Dixiana (1930) User Reviews

Early musical is an okay film thats better in parts than as a whole.

[dbborroughs · 5/10 · 8 January 2006]

Wheeler and Woolsey musical comedy set in the pre-Civil War South is a mixed bag. The comedy duo are not the "stars" of the picture, rather that is Bebe Daniels. Wheeler and Woolsey are instead the comic relief and they do a good job of creating laughs. The plot concerns the pair attempting to make sure that the wedding of their sister goes off with out a hitch. Its a big scale musical of the kind they don't make any more.

The film is based on a Broadway show and while it is suitably spectacular at times it suffers from the problem many films of the time suffered from and that is an uncertainty of camera usage. Because of the sound equipment was noisy and large directors and studios were still struggling with how to shoot scenes or move a camera, here the camera is either moving nicely or painfully nailed down. Its a tough slog. Then again the film's operetta style music is really not my cup of tea.

If you like musicals its worth a try, especially if you're interested in the history of movie musicals.

(I do have to say that rarely have I ever felt a movie recreated a bygone era as well as this film does. Hollywood flourishes aside this film really does feel as if you're watching something from long ago in the deep south)

An odd little film that grows on you

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 27 March 2010]

I had never seen the comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey before I saw this movie, and at the very least they are an acquired taste. They were a successful Broadway act that actually helped save RKO from bankruptcy during the Great Depression, but quickly plummeted in popularity after the production code came into effect in 1934 because of their heavy reliance on risqué humor.

Wheeler plays the wide-eyed innocent to the more caustic Woolsey, whose manner is very reminiscent of George Burns. "Dixiana" is basically a musical drama played out in the pre-Civil War south with comedy bits by Wheeler and Woolsey interspersed with the dramatic storyline. The problem is, this movie is just not big enough for the two of them. Wheeler and Woolsey's comedy really has nothing to do with the dramatic storyline, and the dramatic storyline is totally divorced from Wheeler and Woolsey's characters. The funny thing is, this formula worked fabulously in the previous year's "Rio Rita". A large part of that might have been that the male romantic lead in Rio Rita was played by the much more dashing and effective John Boles versus Everett Marshall in this film. Also, Wheeler and Woolsey were given much better comic material in Rio Rita than they were in this film.

This film has fallen into the public domain, and I have seen both a public domain version and the restored Roan version. Scenes have been cut from the public domain versions that cause the film to not make sense at some points. For example, in the public domain version, there is a scene where the villain says he had something to do with rigging a duel resulting in the death of a relative of the hero of the dramatic storyline - and that's the last you ever hear of it. Also, somehow at the end, the heroine, Dixiana, and her boyfriend are reunited, but there never is anything in the movie showing exactly how this was accomplished. These lost scenes are restored in the Roan version, and everything is made clear. I don't like to plug specific products in these reviews, but if you watch the short version you're not giving the film a fair chance.

The music is pretty good, and the musical numbers have very lavish and in some cases unusual sets and costumes. The prime example is the opening number with Wheeler and Woolsey dressed up as dancing ostriches and Dixiana popping out of an egg to do her part of the musical number. I'd say it's worth viewing just for the weirdness of it all.

This early Hollywood idea of romance in the Old South, insensible of slavery but with plenty of singing and dancing, is best seen for its context in movie history.

[juliewhee · 4/10 · 4 February 2006]

A real artifact of the earliest talkies and musicals, which includes the first two-strip Technicolor (the last half of the movie). The romance between a New Orleans cabaret singer (Bebe Daniels) and the scion of a plantation (Everett Marshall) is your basic boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl-due-to-misunderstanding-her-selfless-action, boy-gets-girl-back story......all this interspersed with singing, dancing, vaudeville routines (Wheeler & Woolsey), circus acts, chorus girls, contortionists, evil machinations of an oily villain, a near duel, and superb tap-dancing (Bill Robinson)!

The dialog and acting are painfully weak and the storyline lurches roughly from scene to scene - often with little sense or continuity. The 75-year-old film is sharply dated by several instances of slaves in the background singin' and workin' happily for their beloved master and being called "boy" instead of by name. The impending Civil War is totally ignored.

Still, I recommend "Dixiana" as valuable viewing for its historical Technicolor sequence as well as its illustration of the then-prevailing movie fiction of happy slaves working for benign masters in the sweet and gentle South.

patchy musical from the early talkies

[didi-5 · 16 February 2004]

Back in 1930 RKO was like all the other studios, churning out musicals to please an audience hungry for the new rage of talking pictures. 'Dixiana' was meant to cash in on the success of 'Rio Rita', the Ziegfeld show that became a movie in 1929, and used many of the same cast - the lovely Bebe Daniels in the title role (very like Jeanette MacDonald in this), plus comic relief from Wheeler and Woolsey and pretty Dorothy Lee. The big mistake was in casting Met star Everett Marshall as the male lead; an opera singer with an excellent voice but no acting ability whatever.

Add to this mix Joseph Cawthorn and Jobyna Howland as Marshall's parents (Ms Howland goes to town with her over-acting!); plus Mr Bojangles in his debut film appearance (a 3 minute solo); and a two-strip Technicolor finale. The musical numbers are fine (mostly for Everett Marshall and Bebe Daniels; although there's a cute song for Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee about halfway into the film).

I've seen this film described as a 'prehistoric turkey', but I wouldn't put it down that much. It has its high points (the colour sequence looks great and is a hoot) and it is about as complete a restoration as you could ask for. And it is the only Wheeler and Woolsey currently on DVD; we need more of their mad movies commercially available. 'Dixiana' is patchy but it isn't prehistoric!

Fascinating early sound musical with moments of greatness, moments of groans.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 30 November 2013]

Today's audiences just don't get vaudeville or burlesque humor for the most part, and they certainly don't understand the social mores of the past. For a common entertainer like the title character (played with gusto by Bebe Daniels) to fall in love with a Southern aristocrat (Everett Marshall) and for him to return her affections would shock society, and indeed it does. His Vaugnerian mother (Jobyna Howland) is one of those larger than life dowagers, a woman of tremendous size (in weight and height), who, like Henry Higgins described in "My Fair Lady", has a voice that shatters glass. Howland's demure husband (Joseph Cawthorn) isn't afraid to stand up to her every now and then since he holds the purse strings, but when size comes down to it, she always wins. Gambler Ralf Harolde is also determined to see that Daniels' common past keeps her and Marshall apart, even if it means destroying him in a card game.

Along for the ride in this lavish early musical is the comedy team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, then featured performers in films, not quite the headliners of their corny but entertaining second features with titles like "The Nitwits" and "Silly Billies". (They were even featured in a lavish musical called "The Cuckoos", released the same year as this.) Wheeler and Woolsey aren't as full of spitfire wisecracks here as they later would be, although their recurring gag of the "ouch" game is amusing as is the threat of a duel where the be-speckled Woolsey incites squeaky voiced Wheeler to keep hitting him with a glove, ANY glove. Woolsey leads the chorus girls in a very amusing musical number ("A Lady Loved a Soldier") while other lavish musical numbers pop up here and there, although they seem more modern than the era this is supposed to be set in. Dorothy Lee once again plays Wheeler's Olive Oyl-voiced love interest and shares a comic duet with him as well.

More of a historical interest for classic movie buffs than for general interest, "Dixiana" isn't a "Show Boat" by any means, but there have certainly been far worse musicals about the old South and certainly ones that were more offensive with racial stereotypes. Bill Robinson pops in for a musical number as well. By 1930, the cameras were beginning to speed things up a little, so this isn't as static as the previous big RKO operetta ("Rio Rita", featuring Daniels, Wheeler and Woolsey, and Dorothy Lee) yet work was still in process of getting the microphone to move along with the camera so movie musicals like this (on the verge of being dead for a few years) wouldn't seem like filmed stage plays.

Dixiana was a nice treat of an old movie musical for this old movie fan

[tavm · 6/10 · 21 December 2012]

All right, putting aside the stereotypical characterizations of Old South slaves not to mention many operatic songs that date this movie today, I rather enjoyed this early talkie musical with the two-strip Technicolor that was used in the final sequence. I mean, I was a little disappointed how little Bert Wheeler & Robert Woolsey were used but when they were on screen, they were quite amusing. And seeing Dorothy Lee & Wheeler sing is always a treat and it was a nice surprise to see Woolsey have his own number here as well. Oh, and for both historical and entertainment purposes, an African-American tap dancer named Bill "Bojangles" Robinson does his thing in his film debut and in that color sequence, to boot! So on that note, Dixiana is a worthy movie to watch if you're interested in these old movies like yours truly. P.S. Though this supposedly takes place in New Orleans (where I only live a 2-hour drive from), I'm guessing this was wholly shot on a studio back lot.

Has its moments, but ultimately a hollow experience

[MissSimonetta · 5/10 · 2 January 2020]

DIXIANA is a jumbled, messy early musical. The comic relief sections tend to be more lively than the central romance, which is only salvaged by the charm of Bebe Daniels, though your taste for non-screwball 1930s comedy will ordain how much you will or will not enjoy the movie as a whole. The drama is pure hokum, all about a circus performer falling for a rich heir to a plantation and trying to "leave him to save him from social disgrace"-- if you've seen a good deal of 1920s-1930s Hollywood movies, that plot and the characters found therein will be very familiar.

As an early talkie, the film has some fluid camerawork, such as a tracking shot through a gambling house, though the dialogue scenes are static. Apparently, the ending was shot in two-strip Technicolor, but the print I saw was all in black-and-white. As it was, the film ends quite abruptly anyway, so color would not have improved my feelings on this historically interesting but ultimately forgettable piece of movie history anyhow.

I wish I was in DIXIANA.... la la, la la

[ptb-8 · 7/10 · 15 May 2008]

As other comments on this site will tell you, this film is either an "antique treasure" or a "pre- historic turkey" ...(that is so hilarious! I laughed for days at that description) .... well like many others in the warbling yelling cast, I shall declare my love for DIXIANA, albeit from 79 years away. I am quite fascinated with the period of 1927-1935 and to see this sumptuous RKO production filmed in late 1929 with its lavish Technicolor finale is a dream and a thrill at the same time.. (remember those dreams?). Also Bebe Daniels is simply awesomely beautiful. As a production it is massive and atmospheric... I read somewhere this film actually captures the deep south of the 1860s which I believed I could actually feel. Also the limelight vaudeville scenes at the hippodrome and the interiors of the steamy mansions with riverboats gliding by and willows overhanging transported me to that period quite effectively. The presence of Wheeler and Woolsey and their rudeness added many laughs... in fact in Australia most of their films were released on VHS tape and quite often they play on national television on the late late show. I have quite a few and in Sydney, HIPS HIPS HOORAY and MUMMY'S BOYS have been seen a lot....and DIPLOMANIACS is an absolute scream of a comedy just like DUCK SOUP. ..anyway in DIXIANA they almost overshadow the film. The 1929 sound is really loud and clear with some really lusty operatic singing and plenty of lavish sets and art direction to enjoy. The most constantly dazzling aspect to this expensive film are the costumes, in particular the many jaw-dropping gowns and the riotous Technicolor Mardi Gras finale. The added dancing (minus his feet!!!) of Bill Robinson is a cropped treat, but the color and the spectacular lavish set and dressings add the thrill of endless beauty back into the enjoyment most effectively. Yes DIXIANA is an antique treasure for me, so if you get to see it, watch it with someone who appreciates the elements listed above.

Cartoonish Attempt at a Triangle - Dixiana

[arthur_tafero · 4/10 · 6 October 2022]

We know where this film is headed after the first 15 minutes of the movie. I half-expected the gambler character to start stroking his mustache as he cackled. The highlights of the movie is a number by Bill Robinson (Bojangles), and the limited comedy efforts of Wheeler and Woolsey, who tried to covert Vaudeville acts into a Hollywood film (this was generally not a successful formula, as Vaudeville did not translate well on the big screen). There were exceptions, of course, but the Wheeler and Woolsey act was not one them. Interesting only to see an early version of Jean Arthur do her stuff. Not worth viewing otherwise.

Way ahead of it's time!

[bebegirl35 · 6/10 · 4 June 2000]

This was the first movie I purchased with Bebe Daniels! It is pretty good considering when it was made! The jokes never stop and the inuendos are way ahead of their time! I was totally amused with the interaction between the prospective groom's father and stepmother in this film! As I said earlier, the double entendres were plentiful in that relationship! The comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey were just downright hilarious and the tapdance sequence in technicolor (Bill Robinson, "Bojangles") was absolutely wonderful! Such a rare opportunity to see something like that! The Mardi Gras finale is also rare as it was cut from TV prints for a long time! That is in technicolor also! I ordered the DVD, so if anyone is interested, please email me and I can tell you where to find it online for a very reasonable price!

The South Shall Not Rise Again

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 1 January 2008]

The title role of Dixiana is played by Bebe Daniels who is a circus performer in an act with Wheeler&Woolsey. Offstage she's pursued by young southern blade Everett Marshall and Snidely Whiplash like gambler Ralf Harolde.

Dixiana was RKO Pictures big budget film for 1930. It's given a lavish production, but unfortunately it's crashingly dull except when Wheeler&Woolsey are on and when Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson gets to do a specialty number.

Part of the problem is Everett Marshall, fresh from the Metropolitan Opera, makes Nelson Eddy look like Marlon Brando. Marshall does have a stirring baritone and maybe if Dixiana had a few hits come from it, his career might have lasted in films. As it was, Marshall knew he was better on the musical and concert stage and wisely stayed there the rest of his career.

Wheeler&Woolsey bring their own brand of humor, shattering certain traditions of the old south as the code duello. The duel they fight for Dorothy Lee's affections is hilarious.

As Dixiana is set in the old south, racial and other stereotypes do abound. But unless you like Wheeler&Woolsey and Bojangles, there's no reason to see this film.

the best restored of the early extravaganzas

[earlytalkie · 10/10 · 17 September 2007]

Dixiana is a film that stands alone among early sound film restorations. The Technicolor sequences which make up the final twenty minutes of this lavish extravaganza are absolutely beautiful to behold. This restoration was first shown on the TNT cable network in the spring of 1990. I believe that this is one of the few early talkies that one can see in the manner in which it was first presented in the theaters. The beauty of the restoration aside, there is much to admire in this operetta, which stars the lovely Bebe Daniels and Metropolitan Opera Star Everett Marshall. The music, by Harry Tierney is lovely and melodic. The dances are well-executed by Pearl Eaton. The gorgeous costumes were designed by Walter Plunkett, although the opening titles credit Max Ree with costumes and scenery. Dixiana was issued in the late summer of 1930, at a time when the public was tiring of musical films. The film supposedly lost $300,000 in it's initial release. I believe that Everett Marshall was chosen to play the male lead in this film due to the enormous success of an earlier MGM film,"The Rogue Song" which starred Metropolitan Opera Star Lawrence Tibbett and Catherine Dale Owen. This film only exsists in fragments and a Vitaphone soundtrack recording, so we have no accurate way to compare the two films. Dixiana seems to have something for everyone. You like vintage comedy? You can see Wheeler and Woolsey do their stuff with the charming Dorothy Lee, who co-starred in many of their films. You want hissable villains? There is Ralf Harolde who is just about as hissable as can be, seconded by Jobyna Howland as Marshall's dragon of a stepmother (married to stage comedian Joseph Cawthorn). You want glorious extravaganza? Check out the Technicolor finale, which includes Bill "Bojangles" Robinson in his feature film debut. All in all, Dixiana is a film which should please any fan of early talkies, as well as a few more people as well. Thanks for reading.

Pistols and Petticoats

[lugonian · 7/10 · 13 January 2020]

DIXIANA (RKO Radio, 1930), adapted and directed by Luther Reed, was the studio's follow-up to its highly successful RIO RITA (1929) by reuniting its director with lead performers of Bebe Daniels, Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey and Dorothy Lee. Though John Boles appeared as Daniels' love interest in the the Florenz Ziegfeld stage musical of RIO RITA, this latest edition, an original premise with story and lyrics by Anne Caldwell, features baritone Everett Marshall in his place. Shifting settings from Mexico to the old pre-Civil War South, DIXIANA also repeats the final celebration event with filmed Technicolor process with lavish sets and costumes.

Set in 1840s New Orleans, the story opens with Carl Van Horn (Everett Marshall), whose father, Cornelius (Joseph Cawthorne), better known as the Philadelphia Dutchman, watching the slaves on his Southern plantation. Carl loves Dixiana Caldwell (Bebe Daniels), a circus performer at Cayetano's Hyppodrome, whom he wants to marry. After watching Dixiana perform for the audience, Carl encounters her rival suitor, Montagu (Ralf Harolde) who would rather pistol dual with him than lose the petticoat circus girl he loves. Regardless, Carl proposes and she happily accepts, taking her circus friends, Peewee (Bert Wheeler) and Ginger Dandy (Robert Woolsey) along with her to Carl's plantation for the festivity with his family at his plantation. Unfortunately, Carl's social-climbing stepmother, Birdie (Jobyna Howland) disapproves of both future bride and her "distinguished gentlemen" friends enough to insult them in front of guests. Not wanting to come between Carl and his family, Dixiana leaves with her friends to return to the circus, only to find herself working for Montagu and company at his New Orleans gambling house instead. As Peewee and Ginger are reunited with their old friend, Nanny (Dorothy Lee), Dixiana encounters Carl once more, finding him losing heavily at the gambling tables to his enemy, Montagu. Others in the cast are Edward Chandler (Blondell); and Eugene Jackson (Cupid).

Songs by Harry Tierney, Anne Caldwell and Benny Davis are as follows: "Mr. and Mrs. Sippi" (sung by Everett Marshall during opening titles); "Dixiana" (sung by chorus); "I Am Your Lady Love" (sung by Bebe Daniels); "Here's to the Old Days" (sung by Marshall); "A Tear, a Kiss, a Smile" (sung by Daniels); "My Generation: (sung by chorus/Daniels); "My One Ambition is You" (sung by Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee); "Dixiana" (sung by Daniels); "My One Ambition is You" (chorus, background score); "Dixiana," "No Matter Who Wins, I'm Lost" (sung by Daniels); "Dixiana," "Mardi Gras," "A Love Loved a Soldier" (sung by Robert Woolsey); "Mr. and Mrs. Sippi" (tap dance solo by Bill Robinson); "You Are My Guiding Star" (sung by Marshall and Daniels), "Here's to the Old Days" (instrumental) and "Dixiana" (finale). Of its handful of tunes "Here's to the Old Days" appears to be the film's best song while Bill Robinson's tap dancing being the film's other highlight.

Regardless of DIXIANA not being as successful as RIO RITA, possibly because of its lack of chemistry between Daniels and Marshall (who resembles Mexican actor Antonio Moreno), their scenes together are actually limited due to extensive footage more on the battling married couple (Joseph Cawthorne and Jobyna Howland), song numbers and the comic antics provided by Wheeler and Woolsey, particularly their gag involving participants picking up three cigars individually without saying "ouch."

DIXIANA would be Daniels' last musical for the studio before shifting to straight dramatic roles for RKO and later Warner Brothers before returning to a musical role in the now classic 42nd STREET (1933). Marshall on the other hand would appear in one more motion picture, I LIVE FOR LOVE (Warner Brothers, 1935) opposite Dolores Del Rio. Marshall might have had a chance in musical films, but disappeared after two movie roles to his resume. For the last Wheeler and Woolsey where they work as supporting players, they would star in a series of fine comedies for the studio (1930-1937).

For many years, it was claimed that the final 20-minute Technicolor sequence featuring Bill Robinson's tap dance solo was lost. When DIXIANA was sold to television (namely New York City's WOR, Channel 9 in November 1956), the movie played with the closing left unresolved. This incomplete print was later distributed to video cassette from Video Yesteryear in the 1980s. Fortunately, the Technicolor conclusion had been found, restored and surfaced in revival movie houses, and cable television starting with Turner Network Television (TNT) in December 1988, followed by American Movie Classics (1991-1993) and finally Turner Classic Movies (after 1994) before availability in full 98 minute glory on DVD. Though uneven in spots, DIXIANA is worthwhile rediscovery of musicals produced during the early days of sound. (** cigars)

Where is the criticism?

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 15 January 2010]

While I am NOT a bleeding heart, I do find it very odd that very few of the reviews even bother to mention the racist elements in the film. While I would NOT say that you shouldn't watch it (I am a huge believer in Free Speech...period), I think the problematic view of slavery at least deserves a mention!! After all, as the film begins, you see a plantation owner and his son talking about how happy their slaves are--as the human chattel do their "fun" chores and sing. While this might ruffle a few feathers, this is akin to showing a song and dance number at a Soviet gulag! This just reinforced the horrible stereotype of the 1930s that slavery "wasn't THAT bad"! Seemingly child-like slaves who are happy and carefree is just a gross stereotype.

The plot involves a circus performer, Dixiana, who has fallen for rich Carl Van Horn--the family who owns the plantation at the beginning of the film. Carl's father is a nice but hen-pecked guy. His mother is a society-conscious old battle-ax--and when she learns of the marriage between her well-connected son and a common circus performer, she blows a gasket and demands the wedding be stopped. Carl is apparently a wiener and caves to his battle-ax mother's whim. All this comes out as Wheeler & Woolsey (who look after Dixiana) have been invited to stay with the Van Horns. As for the duo's behavior during this time at the Van Horns, they mostly kick people in the butt (I am not exaggerating in the least).

As for the film, it's a mixed bag. For a 1930 film, the sound is excellent. Many early sound films suffer from varying sound or sound that is simply too soft, as they had still to work out all the ins and outs of the new medium. Unfortunately, the problem is that because of this you can actually hear what's going on!! That's because the two leads warble operatic style songs that make Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy seem like pop singers! In 1930, the public liked this sort of old fashion drivel--now it is a definite chore to get past these god-awful songs. In addition to these two leads, Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee also sing a bit--as does Robert Woolsey near the end of the film. The Wheeler/Lee songs are more cute and enjoyable than the rest, though it should also be noted that Ms. Lee sings almost exactly like Betty Boop!! Be ready to hit the fast-forward button when any song occurs! Be forewarned, there are a lot of songs and they are hard on the ears!

Newly teamed comics, Wheeler & Woolsey are on hand for comic relief. Like Abbott and Costello, the studio first used them in this role and only later gave them their own starring films. Their sort of humor is what you might expect--Burlesque style skits and not particularly inspired ones. The team is okay here, but have been better and are not enough to salvage the film. I never thought I'd find myself saying that I wanted MORE Wheeler & Woolsey! The overall film is wretched--far worse than any other Wheeler & Woolsey film I have seen (I've seen about 12-15). While many of their early films have singing, none feature as much or at annoying music. This combined with the whole slavery issue make this a tough film to enjoy.

Not-so-good W&W; for hard-core fans only

[GManfred · 23 January 2009]

This is a museum piece which got worse as it went along. I love Wheeler & Woolsey but this was tough sledding. Had never heard Met tenor Everett Marshall before - great singer, Nelson Eddy-type actor.I stuck with it because I wanted to hear him sing, to watch W&W be funny,to see Bill Robinson dance. Two out of three isn't bad, I guess, as W&W were trapped in their weakest comedy - Joseph Cawthorn was funnier than they were, to give you an idea.It is also a rare opportunity to see Jobyna Howland as the battle-axe wife - a role she was born to play. She died too soon. This must be one of the boys' poorest outings and from the looks of it their most expensive picture. Wish I had better news to relate regarding one of Hollywoods' best and most underrated comedy teams.

Calling a spade a spade

[playwrite2000 · 4/10 · 30 August 2006]

I am amazed that there are people in the film community who show any respect for this dated, awkward, racist film by giving it a "7" as a majority of the IMDb viewers have. The bonus that attracted me was the color version of Bill Robinson ("Bojangles") tap dancing in a carnaval scene. After suffering through the histrionic throes of unrequited love by the heroine, the wooden performance of the lead (a Metropolitan Opera reject), and the dull and obvious comic chatter of the comic duo, finally comes the big scene. Three minutes. Some steps, some synchronization and... what happened? This film is best relegated to the "classics" trash heap for occasional viewing by students of cinema history thankfully long dead.

The state of the art, 1930

[marcslope · 7/10 · 6 May 2019]

RKO's intended follow-up to its massive hit "Rio Rita," with the same leading lady, director, composer, and some of the cast, isn't a very good movie, but it's a very good look at what was expected of an original movie musical in 1930. It's tuneful and lavish, and the final 20 minutes, in two-tone Technicolor, are delightful--most especially when Bill Robinson gets his three minutes of tapping in. We don't know who he's playing or why he's there, but he's wonderful.

The screenwriter-lyricist, Anne Caldwell, was a Broadway heavyweight who had written with Jerome Kern, Victor Herbert, and other greats. Her lyrics and libretti are often clever and original, but this one's trite, derivative, and, by today's standards, offensive. We're in 1840s New Orleans, on a plantation populated by happy slaves who keep crooning "Mr. and Mrs. Sippi" ("I miss you so, I's jes' dippy"), which desperately wants to be "Ol' Man River" and isn't. Plantation scion Everett Marshall, a Met baritone with a fine voice and an odd face, loves Dixiana (Bebe Daniels), who is welcomed by his family until she reveals she's a circus performer. Her pals Wheeler and Woolsey, with subpar material, buck her up, and some meaningless plot complications happen to keep the young lovers apart until fadeout. Laid out much like a stage musical of the era, it veers between operetta, musical comedy, and farce (the W&W sections, which are boosted by the presence of the always-adorable Dorothy Lee). Anything Caldwell thinks will work, she puts in, and the screenplay wanders all over the place without really going anywhere. Luther Reed's direction is stodgy, but the camera's pretty mobile for 1930, and if you can get around the happy-slaves motif, snarling villain, awkward comedy, and halfhearted plot-song integration, you'll see a lavish example of what the studios thought the public wanted at the dawn of sound. They were wrong--too many musicals saturated the market, this one lost a bundle, and soon theaters were advertising, "This is NOT a musical." I can't imagine a modern audience sitting through this, but if you're a historian or a fan of early talkies, do seek this one out. Also, the UCLA restoration is pretty stunning.

old comedy and songs

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 26 April 2019]

Carl Van Horn and his father are beloved by their slaves in antebellum Louisiana. Dixiana is a star circus performer. Dixiana and Carl are in love and set to marry. Her performing partners, Peewee and Ginger, join them on the plantation as high society gathers for the event.

This is a pre-Code musical comedy. I'm sure people love it back in the day. The antebellum setting and the dated slavery aspects make it hard to laugh at the humor. It's horribly awkward for the white folks to have fun kicking a slave servant. Times have changed. I wouldn't say the jokes are that sophisticated anyways. The comedy duo of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey has a good helping of superiority and meanness in their demeaner. Their big prank is kicking somebody who bends down to pick up their cigars. It's marginally funny maybe. The song and dance is sometimes grand. The story isn't much. Peewee and Ginger are the most compelling characters and that's not a good thing. At times, this is more their movie than the romantic leads. I don't like their snooty persona and it would help if they fall down on their faces a lot more. They need the pratfalls for the audience to laugh at them. The movie should be called Peewee and Ginger. It's also strange that the last twenty minutes is in Technicolor. It's like watching LaLaLand in 2D and suddenly it becomes a 3D movie. It is interesting to see an early color movie. It's nine years before The Wizard of Oz.

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson Makes It All Worthwhile!!!

[kidboots · 7/10 · 26 November 2011]

After the success of "Rio Rita" RKO planned an expensive version of Victor Herbert's "Babes in Toyland" for their new comedy sensations, Wheeler and Woolsey. Production was suddenly called off in favour of a project that reunited director Luther Reed, stars Bebe Daniels, Dorothy Lee etc and composer Harry Tierney and substituted Rio Rita's south of the border setting for New Orleans and Mardi Gras - "Dixiana". But instead of a big hit and in spite of kind reviews Radio was left with a big flop. The leading man was quickly blamed - a bit unfairly. When John Boles proved unavailable, the studio needed another stirring singer to cope with "Dixiana"'s demanding score and thought they had found him in Everett Marshall whose dashing looks and solid baritone had already won him applause at the Metropolitan Opera. Unfortunately he was definitely not at ease before the camera and Bebe Daniels, who was already upset by the lack lustre score and one dimensional role, could see that Marshall was not going to do her any favours in the leading man stakes!!!

Jobyna Howland, so hilarious in "The Cuckoos", is hardly seen after the first half hour. Wheeler and Woolsey, in my opinion, an acquired taste, were already laborious in their comedy routines, including one involving chamber pots and another in which they kick people who pick up cigars, seemed never ending. Dorothy Lee's character Nanny turns up out of the blue in mid movie as a love interest to Wheeler's Peewee but she and Wheeler do get to sing and dance the cutest routine "My One Ambition is You". It starts out with shenanigans on a spiral staircase, then a sweet little gavotte and finishes with Nanny losing her hooped skirt and, oblivious, skipping off with the lovestruck Peewee.

The movie gets off to a rousing start - after singing the stirring "Mr. and Mrs. Sippi" over the opening credits, Carl (Everett Marshall) journeys to New Orleans to see Dixiana. She is a carnival queen and Bebe Daniels makes a startling entrance - she breaks out of a giant egg singing "Am I Your Baby Now" - but to whom?? It seems Carl has a rival in the form of Royal Montague (Ralfe Harold), a powerful New Orleans gambler. When Royal indicates that Dixiana is not for the likes of the upper crust Carl, Carl takes her and her two side kicks, Ginger and Peewee to his father's plantation. He keeps their theatrical background a secret, announcing them as his distinguished guests. At the welcoming party the songs come thick and fast - "Here's to the Old Days" - Carl says goodbye to his bachelor days, Dixiana questions her worthiness with "A Tear, a Kiss, a Smile". During the party Peewee accidentally gives Dixiana's profession away and after a most unholy scene Mrs. Van Horn (Howland) banishes the trio from her home. When they return to the carnival Royal, who controls the carnival, commands the owner not to re-employ Dixi or her pals - he gives them a job in his gambling house.

Once Dorothy Lee makes her appearance she quickly becomes the star - she is fresh, vibrant and cute. Bebe Daniels tries but she is really hampered by a Southern accent as thick as treacle. Ralfe Harold is good as well, although it's not hard to rise above this sort of material. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson makes everything worthwhile. His effortless and stylish stair dance (you can hear every beat of his taps) to "Mr. and Mrs. Sippi" during the film's Technicolor finale - rises above this film, which is a Mardi Gras mess. Even the movie's big song "Guiding Star" is completely forgettable.

Nothing

[mrdonleone · 1/10 · 4 February 2020]

Boring. Sleepy. Nothing happens. Just people singing on a slavery mill. Great method to hypnotize yourself in bed.

early role for Wheeler & Woolsey

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 27 April 2019]

Kind of an odd one from RKO. thankfully, this has been restored by the UCLA film group! One of the first roles for both comedians Wheeler and Woolsey...they would make a whole library of silly comedies together, but here their parts are more co-stars. They are the giant Ostrich-dancers, onstage with Dixiana. and the men are all after her. Bebe Daniels had started in silents as a child star. This was one of only TWO film roles for Everett Marshall ... didn't seem to like the show biz. The picture quality is pretty good, if you see a restored version, but the sound is still pretty squirrel-y. and on Turner Classic, they even have captions, which was a help, since the sound isn't great. Many references to slavery, since we ARE still in the old, south, in New Orleans. and we see the same, funny old vaudeville bits that Wheeler and Woolsey had done, and would continue to do in all their films over the years. Story is ok, but could have done with less singing... didn't really add anything to the film, but back yonder, so many films thought they needed to emphasize the singing to tell the story. Interesting cross of proper old family customs and vaudeville folk. One of only eleven films directed by Luther Reed. Acc to wikipedia, he had started out as a theater critic! unusual trajectory for a critic. It's okay as a story, but very interesting, for the early history contained within.

Takes a while to get used to

[bluerider521 · 5/10 · 9 June 2013]

I saw this in the NYC Museum of the Moving Image before cable and satellite. I went tom see it because of the early technicolor. The story and the music were quaint at best, but I felt weird as I watched the racist mentality. I was watching a time when people, who probably considered themselves liberal, were clueless about the psychological impact of the racism of daily life.

Wheeler and Woolsey surprised and fascinated me. I had no idea that this comedy duo had even existed. There was something about them which gave me a funny feeling in my stomach. They looked strange, particularly Woolsey. They did comedy routines which were meant to be funny, but were weirdly humorless to me.. They might have been doing pantomime; the punch lines just fell flat.. They were like my first taste of pickled olives in childhood. Eech! Yet, like olives, I have gotten used to Wheeler and Woolsey. In fact, they are fairly funny in this movie, once one gets used to them. The two strip technicolor is great.

Do not start to see this as a casual entertainment. It will bore you. It has great historical interest to comedy, technicolor, and old musical fans, however.

Mr. Wheeler & Mr. Woolsey Enliven Movie Musical Of Yesteryear

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 6 September 2001]

New Orleans songbird DIXIANA attracts both the noble son of a Dutch planter and the murderous owner of a music hall casino.

Here is an interesting antique from 1930, the first year Hollywood was all-Talkie. William Haines comedies were the box-office winners & musicals - like this one - were also extremely popular. Given a lavish production, especially during the Technicolor finale, a close examination of the film revels that the mysteries of the microphone were quickly being deciphered.

Bebe Daniels & Everett Marshall provide the romance & music. They certainly try their best, although the dialogue is not overly kind to them, and her fake Southern accent coupled with his wooden acting skills are two high hurdles for them to jump.

The film is punctuated by burlesque interludes provided by one of the finest comedic teams of the 1930's - Wheeler & Woolsey. Bert Wheeler (the short, curly-headed one) and Robert Woolsey (the skinny fellow with glasses) were always great fun and their jokes still hit home today, even if they themselves are virtually forgotten. Here they are given great assistance by dialect comedian Joseph Cawthorn, playing their Dutch host at a sumptuous Louisiana plantation; he fits in so well, especially when pulling the Three Cigar Joke, that he practically becomes a third member of the team.

Also on hand, as she was in so many of the Boys' films, is pert Dorothy Lee, as kewpie doll cute as ever. The massive Jobyna Howland, playing Cawthorn's temperamental wife, proves once again that she could handle the slapstick as well as the histrionics. Both ladies supply the extra oomph lacking in Miss Daniels' performance.

Ralf Harolde makes a mean villain and unbilled George Herman appears as the impressively limber contortionist.

It should be noted that there are some racist elements in the story; this was not unusual in American movies of that era.

The early Technicolor sequence - featuring the Mardi Gras in full swing - is very pleasing to the eye, benefiting from a recent film restoration. However, scenes still seem to be missing, evidenced by Wheeler suddenly appearing in drag (or is that his Carnival costume?) without explanation. Best of all, the legendary Bill Robinson finally arrives, for a total of 3 minutes, to dance for our delight.

Mishmash in 2-strip Technicolor

[ilprofessore-1 · 5/10 · 21 December 2019]

Forgive my Southern accent but this one darlin' is jes' plain awful. Typical of its time,1930--the early days of the talkie--this hodgepodge of comedy and drama is a Ziegfeld-style extravaganza that mixes bad melodrama and mediocre operetta songs with lots of very pretty girls in outrageous costumes. The plot, if you choose to call it that, is interrupted on occasion with feeble comic relief, mostly by the great team of Woolsey and Wheeler trying their best to make something out of little, and by a Dutch comic, Joseph Cawthorn, speaking in a Jewish accent. (He even calls his son, the Metropolitan Opera baritone Everett Marshall, a schlemiel.) On the plus side, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson dances for three minutes, and Max Steiner ("Gone With the Wind") did the orchestrations for which he received his first screen credit. The film was a big flop and lost RKO studios 300,000 dollars. Fortunately, W&W went on to do better things, and a few years later King Kong and Fred and Ginger came along to make up that loss.

Has its faults, and could stand a bit of trimming, but pretty delightful all the same

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 10 October 2014]

Although designed as a box-office follow-up to the smash hit, Rio Rita, this re-union of Daniels, Wheeler, Woolsey and Lee with writer- director Reed and producer LeBaron, proved not quite the box- office bonanza RKO had anticipated. Nevertheless, considering the enormous amount of money spent on extras, rococo sets and period costumes, an overall loss of $300,000 was not all that disastrous a result. A fair few number of customers crowded through the turnstiles — far more than returned modest profits on far less expensive productions. And what a wonderful film this is! Bebe Daniels never looked more radiant. She's handed not only fascinatingly eye-filling costumes but some really bobby- dazzling songs, including the title number and the breathtaking, rhythmically composed, bizarrely worded "Here's to the Old Days" in which she is supported by a chorus and our two unforgettable clowns, Wheeler and Woolsey. The former also enjoys a song number, "My One Ambition Is You", in which he teams with the lovely Dorothy Lee. Not to be outdone, the cigar-chomping Woolsey shares a Technicolor sequence with a quartet of lovelies in which the brass-buttoned comic raves on about "A Lady Loved a Soldier". Everett Marshall, from the New York Metropolitan Opera, makes as fine a figure of a hero as you could wish as he renders "Mr and Mrs Sippi" and "A Guiding Star". Ralf Harolde is delightfully hissable as the slick villain. Available complete with its Technicolor reel on an excellent Grapevine DVD.