the tables on. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Kalaman "Sing, Baby, Sing" is a passable, sometimes alluring lightweight Fox musical starring Alice Faye, Gregory Ratoff, Patsy Kelly, Adolph Menjou, and introducing The Ritz Brothers. Faye is an aspiring singer/actress who becomes involved with a drunken Shakespearean actor Bruce Farraday(Menjou). Farraday becomes infatuated with Joan after seeing her one night in a nightclub. Joan's agent(Ratoff) sees this occasion as a way of advancing her showbiz career. Patsy Kelly provides good supporting role as Fiz, Joan's friend. The Ritz Brothers perform their often hilarious, often annoying shenanigans, interrupting the story for their routine comic acts. As the other user-comment has said, "Sing,Baby,Sing" is mainly for fans of Alice Faye. It is a good early role for Faye to shine and sparkle, but it is way below her best, most spirited musicals at Fox.
msladysoul This movie is for fans of Alice Faye and Patsy Kelly, and probably film collectors. The movie isn't the greatest, but every studio now and then makes films so actors and actresses have something to do. This movie is what you call a "B" movie. The singing of Alice Faye keeps you watching, the music and dancing is a most, especially if you wanna see how nightclubs, songs, dancing, and life was like in the mid-1930s. Patsy Kelly a great, forgotten comic, keeps you smiling and laughing with her quick one-liners and wisecracks. Patsy Kelly was a skilled, natural comic, she could give Lucille Ball, Martha Raye, Jean Arthur, June Allyson, Ann Sothern, and Carole Lombard a run for their money. All of them were great, but Patsy Kelly had a style of their own. She could also sing and dance. Their were many great female comics, more then men in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. Patsy Kelly is a treat.But, some of the forgotten men were The Ritz Brothers are a funny, dancing team, their what you call musical comedy. When Daryll Zanuck saw them in a nightclub he signed them quickly. Basically the movie is about Joan Warren-Alice Faye, who wants to make it, but she doesn't want to be something she's not to make it, but her agent will do anything, anything for her to make it, and while he's doing it they run into all kinds of "drama" but through it all the songs, music, dancing prevail. Great movie if you can catch it on tv.