Self (archive footage)
Period music, film clips and newsreel footage combined into a visual exploration of the American entertainment industry during the Great Depression.
Herman
The goings on of a few members of a radio show's audience is the premise for this feature film derived from the popular ABC radio show of the 1940's. This film features Tom Breneman, the radio show's host, as well as Bonita Granville, Beulah Bondi, Zasu Pitts, Billie Burke and Hedda Hopper. Musical performances are provided by Nat King Cole and the King Cole Trio, along with Spike Jones and his City Slickers.
Hessian Col. / Von Heisel
Bill wants to join the Army, but he's 4F so he asks a wizard to help him, but the wizard has slight problems with his history knowlege, so he sends Bill everywhere in history, but not to WWII.
Kilian, City Hall Guard
In Prussia shoemaker Voight needs a residence permit to get a job, but can only get a job if he already has a permit. He dons a captain's uniform to order a platoon of soldiers to Koepenick to take over the Town Hall to get his permit.
Louis
Adolf Hitler, Benito and Suki Yaki are placed in a series of Three-Stooges routines, with the premise that the Board of Directors of Hell has put the Devil on notice they intend to replace him with Adolf Hitler unless he can get Hitler to commit a good deed. The devil has his work cut out for him, and doesn't appear likely to escape being replaced by the German leader.
The Ringmaster (voice)
Dumbo é um bebé elefante que nasceu com umas orelhas enormes. Um dia ele conhece Timóteo, um ratinho que mete medo à maioria dos elefantes do circo onde vive Dumbo. Ao contrário do que se podia esperar, o rato e o elefante acabam por se tornar amigos e, juntos, eles tornam-se as maiores atracções do circo. Usando suas orelhas, Dumbo faz o que nenhum outro elefante consegue: voar!
Market Keeper
In order to avoid an arranged marriage with a man she doesn't love, Sarah Millick runs off to Vienna with her music teacher, Carl Linden, whom she does love. They are married. In Vienna, they struggle to make a living by making music. Carl writes an operetta and tries to get it produced. They are helped along by Viennese Baron, but his intentions are not honorable. He kills Carl in a sword fight. A big producer does put on the operetta, with Sari in the lead -- but without her husband, it is a bittersweet victory.
Dutchman
When a waiter gives a society girl a public spanking for attending a Communist rally, her soup-tycoon uncle makes the waiter a vice-president of his company.
Silhouettist (uncredited)
Johnny Brett e King Shaw vêm tentando fazer sucesso como uma dupla de dança em Nova York. O produtor Bob Casey quer um novo parceiro para a estrela da dança Clare Bennett, ele escolhe Johnny, mas Brett acha que o produtor é um cobrador e diz que ele é King Shaw, que deve dinheiro. Devido a essa confusão o homem errado ganha o papel principal em um show da Broadway.
Oscar Engel
Bickering husband-and-wife stage stars are manipulated into a break-up for publicity purposes.
Von Hamburger (voice) (uncredited)
Daffy causes trouble on a Hollywood set.
Dommayer
Composer Johann Strauss risks his marriage over his infatuation with a beautiful singer.
Oscar Wittlesbach
A socialite dumps her fiancé on their wedding day and runs off with a saxophone player. Comedy.
Barber
A publicist falls for his most difficult client's daughter.
Mr. Polter
A businessman mingles with German laborers to learn more about their lives.
Monsieur Pepinard
American multi-millionaire Michael Brandon marries his eighth wife, Nicole, the daughter of a broken French Marquis. But she doesn't want to be only a number in the row of his ex-wives and starts her own strategy to tame him.
Von Giersdorff, aka Count Herman
We find con-man Ingraham Steward living by his wits by steering wealthy Paris visitors to sellers of fake paintings and other assorted dodges. He and his wife, Agatha, have been separated for 15 years, but he promises to give their daughter, Joyce, a lavish wedding at his "château" in France. The fact that he doesn't have a château in France is just a minor trifle. He induces the caretaker, Bill Cherau, of a large country estate to allow it to be used for the wedding. The wedding party arrives and Bill falls madly in love with Joyce and she with him, but a gal has gotta do what a gal has gotta do, and her intended marriage to stuffed-shirt Horace Miller stays on the books. But Steward has a change of heart and he tells one and all that he and his friends, Von Gersdorff, Lefevre, Iznamof, Clifton Summitt and Sasch, are all frauds and crooks. Horace and his family stalk out, which is just fine with Joyce as her true love, the caretaker, is waiting on the grounds.
A barber is mistaken for a rich society woman's new servant.
August Archipenko
An opera star's manager tries to stop her romance with a penniless singer.
Max Snellinek
n Vienna, a new jazz club featuring American trumpeter Buzzy Bellew threatens the existence of its neighbor, the Waltz Palace, run by Franz Strauss and featuring his granddaughter, singer Elsa. Smitten by Elsa, Buzzy hides his identity and association with the club -- whose owner intends to buy out the Palace property. When Elsa accidentally learns who Buzzy really is, it appears he may have to return to America alone.
"Hammy" Hammacher
Nikki Martin (Lily Pons), a beautiful French opera star, stows away on an ocean liner in hopes of escaping her jealous fiancee. Once aboard, she joins an American swing band and falls in love with its leader, who, after hearing her sing, eventually comes to reciprocate her feelings.
Herman
A fast-talking pitchman working the con-games on the streets, works himself up into an executive position of a large department store, with the aide of his shill, Mae. But the owner, Elmer Woods, of the department store has a blonde-beauty daughter, Peggy, who goes to work on him.
Otto
The story of an egotistical crime writer who gets involved with the case of a notorious art thief (who is believed to be dead) while at the same time romancing a lovely young actress who's in a play that also happens to be the cover for massive jewel job. Art connoisseur and criminologist George Melville is hired to track down art thieves, assisted by perky Claire Peyton and goaded by Phil Bane, the roaring newspaper editor who has employed him. The mastermind poses as a theatrical impresario and stages a war drama, replete with loud explosions, to divert attention from his band of thieves, who are cracking safes in a bank adjacent to the theater.
Dr. Rosenkrantz - Coroner
Dinner party guests become murder suspects when an extortionist they all hated turns up dead.
Pretzelberger
Princess is destined to marry the Emperor, until her sister steps in.
Fritz Schultz
Bonnie Brewster and "Packy" Campbell, rival reporters on competing newspapers, team up to put an end to a smuggling gang that brings illegal aliens to the United States, and then makes further victims of them by extortion payments. They go to Vancouver, Canada and board a ship carrying aliens. But the gang recognizes them as reporters and gang-henchmen Tony Scula (Ralf Harolde) and Ira Conklin take them off the ship. But Campbell recognizes Scula as the gunman who killed Carmen Zoro.
Costumer
O filme retrata a vida de Florenz Ziegfeld (William Powell), um dos maiores empresários do showbusiness norte-americano no começo do século XX. Incluindo seus casos com artistas de seus espetáculo, seu casamento com Anna Held (Luise Rainer) e a crise da década de 30.
Weisbecher
An Irish crooner flirts with prize-fighting.
Mr. Kluckmeyer, Tango Hosiery
Believing his wife to be unfaithful, a husband deserts her and his child. Destitute, the woman is forced to take a job as a tango dancer.
Mr. Daniells
Opera singer, Marie de Flor, seeks out fugitive brother in the Canadian wilderness. During her trek, she meets a Canadian mountie, Sgt. Bruce, who is also searching for her brother. Romance ensues, resulting in several love duets between the two.
Luigi
A radical campus group persuades student Carol Arlington to lead a protest of a college's football team. She manages to recruit Larry Davis, even though he is a star player for State's team.
Walter Merkin
An eccentric, wealthy spinster, 'Queenie' Baxter is erroneously presumed to be kidnapped. She subsequently pretends to indeed be kidnapped, , in order to allow a reward of $50,000 to benefit an impecunious family headed by Tony Orsatti and his three sons, Blackie, Doc and Flash.
Vanderbrocken
Two rich and wealthy millionaires who have a lot of money bet that reporter Wally Jones can't spend $720,000 in twelve hours.
Barber (uncredited)
A manicurist and an engaged loafer, both planning to marry money, meet and fall in love.
Mr. 'Stony' Stonehill
A father leaves his native Ireland and travels to America to visit the son he hasn't heard from in many years.
Taxi Driver
A whodunit set in Budapest, starring Edmund Lowe as a detective investigating the murder of an unemployed vaudeville actor.
Lionel Kunkel
A film star finds herself in trouble with her co-star when she has to flirt with the backer to prevent him from withdrawing his support.
Hans Bergenspitz (uncredited)
In this musical, a songwriter goes to court to claim the rights to his song that was stolen by an unscrupulous music publisher. He brings his girlfriend with him. Also going to court are the Jubilee singers, hillbillies, and some cowboys and Indians who demonstrate that the composer wrote his song by rearranging four folk tunes. He wins his song back and $50,000 in damages. Songs include: "Heading Home," "Roll Along Prairie Moon," "Tender Is the Night," "You're My Thrill," "I'm Bound for Heaven," and "The Army Band."
Sam
Jack Thornton has trouble winning enough at cards for the stake he needs to get to the Alaska gold fields. His luck changes when he pays $250 for Buck, a sled dog that is part wolf to keep him from being shot by an arrogant Englishman also headed for the Yukon. En route to the Yukon with Shorty Houlihan -- who spent time in jail for opening someone else's letter with a map of where gold is to be found -- Jack rescues a woman whose husband was the addressee of that letter. Buck helps Jack win a $1,000 bet to get the supplies he needs. And when Jack and Claire Blake pet Buck one night, fingers touch.
Joe Schmidt
Three young girls working in an agency have build a singing trio. They want to "lease" the Dictaphone of their boss to make a record of their singing, but they are caught and fired. When they are not able to pay their rent any longer, they decide to try it on an amateur contest at a radio station.
Professor Friedrich Wilhelm Gruber
Owen, a small time bookie, decides to open an insurance business as it involves lesser risk. His first client is Colonel Youngblood who insures his daughter, Marilyn, against marriage.
Mr. Sam Bromberg
A recently-fired advertising executive starts his own company, Confidential Services, to help clients solve their unusual and problematic situations.
Two bumbling detectives help a stage actress who has been receiving threatening letters.
Florist
At a Mexican resort, a fast-talking magazine editor woos the dancer he's trashed in print.
Sazarac the Magician
Thelma and Patsy get a job working for a magician.
Baker
A playwright descended from the Borgias family becomes a murder suspect.
Hans
Crime novelist Roger Blackwood competes with hotel house detective Andy McCabe in solving a murder by poisoning at a medical convention.
Nepomuk
Young Austrian Archduke Paul "Gustl" Gustave is in an arranged engagement but his uncle, the emperor, decides to let Gustl carry on a fling with ballet dancer Lisl Gluck.
Farmer Schultz
20th Century Fox's highly fabricated film biography of circus showman P. T. Barnum stars Wallace Beery (as Barnum), Virginia Bruce (as Jenny Lind), Janet Beecher and Adolphe Menjou. Released in 1934.
Zizipoff
A prince from a small kingdom courts a wealthy widow to keep her money in the country.
Dutchman Bidding $1.25 (uncredited)
Auctioneer Spot Cash Cutler is planning the scam of a lifetime, but will he get burned?
Himmelbaum
After Fred von Bergen, a German immigrant in America, is forced from his job by anti-German hysteria before the first world war, he and his friend Bob Wilson leave America and join the German air force. There, both men fall in love with ambulance driver Alida Hoffman. When America enters the war, Bob is caught between loyalty to his home country and the threat of execution for desertion and treason to Germany. It remains for his friend Fred to extricate him from the dilemma - but at what cost?
Bartender
Jerry Randolph is an inveterate and obnoxious practical joker. Things take a serious turn when it looks as though Jerry's latest prank has resulted in the death of his best friend.
Jake
Wounded criminal Lucky Wilson takes refuge in a small Connecticut farm. He falls in love with the farmer's daughter who at first is unaware of his criminal record. Lucky is fully prepared to shoot his way out when the cops come calling, but he is softened by the daughter's affections.
Vegetable Man
Mary Barrett is an aspiring opera singer who is taken under the wings of a famous operatic maestro, Guilio Monterverdi. After spending endless working hours together and arguing, their relationship develops into love. But, jealousy and misunderstandings prevent Mary and Guilio from acknowledging their true feelings.
Beard #1 (uncredited)
Produtor da Broadway treina uma ex-modelo de lingerie, para se tornar uma grande atriz, quando ela consegue eles começam um relacionamento. Mas o ciúmes dele acaba por desgastar a relação e ela decide ir embora pra Hollywood. Agora ela se tornou uma grande estrela de Hollywood e ele precisa da ajuda dela para retornar sua carreira em declínio.
Gustave
After having been swindled out of all their money by a crooked business manager, formerly wealthy socialites Jerry and Carol discover that they owe their chauffeur and maid back wages they are unable to pay. They're forced to let their former employees live in their luxury apartment in lieu of paying the money they owe them.
Adolph
Lee Tracy once again plays a Winchellesque newspaper reporter in Universal's I'll Tell the World. More interested in his sex life than his career, news hawk Brown nonetheless agrees to cover the activities of a European archduke on behalf of his wire service.
Wirt
It's love at first sight for singer John Craddock and Jane Blodgett who meet while John is seeking a radio job with the "Blodgett Dog Biscuit Hour," and John learns that the sponsor is Jane's father, Warren Blodgett, an avid souvenir and antiques collector. John gets himself in bad with Blodgett when he accidentally ruins a deal in which Blodgett was attempting to acquire a bedpost for his collection. To break up the romance, Blodgett and his wife take Jane to Switzerland, where Blodgett has his heart set on obtaining a jealously-guarded cowbell.
Prof. Kleinschmidt
Abandoned by her lover, a woman becomes the main "hostess" in a decadent nightclub, but tries to put her past behind her on a steamer to Mandalay.
Engles the Lodge Owner
Bill's wife insists that he get her a fur coat, and since he cannot afford to buy one, he goes on a hunting trip, hoping to capture some furs himself. Meanwhile, a temperamental actress, needing a rest for her nerves, has made plans to visit the same hunting lodge where Bill will be staying. They and several others meet at the lodge, resulting in chaos and confusion.
Waiter
An ambitious New York socialite plans an extravagant dinner party as her businessman husband, Oliver, contends with financial woes, causing a lot of tension between the couple. Meanwhile, their high-society friends and associates, including the gruff Dan Packard and his sultry spouse, Kitty, contend with their own entanglements, leading to revelations at the much-anticipated dinner.
Butcher Weighing Sausages
The title refers to the business of affable, ambitious bail bondsman (and politically-connected grifter) Bill Bailey, who, in the course of his work, crosses paths with every kind of offender there is, from first-time defendants to career criminals.
Prof. Glantz
Ruthless Coach Gore creates turmoil at a college by hiring players and alienating students. Along the way, the coach loses his wife Claire Gore to a grandstanding player. Inside look at college football of the 1930s replete with fake grades, non-student players, and the importance of football to a college's reputation.
Weininger
In a make-believe, mittleuropean kingdom, a vivacious but dim country girl sings in a beer garden for her rent money. Meanwhile, the king is facing bankruptcy for his little nation, unless he marries a rich but undesirable queen of another comic opera principality. Eventually he takes in the struggling young singer, and they fall in love, despite possible ruin.
Franklyn's Chauffeur (uncredited)
A young woman's ambitious boyfriend falls for a ditzy socialite.
Fralick
Um diretor da Broadway, vendo sua carreira em declínio, decide investir na criação de prólogos, pequenas apresentações musicais encenadas em cinemas antes dos filmes. Porém, os planos são atrapalhados por concorrentes que tentam roubar suas ideias. Sua grande chance ocorre quando seus produtores fazem um acordo com um eminente empresário teatral, mas para isso ele precisa correr contra o tempo para impressionar o homem. Entretanto, está tão envolvido com o seu trabalho que não percebe que sua secretária está apaixonada por ele.
Heinrich Mickelmeier
Bobby Clark and Paul McCullough fake the playing of a violin so they can go on the radio.
Max Herman
"In the Gay Nineties New York had grown up into bustles and balloon Sleeves ... but The Bowery had grown younger, louder and more rowdy until it was known as the 'Livest Mile on the face of the globe' ... the cradle of men who were later to be famous.
Sam, stage director
An elderly detective sets out to find who murdered a lecherous stage actor. His estranged wife? His would-be fiancee? Her father? Her boyfriend? A suicided actress's sister? The temperamental prop man? Or maybe the show's talented female chimpanzee?
Willy
Fast-talker extraordinaire Tracy gives one of his quintessential wiseguy performances as a conniving ambulance chaser who falls in love with Evans, unaware she's a special investigator for a streetcar company he's repeatedly victimized.
Schultz (Uncredited)
Gunner and Bucker are friends who work as riveters. Whenever Bucker gets the urge to marry, which is often, Gunner will hit on his girl to see if she is true or not. So far, Gunner hasn't failed. But one night, while Gunner is in jail, Bucker meets Mary, a tough dame with a line. He falls for her, and she falls for his money. But Mary is already a gal pal of Gunner, and no two know about the third one. The trouble starts when the triangle is revealed too late.
Swiss Postal Clerk (uncredited)
Henry é um oficial americano que, durante as batalhas da Primeira Guerra, é ferido em ação. Ele, então, recebe cuidados de uma enfermeira britânica e acaba apaixonando-se por ela. Para viver este amor, eles fogem dos horrores da guerra.
Pepi
Gifted German wrestler Polokai falls in love with ex-con Laura, who persuades him to emigrate to America and gets him involved with crooked promoters.
Professor Irving Finklestein (uncredited)
Although Vivian Revere is seemingly the most successful of a trio of reunited schoolmates, she throws it away by descending into a life of debauchery and drugs.
Barfly
Just prior to the outbreak of World War I, in the British West African town of Akkra, English woman Myra Carson becomes involved in a scandal and is deported. While Myra's ship is docked at Duala, in German West Africa, the war breaks out and she finds herself facing internment by the Germans.
E.F. McSorley
Linda Gault is a luxury loving wife who casually seduces other men while getting investment tips from one of her lovers.
First Waiter (uncredited)
An Indiana boy comes into an inheritance and moves to New York City, living it up with his girlfriend until he gets in over his head and someone gets killed.
Emil
A New York gossip columnist feuds with a singer and enjoys the power of the press.
Schwabacher, the Funeral Director (uncredited)
A policeman in need of money is persuaded to take a $1000 bribe to stay away the night a packing house is to be robbed.
Otto Hoopengarner, the Dutchman
A struggling writer divorces his wife to pursue his career without interference, but they meet in Europe years later after she has remarried.
Franz Odenheimer (uncredited)
Em 1845, em Paris, o cientista louco Dr. Mirakle sequestra mulheres jovens e as injeta com sangue de macaco para criar uma companheira para Erik, seu macaco falante de show secundário. Pierre Dupin, um jovem e ingênuo estudante de medicina e detetive, a noiva de Pierre, Camille L'Espanaye, e seus amigos Paul e Mignette, visitam o show secundário de Mirakle, onde expõem Erik. Tanto Mirakle quanto seu servo Janos estão encantados por Camille, que Mirakle planeja como companheira de Erik. Mirakle convida Camille para dar uma olhada em Erik, que agarra seu chapéu. Pierre tenta recuperar o capô, mas Erik tenta estrangulá-lo. Mirakle restringe Erik e se oferece para substituir o capô, mas Camille desconfia e reluta em dar seu endereço ao médico. Quando Pierre e Camille partem, Mirakle ordena que Janos os siga.
Fritz Tannenbaum
A gambler falls for a fake countess.
Train Conductor (uncredited)
Amanda and Elyot are one another's former spouse. Elyot remarries to Sibyl, Amanda weds Victor. Unexpectedly, both honeymooning couples arrive to a hotel on the same day and are put in rooms with adjoining terraces. Things go well until Amanda sees Elyot on the adjacent terrace.
A Creditor
An acclaimed actor and his equally acclaimed actress wife, who have been married for less than a year, are already showing signs of strain in their marriage. The actor believes his wife is capable of infidelity and sets out to prove this is so. Disguising himself as the kind of man he believes she fancies (a Russian military officer), the actor woos his wife while she believes her husband to be out of town.
Losseck
An aspiring classical singer is romanced by both a famous opera star and his younger understudy.
Larry - the Bartender (uncredited)
A young woman reunites with the father she's not seen since early childhood, also falls in love with a sailor who wishes to marry her, and eventually is forced to reveal to each man about her dark past. (NOTE: This is the German language version.)
Bing
Broadway actress leaves New York to become a star in Hollywood, and succeeds despite sleazy directors and her own ego.
German Director
Heir to a Balkan throne, Prince Nicholai falls in love with an American vocalist who is touring with an operetta company in Europe. When he makes known his intention to renounce his heritage and marry Mary Lou, his mother has him locked up and orders Mary Lou back to the United States.
Writer
A family saga in which three of a Bavarian widow's sons go to war for Germany and the fourth goes to America, Germany's eventual opponent.
Assistant Director
Seduzido por uma moça da cidade, um fazendeiro tenta afogar sua mulher, mas desiste no último momento. Esta foge para a cidade, mas ele a segue para provar o seu amor.
Streetcar Conductor (uncredited)
Seduzido por uma moça da cidade, um fazendeiro tenta afogar sua mulher, mas desiste no último momento. Esta foge para a cidade, mas ele a segue para provar o seu amor.