William A. Seiter
Written by Marion Dix and Laird Doyle from a story by Aben Kandel
1934/US
RKO Radio Pictures
IMDb page
First viewing/Criterion Channel
T. Fenny Sylvester: Go on! Scram out of here before I run a temperature. I got an appointment to see some gentlemen.
Ruby: You’ve only seen 12 gentlemen in your life – they was on a jury.
I eased back into movie watching with something from the June Criterion Channel Screwball Comedy collection, William A Seiter, “Sing and Like It (1934). It’s a bargain budget B-movie from RKO featuring a wonderful cast made up of character actors.
Nat Pendleton is a very wealthy mob boss. He is married to Pert Kelton who is bored out of her mind and wants to go on the stage. Nat is a homebody and forbids this.
Zasu Pitts has the same aims without Kelton’s beauty or possible talent. Zasu’s speciality is a sentimental song titled “Your Mother”. This brings to tears and he uses his muscle to get Zasu a Broadway gig. With Ned Sparks, Edward Everett Horton and John Qualen.
This certainly was not a laugh riot. My favorite parts were with Zasu Pitts. The deadpan way she sings that song is absolutely priceless.
It was Nat Pendleton who was the mob boss, not Lyle Talbot. It was great to see Zasu Pitts and Nat Pendleton in starring roles for a change. And also the tremendous supporting cast like Ned Sparks (hos droll self), Edward Everett Horton and John Qualen.
How right you are! Made a bunch of changes.