A truly bad collection of celebrity imitations take this short into the depths of pathetic celluloid. A bunch of vaudeville acts (bad ones, the types that helped kill it...) try to be amusing in a courthouse setting, but even they can't compare with some really bad mimics of 1930's celebrities that are still popular even today. The Charles Laughton "Les Miserables" impression is so amazingly bad that if he saw this, he probably didn't realize that it was him who was being imitated. Even more horrifying is a W.C. Fields impressionist with a fake strapped-on nose. The Groucho Marx impersonator is at least slightly acceptable. If you want to see some really good impressions of 1930's stars done in the 1930's, get a hold of the MGM musical "Honolulu" which has a "Come as your favorite celebrity" party (Gracie Allen doing an amusing Mae West for example) or the Samuel Fuller independent film "It Happened in Hollywood". This one just reeks of amateurism and truly isn't worth the DVD it's been copied on to.
3 Reviews
One supeb act and talent makes this short worth watching
SimonJack22 February 2019
Except for one routine, this Hollywood short film is very forgettable. The songs, attempts at comedy and performances are way below par. One can see why these acts and the performers didn't make it in Hollywood and are otherwise forgotten. They weren't even good vaudeville. But there is one exception, and it's so good that it earns this film all five of its stars. Thankfully, it also takes up about half of the film - at the end.
That routine is Sylvia Manon, booked as Sylvia Manon & Co. This is a vaudeville performance of acrobatic dancing. The Manon show also went by the name of the Sylvia Manon Trio. She is a super gymnast, and her two muscular partners are Ray Borden and Victor Voley. In this long performance, set to music, the men swing, flip, lift and toss Manon every which way. And, in those actions, she twists, twirls and lands in perfect syncopation with the music and the moves and positions of her partners.
This is a highly polished act that has much daring, risk and danger. The least slip and Miss Manon could have broken limbs, neck or back. One can imagine that she probably acquired a good share of lumps, bumps and bruises in the practices and rehearsals to perfect the routines.
For those who remember early TV variety shows, such as the Ed Sullivan Show, this is the type of unusual but very talented acrobatic performance one would see there. I checked online and could find very little about Miss Manon. Apparently, her trio was still performing on stage in the late 1940s in the central states. Before her vaudeville show, she supposedly taught dancing in Fremont, Ohio. I checked online and couldn't find anything about her in the Fremont newspaper records.
Her talent and type of acrobatics and dancing are very entertaining. One can see why her shows were so successful. It would be nice to have videos of this highly talented performer for library records of the great days of vaudeville and revue stage shows.
That routine is Sylvia Manon, booked as Sylvia Manon & Co. This is a vaudeville performance of acrobatic dancing. The Manon show also went by the name of the Sylvia Manon Trio. She is a super gymnast, and her two muscular partners are Ray Borden and Victor Voley. In this long performance, set to music, the men swing, flip, lift and toss Manon every which way. And, in those actions, she twists, twirls and lands in perfect syncopation with the music and the moves and positions of her partners.
This is a highly polished act that has much daring, risk and danger. The least slip and Miss Manon could have broken limbs, neck or back. One can imagine that she probably acquired a good share of lumps, bumps and bruises in the practices and rehearsals to perfect the routines.
For those who remember early TV variety shows, such as the Ed Sullivan Show, this is the type of unusual but very talented acrobatic performance one would see there. I checked online and could find very little about Miss Manon. Apparently, her trio was still performing on stage in the late 1940s in the central states. Before her vaudeville show, she supposedly taught dancing in Fremont, Ohio. I checked online and couldn't find anything about her in the Fremont newspaper records.
Her talent and type of acrobatics and dancing are very entertaining. One can see why her shows were so successful. It would be nice to have videos of this highly talented performer for library records of the great days of vaudeville and revue stage shows.
One supeb act and talent makes this short worth watching
SimonJack21 February 2019
Except for one routine, this Hollywood short film is very forgettable. The songs, attempts at comedy and performances are way below par. One can see why these acts and the performers didn't make it in Hollywood and are otherwise forgotten. But there is one exception, and it's so good that it earns this short all five of its five stars. Thankfully, it also lasts for more than half of the film.
It is Sylvia Manon, booked as Sylvia Manon & Co. This is a vaudeville performance of acrobatic dancing. The Manon show also went by the name of the Sylvia Manon Trio. She is the super gymnast, and her two muscular partners are Ray Borden and Victor Voley. In this long performance, set to music, the men swing, flip, lift and toss Manon every which way. And, in those actions, she twists, twirls and lands in perfect syncopation with the music and the moves and positions of her partners.
This is a highly polished act that has much daring, risk and danger. The least slip and Miss Manon could have broken limbs, neck or back. One can imagine that she probably acquired a good share of lumps, bumps and bruises in the practices and rehearsals to perfect the routines.
For those who remember early TV variety shows, such as the Ed Sullivan Show, this is the type of unusual but very talented acrobatic performance one would see there. I checked online and could find very little about Miss Manon. Apparently, her trio was still performing on stage in the late 1940s in the central states. Before her vaudeville show, she supposedly taught dancing in Fremont, Ohio. I checked online and couldn't find anything about her in the Fremont newspaper records.
Her talent and type of acrobatics and dancing is very entertaining. One can see why her shows were so successful. It would be nice to have videos of this highly talented performer for library records of the great days of vaudeville and revue stage shows.
It is Sylvia Manon, booked as Sylvia Manon & Co. This is a vaudeville performance of acrobatic dancing. The Manon show also went by the name of the Sylvia Manon Trio. She is the super gymnast, and her two muscular partners are Ray Borden and Victor Voley. In this long performance, set to music, the men swing, flip, lift and toss Manon every which way. And, in those actions, she twists, twirls and lands in perfect syncopation with the music and the moves and positions of her partners.
This is a highly polished act that has much daring, risk and danger. The least slip and Miss Manon could have broken limbs, neck or back. One can imagine that she probably acquired a good share of lumps, bumps and bruises in the practices and rehearsals to perfect the routines.
For those who remember early TV variety shows, such as the Ed Sullivan Show, this is the type of unusual but very talented acrobatic performance one would see there. I checked online and could find very little about Miss Manon. Apparently, her trio was still performing on stage in the late 1940s in the central states. Before her vaudeville show, she supposedly taught dancing in Fremont, Ohio. I checked online and couldn't find anything about her in the Fremont newspaper records.
Her talent and type of acrobatics and dancing is very entertaining. One can see why her shows were so successful. It would be nice to have videos of this highly talented performer for library records of the great days of vaudeville and revue stage shows.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
