Watching this film reminded me of the story of Buster Keaton's descent as an actor/director/producer. His stock company was dissolved in the late 20s and he eventually went in "all softened up" with drink and signed a contract with MGM, who promised him the moon. He managed to make one great picture with them, "The Cameraman" before succumbing to MGM's comedy "machine." They surrounded him with "funny" producers, directors and production workers who ignored Buster's natural comedic genius. He became depressed, due to drink, personal problems and MGM's incompetence with comedy, to make one sad picture after another through the 30s and 40s, and even appeared drunk on film. MGM almost ruined his career, if it wasn't for a resurgence having to do with television and film in the 50s and 60s.
Before launching into my critique and utter confusion as to what the rest of the commentators found funny in Hollywood Party, I'd like to make an observation about comedies in general. They are very, very hard to make. That is why there are so very few memorable comedies. Many of them fall flat and are soon forgotten. In my opinion, there are less than 5 funny films that are truly funny per decade.
With that in mind, MGM's "comedy touch" is on full display with Hollywood Party. That is, they have none. Their comedy by committee, led by LB Mayer, falls incredibly flat here. That no director actually took credit for this excessive, putrid mess signals the genesis of the "Alan Smithee" idea.
It seems this film attempted to make a star out of Jimmy Durante by solely featuring him and his antics. He is very annoying. His Schnarzan one-joke character falls flat and like in the picture, the public (and the audience) quickly tires of his fake lions and what follows. Schnarzan, MGM's self-promoting spoof on its Tarzan series, turns out to be nothing but a dream...a sure sign of the producer throwing up his hands and copping out.
This Lollapalooza film with no comic material wastes talent like Laurel and Hardy and Ted Healy and The Three Stooges, although the L&H sequence with the ill-fated Lupe Velez was outstanding in comparison. Many have made light of an all-star cast but most of the cast was actually anonymous. A clip of Greta Garbo was thrown in to add star power...Marie Dressler and Joan Crawford were mentioned, but didn't appear in the film. The rest of the "stars" included Jack Pearl, Polly Moran, Charles Butterworth, Arthur Treacher and Robert Young.
The color Walt Disney short, The Choc-late Soldiers is well done but incredibly weird and sick. It has to do with a bunch of soldiers made out of chocolate going to war. In keeping with Disney's bizarre obsession with death and mayhem, many of them come back at the end of the short in a parade, many with broken off limbs.
I love comedies and especially films from the 30s. But this was an overblown stinker and it shows MGM's complete lack of a comedic touch.
Before launching into my critique and utter confusion as to what the rest of the commentators found funny in Hollywood Party, I'd like to make an observation about comedies in general. They are very, very hard to make. That is why there are so very few memorable comedies. Many of them fall flat and are soon forgotten. In my opinion, there are less than 5 funny films that are truly funny per decade.
With that in mind, MGM's "comedy touch" is on full display with Hollywood Party. That is, they have none. Their comedy by committee, led by LB Mayer, falls incredibly flat here. That no director actually took credit for this excessive, putrid mess signals the genesis of the "Alan Smithee" idea.
It seems this film attempted to make a star out of Jimmy Durante by solely featuring him and his antics. He is very annoying. His Schnarzan one-joke character falls flat and like in the picture, the public (and the audience) quickly tires of his fake lions and what follows. Schnarzan, MGM's self-promoting spoof on its Tarzan series, turns out to be nothing but a dream...a sure sign of the producer throwing up his hands and copping out.
This Lollapalooza film with no comic material wastes talent like Laurel and Hardy and Ted Healy and The Three Stooges, although the L&H sequence with the ill-fated Lupe Velez was outstanding in comparison. Many have made light of an all-star cast but most of the cast was actually anonymous. A clip of Greta Garbo was thrown in to add star power...Marie Dressler and Joan Crawford were mentioned, but didn't appear in the film. The rest of the "stars" included Jack Pearl, Polly Moran, Charles Butterworth, Arthur Treacher and Robert Young.
The color Walt Disney short, The Choc-late Soldiers is well done but incredibly weird and sick. It has to do with a bunch of soldiers made out of chocolate going to war. In keeping with Disney's bizarre obsession with death and mayhem, many of them come back at the end of the short in a parade, many with broken off limbs.
I love comedies and especially films from the 30s. But this was an overblown stinker and it shows MGM's complete lack of a comedic touch.