carson1812

Jane Frazee, huh? Well, who'd have thought the Prelinger site would ever get around to some of the neatest little fillers available? Johnny Downes, Jane, Donald O'Connor ( I live in hope)a few of the names that took the sting from the expression B Movies. Okay so the memory plays tricks, all that used to glisten wasn't, etc, me I just sat back and enjoyed the unexpected treat. If there was ever a fault it was the fact that few, if any, of this kind of 'musical' ever featured material likely to have a life outside of the actual movie. Reams of songs which rarely appeared on a disc so that after watching 'Calendar Girl' you probably left the cinema whistling something from 'Show Boat'. Still a treat to see it, though.

So Rick Prelinger's been down the chimney again with that big sack of his - and the third of the Bobby Breen movies. Quite apart from the fairly revolutionary - for its time - Amish background,familiar faces such as Charlie Ruggles or Dolores Costello can only be plusses in what is a fairly typical typical Breen opus. Where it verges off to the left, in a major way, is the addition of child skating prodigy Irene Dare. If you were tight lipped over the lubricous exploitation of the infant Shirley Temple, well, you ain't seen nothing. I first watched the movie two years ago and spent the intervening period wondering how it ever snuk past the Mothers Of America - seeing it again has me wondering anew. Some nice little songs, Bobby's always professional and cheery disposition when under fire - keep them coming Rick and more power to your projector.

A younger, cuter Bobby than seen in the already available 'ESCAPE TO PARADISE', so all due thanks to the Perlinger Archive. Caught up, as usual, in a paper-thin storyline, Master Breen continues to cope well enough to emerge as that rare commodity, a likable moppet who fills his role in a delightfully natural way. A pre-Pearl Harbor Japanese bad guy is as tense as the drama ever gets but there are a couple of decent songs which almost survive the IL' missing frame caper. One thing about the Breen movies, money and time WERE spent on the musical side of things - and it shows. Despite this, the Archive is doing more to keep the 30's and alive than any other single source so, as an important part of that decade, this earns its place on any 30's listing.

I wonder if Rick realises what he's made possible here - and how many Archive users will hurry past 'ESCAPE TO PARADISE', unaware they're watching the fading moments of a genuine phenomenon.One more dumb movie ('JOHNNY DOUGHBOY')and that, by and large, would be it for child star Bobby Breen. In this fairly beat up copy - none of the Breen films left extant are less than raddled - the boy is on the brink of his first encounter with a razor, he's moved from cherub to gangly teenager and we can understand why he never made it past puberty yet the all too brief version of 'Jurame' remains high among the most meaningful love songs ever recorded. 30 plus Eddie Cantor shows from the mid 30's give a clearer view of what made this kid so unique and while 'ESCAPE' will be an unknown to the vast majority, it should be treated as a repositary of a rare talent in very much the same way as the junk featuring Elvis Presley is. With any luck, Rick has some of the others stashed away so prepare to ignore the plot and regard the talent. If any name from the 30's deserves to be back up in lights on some reputable label, this is most likely it.