Sunday Night at the Trocadero

Starring: Reginald Denny, Connee Boswell, The Brian Sisters, Peter Lind Hayes, Gaylord Carter, Dick Foran, John Howard, Margot Grahame, Robert Benchley, Groucho Marx, Chester Morris, Norman Foster, Glenda Farrell
Directed by: George Sidney
Rating: Approved
Genre: Short, Comedy, Music
Length: 21 minutes
1937

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A host of celebrities and those seeking fame converge on the Trocadero for a night of entertainment.

Review:

Tim: Sunday Night at the Trocadero is an interesting little film, although I can't claim I enjoyed it very much. It features a number of musical and comedy acts, as well as a list of cameos from famous Hollywood faces. The whole thing does feel just a tad pointless, although I suppose there's always some benefit to capturing something from the past.

The short is odd- at times, it almost feels like a documentary, as you're seeing these musical acts actually perform. The bulk of the story is certainly a fictional narrative and you can see plenty of acting taking place. Then, there's these Hollywood cameos throughout the film. It feels like the film tries to do multiple things during its runtime and I wouldn't say the experience is necessarily better for it. I wouldn't say anything here is especially compelling. That makes the 21 minute run time feel much longer. By the end of the short, I was mostly just glad it was over. My interest would wax and wane depending on what happened on screen, but this is a short film that certainly bored me for long stretches.

The musical numbers were fine, as they mostly just showcased performers I knew nothing about. It was somewhat fun to watch them perform. That being said, the music is mostly forgettable, a product of a bygone era that doesn't hold up well today. The comedy was okay, but not especially funny. The cameos were decent- it was fun seeing Robert Benchley here. I didn't recognize the mustache-less Groucho Marx, unfortunately. I didn't know many of the others, but you can tell they mattered by how the camera lingered on them.

I suppose people who have deep passion about performers in Hollywood during the 1930s might find some redeeming qualities here, but for the casual moviegoer, this is definitely a short film that you can skip. I wouldn't say it's entertainment value is very high, nor did I learn much from watching it. A Sunday Night at the Trocadero might have been a big deal in 1937, but it doesn't offer much for contemporary audiences.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- N/A



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