The Duke Is Tops (1938)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

William L. Nolte

Writer:

Phil Dunham (writer)

Release Date:

1 September 1938 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Plot:

A theatrical producer puts aside his own success to boost the career of a talented singer.

Plot Keywords:

Medicine Show | Theatrical Producer | Singer | Fraud | Theatrical Backer

Cast

Ralph Cooper	...	Duke Davis
Lena Horne	...	Ethel Andrews
Laurence Criner	...	Doc Dorando (as Lawrence Criner)
Monte Hawley	...	George Marshall
Willie Covan	...	Specialty Tap Dancer
Neva Peoples	...	Ella
Vernon McCalla	...	Mason (as Vernon McCallum)
Edward Thompson	...	Ferdie Fenton
Johnny Taylor	...	Dippy, 'Prince Alakazoo'
Ray Martin	...	Joe
Guernsey Morrow	...	Ed. Lake (as Guersney Morrow)
Charles Hawkins	...	Sam, the Stage Manager (as Charlie Hawkins)
Basin Street Boys	...	Speciality
Rubberneck Holmes	...	Specialty (as Rubber Neck Holmes)
Cats and the Fiddle	...	Speciality
Marie Bryant	...	Specialty
Swing Band Harlemania Orchestra	...	Speciality
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Everett Brown	...	Sheriff
Arthur Ray	...	Druggist
Mildred Boyd	...	Chorus Girl / Dancer (uncredited)
Joel Fluellen	...	Tonic customer (uncredited)
Louise Franklin	...	Chorus Girl / Dancer (uncredited)
Avanelle Harris	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Lillian Randolph	...	Woman With Sciatica (uncredited) (unconfirmed)

Directed by
William L. Nolte		(as William Nolte)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Phil Dunham		writer

Produced by
Leo C. Popkin	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Harvey Brooks
Ben Ellison

Cinematography by
Robert E. Cline		(as Robert Cline)
J. Henry Kruse		(as Henry Kruse)

Film Editing by
Alice Greenwood

Production Management
Ralph Cooper	....	production manager
Walter Buck Jones	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herman E. Webber	....	assistant director (as Herman Webber)

Art Department
Vin Taylor	....	set designer

Sound Department
Glen Glenn	....	sound (as Glen Glen)

Editorial Department
Arthur A. Brooks	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Lou Frohman	....	musical director
Phil Moore	....	music arranger

Other crew
Lew Crawford	....	ensemble numbers
Halley Harding	....	supervisor
Harry M. Popkin	....	presenter

Production Companies

• Million Dollar Productions

Distributors

• Million Dollar Productions (1938) (USA) (theatrical) (states rights system)
• Norman Distributing Company (1938) (USA) (theatrical) (USA: Southeast)
• Toddy Pictures Co. (1941) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Xenon Entertainment Group (1994) (USA) (VHS)
• Facets Multimedia Distribution (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Ryko Distribution (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (VHS)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Passport Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (1996) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

The Bronze Venus (USA) (reissue title)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #4215)

Company:

Million Dollar Productions

Trivia:

Lena Horne did not attend the June, 1938 NAACP charity premiere in Pittsburgh because she was not paid for her work.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Strange Frame: Love & Sax (2009)

Soundtrack:

Don't Let Our Love Song Turn Into A Blues

Nickel and dime musical

Black cinema has done far better than this. Even allowing for the constraints imposed by a low budget, there is very little here of entertainment value. The story lacks originality, the acting is stiff and self-conscious, the direction devoid of imagination. A half-dozen "specialty" acts are no better than passable; a very young Lena Horne had yet to develop her star qualities. The chorus girls' costumes looked suspiciously familiar (Warner Brothers?), and the two or three steps they learned for their routines have likewise been seen elsewhere. I hope the price of admission was cut-rate, too. Otherwise, the audience was short-changed.