I just happened to turn on TCM this morning when it began this all-star cast in a movie musical I'd never heard of: STAGESTRUCK.
This in itself was unusual since I had prided myself on knowing all the musicals from this studio during the 30s and I was unaware this production even existed. But as the movie progressed, I began to understand why: this ramshackle production was a disaster on every level--from miscasting, to botched script development, to the zero musical flash that the studio's musical productions always created.
The starring role is that of Joan Blondell as a madcap heiress who produces a Broadway show using her own money. But Joan portrays her throughout as this eye-rolling, mocking, hyper nightmare creature who never for a moment comes across as believable. Her whole portrayal is cartoonish as if she's trying to do a parody of someone but completely goes overboard.
She really looks out of her depth and I can hear the director screaming at her: "Roll your eyes more! Give us more fake laughs and snide remarks." But the real killer is the casting of an unknown named Jeanne Madden, as the Broadway star wannabe. She looks drab, colorless and sings one number in a piercing voice and I read later that she was "discovered" by studio mogul Jack Warner. But after two more movies, she "retired" because she had all the movie sparkle of an old bagel.
Nothing in this movie works and everytime Joan or Jeanne Madden came on, I muted the sound. They made a cringe-worthy entertainment a disaster.
This is a real curiosity for fans of Warner Brother musicals. It'd be interesting to find out the backstory about the filming of this fiasaco and why so many bad choices were made in terms of casting, script and behind the scene chaos.
This in itself was unusual since I had prided myself on knowing all the musicals from this studio during the 30s and I was unaware this production even existed. But as the movie progressed, I began to understand why: this ramshackle production was a disaster on every level--from miscasting, to botched script development, to the zero musical flash that the studio's musical productions always created.
The starring role is that of Joan Blondell as a madcap heiress who produces a Broadway show using her own money. But Joan portrays her throughout as this eye-rolling, mocking, hyper nightmare creature who never for a moment comes across as believable. Her whole portrayal is cartoonish as if she's trying to do a parody of someone but completely goes overboard.
She really looks out of her depth and I can hear the director screaming at her: "Roll your eyes more! Give us more fake laughs and snide remarks." But the real killer is the casting of an unknown named Jeanne Madden, as the Broadway star wannabe. She looks drab, colorless and sings one number in a piercing voice and I read later that she was "discovered" by studio mogul Jack Warner. But after two more movies, she "retired" because she had all the movie sparkle of an old bagel.
Nothing in this movie works and everytime Joan or Jeanne Madden came on, I muted the sound. They made a cringe-worthy entertainment a disaster.
This is a real curiosity for fans of Warner Brother musicals. It'd be interesting to find out the backstory about the filming of this fiasaco and why so many bad choices were made in terms of casting, script and behind the scene chaos.