Varsity Show (1937)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

William Keighley

Writers:

Warren Duff (original story) and
Sig Herzig (original story) ...

Release Date:

4 September 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Tagline:

See college life in the RAH!

Plot:

Winfield College students who are trying to put together the annual varsity show come into conflict with their faculty adviser...

Plot Keywords:

Professor | College Student | College | Theatrical Producer | Singer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Dick Powell	...	Charles 'Chuck' Daly
Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians	...	Themselves
Ted Healy	...	William 'Willy' Williams
Rosemary Lane	...	Barbara 'Babs' Steward
Priscilla Lane	...	Betty Bradley
Walter Catlett	...	Prof. Sylvester Biddle
Johnnie Davis	...	Buzz Bolton (as Johnny Davis)
Ford Washington Lee	...	Buck (as Buck)
John William Sublett	...	Bubbles (as Bubbles)
Fred Waring	...	Mr. Ernie Mason (as Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians)
Sterling Holloway	...	Trout
Mabel Todd	...	Cuddles
Scotty Bates	...	Scotty
George MacFarland	...	Hap
Poley McClintock	...	Poley

Runtime:

120 min | USA:80 min (Turner library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #3393)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Priscilla Lane's film debut.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Have You Got Any Castles? (1938)

Soundtrack:

Have You Got Any Castles, Baby?

Return to Winfield College

VARSITY SHOW (Warner Brothers, 1937), directed by William Keighley, is a college campus musical, in fact, Warners' only contribution to the college musical of the 1930s. Originally distributed in theaters at nearly two hours in length, current prints, whether it be from commercial television or cable's Turner Classic Movies, where this movie can be seen occasionally, runs at a shorter length of 79 minutes. Because the two hour version hasn't been available for viewing in quite some time, with the possibility that the missing 40 minutes worth of footage might be lost, this review is be taken on the basis from the shorter print.

The story begins with Ernie Mason (Fred Waring) and his fellow students of Winfield College rehearsing for the upcoming annual varsity show. Ernie, assistant to Professor Sylvester Biddle (Walter Catlett), the faculty adviser, finds he and the students aren't being given the freedom they need to put on a successful show. Biddle insists the show be done his way or none at all, in spite that his ideas are out-of-date and his refusal to allow swing music as part of the score. Janitors Buck and Bubbles come up with an idea in hiring Charles "Chuck" Daly (Dick Powell), a former alumnus now a successful Broadway producer, to help direct the show. Betty Bradley (Priscilla Lane), Buzz Bolton (Johnnie Davis), Johnny "Rubberlegs" Stevens (Lee Dixon) and Trout (Sterling Holloway) volunteer in coming to New York City to locate Daly. At first Daly refuses, but because Daly has just closed his latest Broadway flop (his third in a row), he and his assistant, William W. Williams (Ted Healy) decide to return to Winfield College where they not only agree to help direct the varsity show, but become part of the fraternity by staying in the dormitory run by Mrs. Smith (Emma Dunn), as well as finding themselves suitable love partners, Daly with Barbara Steward (Rosemary Lane) and gravel voice Williams with Cuddles (Mabel Todd), a buck-tooth, bespectacled blonde with a very peculiar laugh.

With the music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer and Richard Whiting, the good selection of songs from the 79 minute print includes: "The Varsity Show's Rehearsing Today at Three O'Clock" (sung by cast); "Old King Cole" (sung by Johnnie Davis); "We're Working Our Way Through College" (sung by Dick Powell); "I'm Dependable" (sung by Priscilla Lane and Fred Waring/ written by Tom Waring and Don Raye); "On With the Dance" (sung by Rosemary Lane); "You Got Something There" (sung by Dick Powell and Rosemary Lane); Tap dance solo act performed by Buck and Bubbles; "Have You Got Any Castles, Baby?" (sung by Priscilla Lane); "Love Is on the Air Tonight" (sung by Buck and Bubbles); "Have You Got Any Castles, Baby?" (tap dance by Buck and Bubbles); "On With the Dance" (sung by Buck and Bubbles); "Old King Cole" (sung by Johnnie Davis); "On With the Dance" (reprise); "You Got Something There" and "Love Is On the Air Tonight." If one looks very closely to the opening credits and to the list of songs, one tune, "Little Fraternity Pin," is listed but not heard in VARSITY SHOW.

As much the story may be as predictable as the latter day Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland lets-put-on-a-show musical theme at MGM, with majority of songs produced in this production were popular then and forgotten now, VARSITY SHOW is highlighted by a very memorable college finale, choreographed by Busby Berkeley, that was nominated for an Academy Award for best dance direction, but no win. While in recent years Berkeley seemed to have abandoned his famous overhead camera shots with chorus girls forming geometric figures, VARSITY SHOW demonstrates Berkeley's true ability of how he can still master in staging a great dance number. With Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians orchestrating the finale, the real show stopper centers upon a fellow co-ed throwing a football several times across the stage towards a group of students, forming themselves into letters of well known universities ranging from Yale, Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Stanford, among others. All these letters are used with color tiles with the underscoring to just about every familiar college song imaginable. It's a production number well worth viewing which makes up for whatever weakness the movie itself may have. Buck and Bubbles shouldn't go unnoticed. They also contribute to several good dance routines, not in the more effective and faster style of the Nicholas Brothers of 20th Century-Fox musicals, but a routine all their own.

The supporting cast includes: Halliwell Hobbes as Dean J.M. Meredith; Edward Brophy as Mike "Curly" Barclay; Ben Weldon, Robert Homans and Tom Kennedy. Lee Dixon, who was becoming a familiar face in the Warners musical beginning with GOLD DIGGERS OF 1937 (1936), followed by taking second billing opposite Ruby Keeler in READY, WILLING AND ABLE (1937), and co-starring opposite Dick Powell in THE SINGING MARINE (1937), makes his final bow in VARSITY SHOW. In the shorter print, he not only has very little to do (he probably had more acting and tap dancing opportunity in the two hour version), but was reduced to thirteenth billing in the closing cast credits. He would later score in the Broadway musical, OKLAHOMA (1943), and appear one more time on screen in the western drama, ANGEL AND THE BAD MAN (Republic, 1946), opposite John Wayne. Dixon died in 1953.

VARSITY SHOW at present is a short but pleasing musical with a bright score. (One can hope that some day TCM will present the restored two hour version and abandoned the chopped up copy). Dick Powell, along with Ted Healy, Rosemary Lane, Johnnie Davis and Mabel Todd would reunite again in another large scale Warners musical, Hollywood HOTEL (1937), directed in its entirety by Busby Berkeley, with the introduction to the hit tune of "Hooray for Hollywood," but the lack of a great musical finale as presented in VARSITY SHOW. Rah! Rah! Rah! (***1/2)