Anything Goes (1936)
In the fun Cole Porter musical Anything Goes, what’s the most famous song? Would it be, maybe, the title song? And if Hollywood made a film version of the musical with Ethel Merman and Bing Crosby, wouldn’t you think they’d include the title song? Not only is “Anything Goes” missing from this 1936 version, but Ethel’s show-stopping “Blow Gabriel Blow” gets replaced by a strange new song “Shanghai-De-Ho”. I’m sure I don’t even have to mention how ridiculous it is.
However, I had an Anything Goes marathon and watched the 1956 version the night after watching this version. I never thought I’d recommend the original, but the remake is so awful, it shouldn’t even be given the same title. At least this version has some of the same songs as the original stage show, and at least it has Ethel Merman in her humorous, wise-cracking glory, and at least it includes the original story and much of the funny dialogue from the stage show. Charles Ruggles is great as the gangster hiding out as a minister, and Arthur Treacher is perfectly cast and hilarious as Evelyn Oakleigh. Every time he opened his mouth I started laughing.
At the end of the day, this version does have some good points, but it also has some major flaws. Purists should definitely stay away from the remake, but if you know what to expect, you can give this one a shot.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on YouTube. And thanks "fansofidalupino" for posting!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 1954 version of Anything Goes here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 1956 version of Anything Goes here!
More Bing Crosby movies here!
However, I had an Anything Goes marathon and watched the 1956 version the night after watching this version. I never thought I’d recommend the original, but the remake is so awful, it shouldn’t even be given the same title. At least this version has some of the same songs as the original stage show, and at least it has Ethel Merman in her humorous, wise-cracking glory, and at least it includes the original story and much of the funny dialogue from the stage show. Charles Ruggles is great as the gangster hiding out as a minister, and Arthur Treacher is perfectly cast and hilarious as Evelyn Oakleigh. Every time he opened his mouth I started laughing.
At the end of the day, this version does have some good points, but it also has some major flaws. Purists should definitely stay away from the remake, but if you know what to expect, you can give this one a shot.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on YouTube. And thanks "fansofidalupino" for posting!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 1954 version of Anything Goes here!
Be sure to check out Hot Toasty Rag's review of the 1956 version of Anything Goes here!
More Bing Crosby movies here!