365 Nights in Hollywood (1934)

Lightweight, lighthearted

Is the acting and script cheesy? Yes! Is the DVD film capture grainy and scratched? Yes! Do the men wear their trousers belted under their armpits? Yes! Is the plot thin, the hair bleached platinum, the eyebrows plucked to obscurity, and the sets beyond cheap? Yes! All that combines into a DVD that I really enjoyed. There's nothing more comforting on a cold winter night (or a hot summer night) than cozying up with a 70+ year old movie and a glass of Cabernet. Alice Faye (just a newbie in this film) shows us what producers and directors saw in her: a sprite-like smile, pleasant contralto singing voice and solid acting potential. If you're looking for Academy Award worthy film-making/acting or over-the-top Busby Berkeley choreography, this film won't do it for you. It's amusing... yet, nowhere near the level of "The Gang's All Here" or any number of other Alice Faye films. That said, the "Mae West meets Tarzan" dressing room doors routine at the end of this film IS pretty bizarre. If you get a kick out of the ambiance of early '30s lighthearted comedies or comedy/musicals... golly dolly, this is swell. Why not splurge $2.99 and rent it Unbox style? January 28, 2008

Great Movie Poor Quality

365 nights in hollywood is a great movie ,however it is a pity that
the quality is not that great. It is good to see Alice Faye before
she became a household name. James Dunn was very underated and i believe
Hollywood could have done more with him August 26, 2007

VERY early Alice Faye!

A very early film, thought to be lost, showcases Alice Faye in typical role---however she seems somewhat uneasy in this film, not her usual relaxed and in control self. The film is certainly not the quality of her later films, and the story line is a bit jerky and often comes to a stop. The DVD has passable video and sound, but this is not a film you will be wanting to see over and over!!

Best part is at end, when Alice sings---- February 23, 2006

Only for the die-hard fans

Here is Alice Faye in her first year in Hollywood and she convincingly portrays a shy girl trying to establish herself as an actress; in fact, exactly what she was at the time. This doesn't mean that the film or Alice are very good. The script is weak, the production values mediocre and the supporting cast, including the tedious comedians Mitchell and Durant, minor so this is a B grade film all round. Alice really only comes alive in the 2 song numbers and she looks and sounds good in both.

This apparantly was the last remaining print of this film, thought to be lost, so the quality is not very good too. For die-hard fans, it is better than nothing. September 14, 2005

Rare? Yes. Classic? No.

I'm a huge fan of early thirties pre-code musicals but it almost goes without saying that there's even approaching not enough of them available on DVD.

So you'd think this would be a must-have purchase for any lover of art-deco cinema, especially considering the movie's pedigree (long thought lost, last remaining print, rare example from a studio whose back catalog is mostly long since disappeared).

Well - from a purely scholarly point of view it's fairly interesting; in that it's very different from Warners, Paramount or MGM musicals from the same era. It also features a comedy double act (Mitchell & Durant) whose clumsy knockabout slapstick looks so primative to be virually neanderthal (think of Anthony Quinn & Alan Ladd doing a poor imitation of Laurel & Hardy and you'll be close.). Alice Faye is very cute, but given very little to do except emote, plus early on she's asked to do a specific imitation of Jean Harlow (fair enough, Fox were marketing her as their version of the Platinum Blonde, but did they have to be SO blatantly obvious?).

Essentially it's 42nd Street in a studio, with a paired down cast and production values two steps up from a poverty-row production. There's only two proper musical numbers and both are under-rehearsed and unimpressive. You will not be humming the choons/tunes after watching this.

DVD quality is fair, there's some deterioration, but it's the best you'll ever see considering it's the only surviving print. No extras to speak of, except some fun trailers for 50s sci-fi and monster movies.

Although I applaud the fact that a rare musical is, after nearly 70 years once more available to the public, I'd much rather have any number of pre-code musicals available on DVD (any of the Gold-Diggers movies for example) or perhaps some of the long unseen Clara Bow vehicles from her Fox era. It would also be much more preferable to see such Alice Faye vehicles as the original George White's Scandals.

365 Nights in Hollywood fun while it lasts, but with it's forgetable supporting cast and lacklustre production "it just don't cut the mustard". Won't keep you coming back for more and certainly not recommended for those unfamiliar with this era of film-making. I suggest they check out some Busby Berkeley movies, even if it does mean getting them on - gasp! - VHS!! November 5, 2003

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