Swing Your Lady ** (1938, Humphrey Bogart, Frank McHugh, Louise Fazenda, Penny Singleton, Nat Pendleton, Allen Jenkins) – Classic Movie Review 8003

Want to see Humphrey Bogart in a musical? Bogart stars in director Ray Enright’s 1938 Swing Your Lady as wrestling promoter Ed Hatch, who comes to the Ozarks and has a money-spinning idea: pit simple-minded giant Joe Skopapoulos aka ‘Hercules’ (Nat Pendleton) against lady hillbilly Amazonian blacksmith Sadie Horn (Louise Fazenda). Joe falls for Sadie, so he refuses to wrestle, but then Sadie’s boyfriend Noah (Daniel Boone Savage) turns up.

That is not much of an idea for a musical comedy, and this daft nonsense is not Bogart’s cup of tea at all, although no one could fault his professionalism. Penny Singleton from the Blondie series of films is much more in her element as his girlfriend Cookie and the Warner Bros stock company provide some jolly support. Ronald Reagan has a walk-on role as a journalist called Jack Miller.

The screenplay by Joseph Schrank and Maurice Leo is adapted from Kenyon Nicholson and Charles Robinson’s play.

The songs include ‘Mountain Swingaroo’, ‘Hillbilly from 10th Avenue’, ‘The Old Apple Tree’, ‘Dig Me a Grave in Missouri’ and the title number.

Also in the cast are Leon Weaver, Frank Weaver, June Weaver (billed as Elviry), Hugh O’Connell, Tommy Bupp, Sonny Bupp, Sue Moore, Olin Howland, Sammy White and Joan Howard.

With films like this, it began to look as though Humphrey Bogart would never become a star.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 8003

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