Product Description

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 09/16/2008

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48837 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-09-16
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 80 minutes

Customer Reviews

there's enough fluff here to make it actually work
Varsity Show may not be the best movie musical ever made; but it's much better than I anticipated. The plot moves along very well and the acting is convincing. There are several cute, catchy musical numbers and it's a real treat to see Fred Waring And His Pennsylvanians in this picture. Busby Berkeley gives us a finale proving his superlative skill as a choreographer.

The action starts when Winfield College is putting on their annual show--but it is being severely hampered by stuffy Professor Sylvester Biddle (Walter Catlett). Biddle will not allow what was then modern swing music in the show; and the result is that the performance is going to be boring with students who are demoralized. Even Ernie Mason (Fred Waring), the faculty member closely supervising the kids and their show, just doesn't have enough clout to change Professor Biddle's mind.

The students, including Barbara 'Babs' Steward (Rosemary Lane), Betty Bradley (Priscilla Lane) and Cuddles (Mabel Todd), decide to call on Winfield College alumnus and Broadway producer/star Chuck Daly (Dick Powell) to help them in their hour of need. They hope that maybe Daly can use his influence to change Biddle's mind and make the show much better. Daly takes along his sidekick Willy (Ted Healy) when he leaves Manhattan for Winfield College. Unfortunately, what the college kids don't know is that Daly has hit on hard times and that he's considered a "wash-up."

Daly's tries to help the kids but he fails when he goes up against the school board. Daly strikes up a romance with "Babs" but he and Willy return to New York. The college kids come up with the idea to take their show to New York where they can put it on free of Professor Biddle--and prove that Chuck Daly is still a star after all!

Questions still linger, though: Will the kids from Winfield College be able to fight off the New York City theater owner--and law enforcement--when they are being forced out of the theater for not paying the bill? What will happen to Chuck Daly's romance with Babs after he leaves Winfield College to return to New York? Will Chuck Daly be able to regain fame and fortune to be a star again? Watch the movie and find out!

The song and dance routines are not bad at all, actually. One of my favorites is "I'm Working My Way Through College" which is at the beginning of the film; and the elaborate song and dance routine at the end showcases Busby Berkeley's talents as one of the best choreographers the world has ever seen. Look also for some wonderful dancing and singing by John Bubbles and his partner Ford Washington Lee; they play two maintenance men at the college. Their roles are embarrassingly outdated but their song and dance work still shines bright!

The DVD comes with two good Vitaphone shorts: A Neckin' Party and the 1938 Merrie Melodies cartoon entitled Have You Got Any Castles?

Varsity Show is not a film to toss aside and forget. Sure, it's fluffy; but then again there are times when a light fluffy musical comes in rather handy. I recommend this picture for picking up your spirits on a dark and dreary day.

Ol' King Cole Had a Merry Old Soul
Winfield College is putting on their annual production, but this year their director is really bringing them down. Instead of a fun, modern show, he is forcing them to perform in a play with no laughs and outdated music. A group of kids decide to enlist the help of a former student who has made it big on the Great White Way. Chuck Daly (Dick Powell) has fallen on hard times, and his partner (Ted Healy) forces him to accept the $1000 offered him to fix the college musical. Once there, he realizes usurping the faculty will be much harder than he expected. But that suits him just fine; there is a pretty girl (Rosemary Lane) occupying his time.

Powell and Lane do not have great chemistry together so the love story is quite thin. The plot leaves something to be desired as well, but it isn't the story that makes this film enjoyable; it's the music. The romantic melody "You've Got Something There" is staged simply, but with the lovely lyrics, this is appropriate. "We're Working Our Way Through College" is done simply as well, although the moving camera makes it seem more complex than it actually is. The song is peppy and funny, the perfect college song. "Have You Got Any Castles, Baby" is a very dancable tune which was made into a Merry Melodies short included on this disk. The real showstopper of the film, though, is the grand finale which features several different school songs the formations of the college letters. This number is simultaneously impressive and timeless.

Unfortunately, this print is considerably shorter than the original film which runs for two hours. Perhaps this version of the film was too deteriorated to be considered appropriate for release. There are several spots in this film that appear to have been neglected, so the film quality is not entirely consistent. Still, it is in much better condition than some films of the early 30s, so perhaps it is best not to complain too much. After all, it could be worse; at least the film is available now for viewing.

Fluff but cute fluff
The film is very light weight but still enjoyable. The iambic pentameter opening seems very dated. However Dick Powell does a reasonable job. Fred Waring the and Pennsylvanians are in fine voice and the dance numbers still work. The finale is very cute -- particularly as the various levels of law enforcement come into the theater and end up watching the show. Look at the college hazing -- now mostly a thing of the past, curfews, the old cars -- driving to NYC instead of taking the train (at least for the college kids). Most people who buy the DVD will probably watch this film more than once