As her follow-up to "The Broadway Melody", Bessie Love was given a non-musical with a very musical title, and unfortunately, it ends up being a very dull experience. She's a young actress who keeps touring in productions of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" as Little Eva, and all of a sudden is replaced by her younger sister. Jealous Bessie turns her love around, gets sis sick on an overabundance of chocolates and in the middle of the performance, is more than willing to take over when the little girl gets sick. This sort of reverse "All About Eve" creaks along, becoming very difficult at time to retain interest, and certainly the leading character is very difficult to root for. Certainly, there is some reality in the historical sense, but today's audiences might find the references to the controversial "Uncle Tom's Cabin" to be quite offensive and dated. Other actors in the film do decent jobs (including several of her "Broadway Melody" co-stars) which makes this sort of a fascinating misfire, but watching Ms. Love's character get away with her plot is somewhat disturbing.
Review of The Girl in the Show
