Sing and Like It (1934)

Sing and Like It
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.