Movie Monday Review: College Holiday

College Holiday (1936)

Starring: Jack Benny, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Mary Boland, Etienne Girardot, Martha Raye, Ben Blue, Marsha Hunt, Leif Erickson, Eleanore Whitney, and Johnny Downs

Review

If you’re looking for a movie that has little sense to it and a lot of comedy (of the goofy variety), then this is the movie for you. The team-up of George and Gracie along with Jack Benny provide a lot of humor. Of course, Martha Raye and Ben Blue bring their own version of slapstick comedy that can bring a few laughs. Be on the lookout for the chariot scene with George and Gracie, because it is quite funny!

The dance scenes between Eleanore Whitney and Johnny Downs are much fun to watch. This is just another film in which Johnny Downs exhibits his amazing tap dancing capabilities. He has a very light air and fits in well with this musical. Of course, there’s lots more dancing for those that like it, between George and Gracie, Martha Raye and Ben Blue, and several others! So, be prepared for that!

The set used during the performance in the end is quite imaginative and really unique! Pretty cool design and is great to see!

Being a goofy comedy that tries to go overboard on the love-interest of college students, there’s lots of “falling in love” going on amongst the characters. Of course, nothing happens the way it’s expected by the main characters.

Parental Advisory: One of the main movie characters is a Eugenics professor with the ultimate goal of pairing perfect people together in love, based on the vibrations his daughter feels. He believes that the Ancient Greek people were the ultimate and therefore dresses and acts like them. For younger children, this might go over their heads, but this could be a learning opportunity for older children. The end also has an Indian mystic with a crystal ball attempting to foretell the future, for your information. Martha Raye is a rather boisterous country girl, who isn’t afraid of hitting any guy she thinks is coming after her, be aware that there are quite a few punches thrown. With this in mind, you might not want to have your younger children watch this.

Summary

When Silvia Smith (Marsha Hunt) and Dick Winters (Leif Erickson) meet at a college dance and fall in love, they believe they’ve got something going, until Silvia is called away for a family emergency. Dick can’t find her and only has her last name as a clue and that she’s from California. He begins his search of all the Smith women in California.

The emergency is that Silvia’s father is going to lose the hotel he owns along with partner J. Davis Bowster (Jack Benny), who is a band leader. Silvia pleads with Bowster to help raise money so that they can keep the hotel. He decides that putting on a performance to bring people in would be the best way and they could ask college students from all across the country to be the performers. A brilliant idea, except that they can’t afford to bring in all those college students.

While trying to escape the creditors, Bowster’s clothes get ruined and he wraps himself up in a sheet he finds. He runs into Professor Hercules (Etienne Girardot) and the famous and flamboyant actress Carola Gaye (Mary Boland). They are dressed as the Greeks used to dress, because they believe them to be the most amazing in the human race. They believe that Bowster is like them and this thrills them to no end. Professor Hercules studies Eugenics and believes that every couple should be paired scientifically. They are headed to take over a hotel that is about to go bankrupt, for which Miss Gaye holds the mortgage and are unaware that Bowster owns the hotel.

Bowster manages to convince them that he could give them zounds of “guinea pigs” to work on their scientific matching in the form of college students. He tells them that they will announce to the students that this is for the purpose of putting on a performance, but that the professor can do his will. In this way, Bowster believes he can still do his show and save the hotel right from under Miss Gaye. They agree and back him financially, under one condition: the students cannot get into relationships whatsoever! They must be kept separate until they can be scientifically matched.

Coming back with a train load of college students, Bowster is having a difficult time of keeping the students from falling in love with each other. One in particular, Johnny Jones (Johnny Downs), falls madly in love with another student, Eleanore Wayne (Eleanore Whitney) and they head off to the back of the train to hopefully escape Bowster’s notice. They are nonetheless found out, but this doesn’t stop them from exchanging glances. This goes for everyone on the train.

They arrive back at the hotel and are told that they need to pretend to put on a Greek performance, but when all’s clear, they will practice their “real performance”. Dick, who was on the same train to California, discovers that it is Silvia Smith who helps run the hotel and is overjoyed at this good fortune! Professor Hercules is excited at the amount of “guinea pigs” and sends immediately for his daughter Calliope (Gracie Allen) who is “perfect in mind and body” and will be able to feel vibrations that will help match the students together.

Driving her chariot, Calliope races along the highways. With her, is her frightened friend George (George Burns) who is supposed to be her assistant, but who really has feelings for her. He is helping her find the “perfect Apollo” of a man, but meanwhile, is hoping they’ll survive the drive. Despite many mishaps, they arrive safely at the hotel and Calliope begins measuring the students, looking for a perfect size 32, because that’s what a “perfect Apollo” is.

Practicing their modern performance, Bowster keeps an eye out to make sure that Professor Hercules and Miss Gaye don’t notice what they’re really doing. Quickly changing to their Greek performance, they manage to fool them. With the slight exception of one performer, Daisy Schologgenheimer (Martha Raye) who is inexperienced in this sort of things and manages to drag one of the stage electricians (Ben Blue) on stage to do a Greek dance. It’s a near disaster, but the Professor and Miss Gaye go along with it.

Time to match people up. The men have all been measured by Calliope, multiple times, and now she sits on her throne to check which couples belong together. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to her, the electrician is wiring something beneath her for the performance. He accidentally sends shock waves up the thrown, making Calliope believe she’s matched people up correctly. Unfortunately for the couples, they already had matched themselves up and don’t appreciate this.

Professor Hercules tries to force them together, but to no end when everyone swaps partners. Plans are beginning to fall apart and the Professor and Miss Gaye realize this. They want to call things off, and even more so, when they discover that Bowster owns the hotel. They get the Sheriff to stop the production. Johnny won’t stand for that and has the students work together to stall the creditors, Sheriff, Professor Hercules, and Miss Gaye by locking them in the meat freezer.

The performance goes on and splendidly! The audience loves them and Bowster and Silvia are able to save the hotel. Calliope realizes that George is her perfect Apollo and the two get together and help with the performance.

When an Indian mystic arrives looking for Miss Gaye, he helps them escape, but not in time to stop the show. Miss Gaye has lost her interest in Professor Hercules and his study and is now on to something else.

Now, the couples are paired as they ought to be and everyone is happy!

Ellen Nolan