On the Avenue

1937 "YOU DON'T CARE WHAT THEY DO...IF THEY'LL ONLY KEEP ON DOING IT -IT'S THAT KIND OF SHOW!"
6.7| 1h29m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 12 February 1937 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A new Broadway show starring Gary Blake shamelessly lampoons the rich Carraway family. To get her own back, daughter Mimi sets out to ensnare Blake, but the courtship is soon for real, to the annoyance of his co-star, hoofing chanteuese Mona Merrick.

Genre

Comedy, Music, Romance

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On the Avenue (1937) is currently not available on any services.

Director

Roy Del Ruth

Production Companies

20th Century Fox

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On the Avenue Audience Reviews

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.
ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.
KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
JohnHowardReid Songs: "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" (Powell, Faye ); "Slumming on Park Avenue" (Faye, Ritz Brothers, chorus); "He Ain't Got Rhythm" (Faye, Ritz Brothers, chorus); "You're Laughing At Me" (Powell); "The Girl on the Police Gazette" (Powell, Faye, chorus); "This Year's Kisses" (Faye); - all music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. "O Chi Chornia" (Ritz Brothers). Deleted songs: "On the Avenue", "Swing Sister", "On the Steps of Grant's Tomb". Western Electric Sound System. Associate producer: Gene Markey.Copyright 4 February 1937 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 4 February 1937. U.S. release: 12 February 1937. U.K. release: 29 July 1937. Australian release: December 1937. 7,950 feet. 88 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Famed as the movie that deleted its title song, what's left is the story of a beautiful heiress and her pompous father, who senselessly object to a satirical sketch of themselves in a Broadway show (thus giving the annoying show reams of free publicity).COMMENT: "On the Avenue" has a large number of good things going for it: Alice Faye, Madeleine Carroll, Dick Powell, George Barbier, Alan Mowbray, Sig Rumann, Billy Gilbert; Irving Berlin songs; a reasonably amusing story; 20th Century-Fox production values.On the other hand, it manages a number of big disappointments as well: Alice Faye, the Ritz Brothers, Stepin Fetchit; not enough Irving Berlin songs; a story that gets in the way; mediocre direction and (aside from the beautiful photography) lackluster technical credits.To take these problems one by one. I was disappointed that Alice Faye has so little to do in the story. In fact she disappears from the action completely for a long stretch. Even in her musical numbers she tends to play second fiddle to either Dick Powell or the Ritz Brothers. She's treated as a second cousin by the photographer and the director as well. It is Powell and Carroll who share the romantic limelight, whilst Powell has the best of the songs, including most of the budget and the most imaginative examples of the staging. It's clear that he was treated as number one by the studio (which is what we might expect, as he was loaned by Warners) with Miss Carroll coming in second, and Alice a distant third. What's more, she just isn't believable in an "other woman" role. No man in his right senses would pass up a genuine Faye for a synthetic Carroll. Not me, that's for sure! The Ritz Brothers are another of my pet hates. Yes, I know there are three of them: Al, Jim and Harry. But they're impossible to tell apart. That's one of the things I don't like about them, though my main objection is just the plain fact that they're just not funny. Hammy, yes. Funny, no. Stepin Fetchit. Although his character name is supposed to be Herman, Powell actually calls him "Step" on camera. A mistake typical of Roy Del Ruth's sloppy direction. Anyway I never was able to stand Mr. Fetchit, not even in the days before it became fashionable to object to his gross racism. Not enough songs. Too much story. Fortunately the songs we do have are pretty good. Or at least Powell's are. Though there is a neat fade- out reprise of "Slumming on Park Avenue" with all the leads (except for Barbier who is present but doesn't actually sing) joining in, including delightfully Sig Rumann. Still, for all the movie's disappointments, "The Girl on the Police Gazette" production number is such a wow, its stylish, no-expense- spared vivacity makes up for a lot. The hit song, "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", is entertaining too. OTHER VIEWS: Saddled with those obnoxiously raucous, hammily amorphous "comedians", the Ritz Brothers, who dare to lampoon Alice Faye of all people, "On the Avenue" is something less than the first-class Faye vehicle the credits promise. Alice is often pushed aside not only by the demands of the straight story in which plays little part but even by her singing co-star Dick Powell. All told, Miss Faye has a thankless role in which she of is given only a few opportunities to shine. Billy Gilbert makes more of an impression. So does Dewey Robinson. While we don't wish to take any glory away from these talented character players, we do wish the writers, the director and the producers had made more openings for Alice.
donofthedial Songs include : He Ain't Got Rhythm - This Year's Kisses - You're Laughing At Me - The Girl on the Police Gazette Slumming On Park Avenue - I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"On The Avenue" has been sitting on my video shelf for more than a dozen years - unwatched and overlooked. An oversight.In spite of one of the other reviews above, the film is hardly the cinema tragedy painted by that reviewer.Dick Powell, on loan out from Warner Brothers to Fox, Madeline Carroll and Alice Faye and The Ritz Brothers head an all star cast of Hollywood favorites - Joan Davis, Billy Gilbert, Alan Mowbray, Walter Catlett, George Barbier, Cora Witherspoon, Sig Ruman, Stepin Fetchit and others.The production values are quite high, though the story in uninspired. Beautiful crisp blacks and whites fill the screen. Half a dozen hit tunes - some still performed 70 years later - written by Irving Berlin. Both Powell and Faye are in top voice and each get their share of tunes to introduce.Alice Faye receives third billing under Powell and Carroll. This was likely one of the last times she would be billed as such - top stardom was right around the corner for her.The dance routines are very 1930s and staged, somewhat generically, by Seymour Felix - lots of chorus girls and big stages. Sadly, "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm", the most enduring song of the film, is kind of tossed away in a production number of modest proportions.The Ritz Brothers are an acquired taste, perhaps. They do have some better moments in the film, especially so in the opening number where they are less zany than in the rest of the film. Dance skills? Absolutely!Madeline Carroll is an attractive woman, but Alice Faye sings, dances and quietly radiant through-out the entire film.There are some amusing similarities between this film and "Hollywood Hotel" another Dick Powell from 1937 - both are show business stories, Powell gets slapped in the face in both films by a stuck up girl and uses the same facial expression both times, Powell escorts his female star around the circumference of an outdoor fountain at night in both films, Alan Mowbray also appears in both filmsIt's not a great film or a great musical, but it is as entertaining as many musicals of the era with it's greatest strengths being its score and its 2 top performers, Powell and Faye.
bkoganbing Alice Faye's movie career was just getting into high gear when she did this gem in 1937. The Irving Berlin score is among the best he ever wrote for the screen and Alice does well with Let's Go Slumming on Park Avenue and This Year's Kisses. The former is somewhat autobiographical for her as Alice Faye was brought up in Hell's Kitchen and she sings it against a Hell's Kitchen background.In her early career at 20th Century Fox, Darryl Zanuck had a problem with finding someone who could sing opposite her. The only one available on the lot was Don Ameche. Zanuck's number one leading man, Tyrone Power, was non-musical. So Zanuck had to reach out to his former employer, Jack Warner, to borrow Dick Powell to play opposite Faye. Ironically Powell got the hit song out of this film with I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm.The rest of the cast is top rate. Madeline Carroll plays a typical 1930s débutante and it's the antics of her family and actor-writer Dick Powell's satire of same that form the basis of the story. My two personal favorites of the supporting cast are George Barbier who always hits the right note as Madeline's perennially choleric father and Billy Gilbert who has a great bit as a diner owner.Wonderful film, great entertainment.
catfish-6 Alice Faye's singing is a real plus for this movie and Dick Powell sounds pretty good as well. The story is pretty terrible and predictable, but there are lots of good character actors along to help save the day. The dancing is great throughout, really well done. But it's really the Ritz Brothers I wanted to comment on. Is it only me or are they really not that funny? They are great dancers but the skits they performed were for the most part too slap stick for me to find amusing. Overall this movie is well worth seeing and hearing - the singing and dancing is great.