Palmy Days
Palmy Days is a 1931 American Pre-Code musical comedy film written by Eddie Cantor, Morrie Ryskind, and David Freedman, directed by A. Edward Sutherland, and choreographed by Busby Berkeley (who makes a cameo appearance as a fortune teller). The film stars Eddie Cantor. The famed Goldwyn Girls make appearances during elaborate production numbers set in a gymnasium and a bakery ("Glorifying the American Doughnut"). Betty Grable, Paulette Goddard, Virginia Grey, and Toby Wing are among the bevy of chorines. George Raft had an early role.[3]
| Palmy Days | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | A. Edward Sutherland |
| Written by | Eddie Cantor Morrie Ryskind David Freedman |
| Produced by | Samuel Goldwyn |
| Starring | Eddie Cantor Charlotte Greenwood George Raft |
| Cinematography | Gregg Toland |
| Edited by | Sherman Todd |
| Music by | Harry Akst |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date | October 3, 1931 |
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,601,000[1][2] |
Plot
Eddie Simpson's family bakery/restaurant grows into a huge success; thanks to Simpsons's entertainment shows and a fortune-telling booth run by the mysterious Yolando.
When Simpson discovers the fortune-teller is running a racket that cheats people out of their savings; Yolando and his henchman do their best to dispose of him by feeding him into one of the large bakery ovens. However, their efforts fail.
Cast (in credits order)
- Charlotte Greenwood as Helen Martin
- Barbara Weeks as Joan Clark
- Spencer Charters as Mr Clark
- Paul Page as Steve
- Charles Middleton as Yolando
- George Raft as Joe – Yolando's Henchman
- Harry Woods as Yolando's Henchman
- Eddie Cantor as Eddie Simpson
Music
Cantor's major musical numbers are "My Baby Said Yes, Yes" and "There's Nothing Too Good For My Baby".
Reception
The film was one of the most popular movies of the year.[4]
New York Times movie critic Mordaunt Hall, described Palmy Days as "a more or less funny diatribe" with "two or three inconsequential melodies and a great deal to gaze, including pretty damsels from the Pacific Coast and effectively photographed groups of dancers."[5]
Product placement
Brand-name products rarely appeared in movies of this period, partly because of the campaign against that practice by the motion picture trade periodical Harrison's Reports. In an editorial, that publication reported the on-screen appearance of an Underwood Typewriter and product of Continental Baking Company.[6]
See also
References
- Quigley Publishing Company "The All Time Best Sellers", International Motion Picture Almanac 1937-38 (1938) (pg. 942); accessed April 19, 2014
- "WHICH CINEMA FILMS HAVE EARNED THE MOST MONEY SINCE 1914?". The Argus. Melbourne. March 4, 1944. p. 3 Supplement: The Argus Weekend magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- Vagg, Stephen (February 9, 2020). "Why Stars Stop Being Stars: George Raft". Filmink.
- Everett Aaker, The Films of George Raft, McFarland & Company, 2013 p 18
- New York Times, Movie Review, "Palmy Days (1931) The Screen; A Frolic, With Mr. Cantor" September 24, 1931
- Harrison's Reports November 28, 1931, page 189