Looks like they made this film after seeing "Showboat", perhaps while in a drunken haze. I think there was a silent version prior to the classic 1936 one.
Granted this short film was written and produced in a drunken haze and is an incredible mismatching of contradictory styles ripping off "Show Boat", here is another element to add to the equation: In 1894, Jules Massenet penned a one-act sequel to his monumentally popular 1884 opera "Manon" (which would later itself inspire the convent scene in "Show Boat"). The work received its United States premiere at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on 13 December 1897.
Masks and Memories (1934)** 1/2 (out of 4) Three-reel film from Warner shows off some of their lesser known Musical acts. There's no question that this was inspired by the 1929 SHOW BOAT but one also wonders what impact this short might have had on the 1936 version considering Queenie Smith has a part here and of course would be featured in the wonderful James Whale version.
The trite plot in this three-reel musical is just an excuse to showcase the talents of five lesser-known players, including Lillian Roth and Queenie Smith. Although Roth is more famous now because of her story in "I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955)," and she is billed above the title here, it is Smith who steals this movie with her two numbers: the jazzy "The Day That I Bust Through" and the bouncy "I Can Do Most Anything," a duet she does with Jack Good.
. .
. .
I'm always curious about these little trifles from the thirties. Often the studios have an expensive production number that was cut from a feature for one reason or another.
Annual Mardi Gras celebrations are in full swing for brunette singer Lillian Roth (as Julie) and boyfriend Weldon Heyburn (as Bob). They take a break from the festivities and visit his reclusive old uncle George Houston (as Andy).
