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The door above is the unglamorous entry to the treasure trove that is the UCLA Film and TV Archives. Hidden down a flight of stairs at the UCLA Library, and almost impossible to locate on a map, the archives are home to some of the oldest films in America. In June, I was fortunate to visit the archives and watch two films from my list. First up was the much anticipated Close Harmony. Unfortunately, the image is often fuzzy and moves in and out of the screen, and there is a constant buzzing in the soundtrack. This poor quality explains why Close Harmony has not been transferred to dvd for public consumption. For film buffs, and indeed movie musical lovers, this is a real shame, because beyond these time-induced flaws Close Harmony is a great film.
As mentioned in an earlier post, Close Harmony is about a talented musician, Al West, trying to get a break in vaudeville. There are the usual backstage shenanigans, love interests, and plenty of chorus-girls in tiny shorts. The music is mostly diagetic (a part of the scenic action), and in an exciting progression from earlier films, we hear off-screen dialogue and sound effects. The script writing is tight and sassy, with great one-liners and innuendos. There is a wonderful chemistry between Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Nancy Carroll, and their fame at the time is understandable. The supporting characters are similarly strong. Harry Green, playing the opportunistic producer, is a great comic relief with fast-paced dialogue, and plenty of quirky physical humour.
With floppy arms and loose legs, the choreography appears sloppy. But the fast-paced and tight jazz music more than makes up for the loose choreography. The music for the most part is diagetic, however each number is still in the context of a performance rather than the action itself. The song “I’m all a twitter” is a performance by Al West’s band at the Babylon Club, however could easily have worked in the scene before where Al professes his love for Marjorie. In these early years of the movie musical, characters did not just break out into song when emotions became too strong, though the songs they sing in performance do reflect their feelings.
Overall, a really wonderful film. Dramatic, fun, and humorous... Everything a good movie musical ought to be!
As mentioned in an earlier post, Close Harmony is about a talented musician, Al West, trying to get a break in vaudeville. There are the usual backstage shenanigans, love interests, and plenty of chorus-girls in tiny shorts. The music is mostly diagetic (a part of the scenic action), and in an exciting progression from earlier films, we hear off-screen dialogue and sound effects. The script writing is tight and sassy, with great one-liners and innuendos. There is a wonderful chemistry between Charles “Buddy” Rogers and Nancy Carroll, and their fame at the time is understandable. The supporting characters are similarly strong. Harry Green, playing the opportunistic producer, is a great comic relief with fast-paced dialogue, and plenty of quirky physical humour.
With floppy arms and loose legs, the choreography appears sloppy. But the fast-paced and tight jazz music more than makes up for the loose choreography. The music for the most part is diagetic, however each number is still in the context of a performance rather than the action itself. The song “I’m all a twitter” is a performance by Al West’s band at the Babylon Club, however could easily have worked in the scene before where Al professes his love for Marjorie. In these early years of the movie musical, characters did not just break out into song when emotions became too strong, though the songs they sing in performance do reflect their feelings.
Overall, a really wonderful film. Dramatic, fun, and humorous... Everything a good movie musical ought to be!
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