Swing High, Swing Low *** (1937, Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, Charles Butterworth, Jean Dixon, Dorothy Lamour) – Classic Movie Review 11,249

Paramount Pictures’ 1937 black and white romantic comedy drama movie Swing High, Swing Low stars Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray as entertainers in and out of love. 

Director Mitchell Leisen’s 1937 Paramount Pictures black and white romantic comedy drama movie Swing High, Swing Low stars Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray as entertainers in and out of love in a remake of the tearful 1929 backstage drama film The Dance of Life (with Hal Skelly and Nancy Carroll).

Lombard plays stranded in Panama hairdresser Maggie King, who moves in with ex-soldier Skid Johnson and they fall in love and marry, but part when he gets a Broadway job, and then divorce when she is jealous of his showgirl old flame Anita Alvarez (Dorothy Lamour). Can Fred win Carole back for a happy ending?

Swing High, Swing Low is immaculately made and attractively played, with the frothy stars finding the funny side of the yarn.

The screenplay by Virginia Van Upp and Oscar Hammerstein II is based on the popular George Manker Watters-Arthur Hopkins 1927 Broadway stage play Burlesque. It is remade as When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948) starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey.

Also in the cast are Charles Butterworth, Jean Dixon, Dorothy Lamour, Harvey Stephens, Franklin Pangborn, Anthony Quinn, Charles Judels, Harry Semels, Ricardo Mandia, Chris-Pin Martin, Charles Stevens and Lee Bowman.

The film entered the public domain in the US In 1965 as copyright was not renewed.

The crew are Mitchell Leisen director, Arthur Hornblow Jr producer, Boris Morros musical direction, Victor Young and Phil Boutelje compositions and arrangements, Al Siegel vocal supervision, Ted Tetzlaff photography, Farciot Edouart special photographic effects, and Ernst Fegté art director.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,249

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