Hi De Ho

Starring: Cab Calloway
Directed by: Roy Mark
Rating: Approved
Genre: Musical, Short
Length: 11 minutes
1937

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Cab Calloway goes to a fortune teller, who predicts he will be a famous conductor.

Review:

Tim: Hi De Ho is an interesting little short. The most intriguing thing about it is seeing Cab Calloway in action. He was a famous jazz singer and band leader, and it's entertaining to see him here. His acting might not be incredible, but once he starts singing, it's difficult to not be impressed.

The story itself is fairly bare bones. It starts with Cab and his mother. Cab is dreaming about being a famous conductor. Someone walking past their apartment pokes his head in (which felt a bit rude and creepy to me) and advises Cab to go see a fortune teller. He goes to see her and she predicts he'll be a famous singer. At that point, we see him singing several songs with his orchestra. All the paper thin story aspects do is serve to get us to the music numbers, which is what this short is all about.

Once Calloway starts singing, the short picks up. The guy was seriously talented and had loads of charisma. It's great fun seeing him belt out his numbers. The highlight has to be "Hi De Ho", a song that is instantly recognizable, even though I didn't realize it going into this short.

Now, the appeal here is to see Calloway in action. The weak plot hurts the short as a whole. If you're interested in Calloway or this period in musical history, check this out. If it's not your thing, you aren't missing much by skipping this film.

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



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra