Bing Crosby started his career as a radio singer in the early 1930s, but by the end of the decade, he had become one of the top movie stars in Hollywood. Although his early films centered around one hit song after another, he proved his talent as both a comedic and serious actor by the mid-1930s.
Two charming Crosby films which are lesser known are “Rhythm on the Range” (1936) and “Waikiki Wedding” (1937). Although they feature very different settings, the films have a similar cast of characters, that in the first travel across the dusty American West, then sail around the Hawaiian Islands in the second. Bob Burns and Martha Raye accompany Crosby with a lot of laughs. His leading ladies are Frances Farmer in the first film and Shirley Ross in the second. Each movie features a cute animal: Cuddles the Bull and Walford the Pig, respectively.
Each of these films is a musical travelogue to a distinct part of the United States, although Hawaii was just a territory in 1937. Hop aboard the Paramount Express, and let’s travel back in time to 1936.
‘Rhythm on the Range’
New York heiress Doris Hall0way (Farmer) is engaged to a wealthy man she doesn’t love. Her banker father (Samuel S. Hinds) doesn’t realize how unhappy she is, but her aunt, Arizona rancher Penny Ryland (Lucile Gleason), can see that the young lady is making a mistake. She takes her niece to a rodeo contest at Madison Square Garden. Among the cowboys from Penny’s Frying Pan Ranch competing is Jeff Larrabee (Crosby), who is determined to win the prize Hereford bull, Cuddles.Inspired by her aunt’s advice to marry only for love, Doris boards her aunt’s train headed west, hiding out in the car with Jeff and Cuddles. Jeff isn’t happy when he discovers the stowaway, who claims she is a cook, but she quickly falls for him. When Cuddles chases Doris off the train at a stop, all three end up getting left behind. They spend the rest of the trip camping out of an old car, with three dopy gangsters following them to get a reward from Mr. Halloway. As they endure many difficulties along the way, Doris tries to make Jeff care as much about her as he does Cuddles.
(Frances Farmer), in "‘Rhythm on the Range." Paramount Pictures
‘Waikiki Wedding’
Publicity agent Tony Marvin (Crosby) works for the Imperial Pineapple Company, but he’d rather sail around the Hawaiian Islands with his pal Shad (Burns) and Shad’s pet pig, than do real work. The company’s president, J.P. Todhunter (George Barbier), berates him for abandoning a failing publicity stunt which was Tony’s idea. The “Pineapple Girl” contest promised a prize of three romantic weeks in Hawaii, but the winner, Georgia Smith (Ross) from Birch Falls is not having a good time. Since her reactions will be published by the syndicated press, Tony makes it his business to see that she and her friend Myrtle (Raye) have the romantic experience they crave.
Tony tries to stop them from going home by romancing Georgia, but his first attempts go awry. Just as the girls are about to board their ship, a stranger gives her a mysterious necklace to get through customs. The necklace contains a sacred black pearl, which according to legend must be returned to a shrine to keep the angry volcano from destroying the village. The foursome, plus the pig, heads out on the boat for the island with the shrine. Embroiled in legend, mystery, danger, and romance with Tony, Georgia is finally having an exciting trip.
Crosby sings several tropical tunes in this film. “Sweet Leilani” topped the charts for 10 weeks and won the Academy Award for Best Song of 1937. This film also introduced “Blue Hawaii,” which wasn’t as successful in 1937, but would become a hit for Elvis Presley as the theme song for his 1961 movie of the same name. Shirley Ross joins the crooner for “In a Little Hula Heaven,” “Sweet is the Word for You,” and a reprise of “Blue Hawaii.” Raye sings a comical tribute to a powerful Hawaiian liquor, “Okolehao.”
If you’re a fan of Crosby’s distinct, mellow baritone and laidback personality, you’ll enjoy these two adventures from the first decade of his film career. They have lovely leading ladies, beautiful songs, funny supporting characters, and old-fashioned charm. Neither is a stereotypical romantic comedy, though. The unusual settings give each film its own unique and memorable quality. Crosby also gets to play two interesting characters—a cowboy, of all things, and a shifty publicity man. He turns out to be very good at both.
Both movies are available on DVD.
