I am hard at work in the writing-sequel-to-Team-Human, researching-the-1930s word & image mines, which led to watching “The Truth About Youth” (1930). Man raises best friend’s son (known as the Imp) after best friend dies and encourages a match between the Imp and his housekeeper’s daughter (Loretta Young). But the Imp is in love with wicked exotic dancer, Myrna Loy, and Loretta Young is in love with the guardian. (Oh no! How can they resolve such a mess?) It’s not bad by early talkie standards. (I.e. it’s bad by any other standards.)
The problem with casting Myrna Loy as a dancer, is, um, well, you’ll see.
Just so you know I do love Myrna Loy. The Thin Man movies fill my heart with joy. But the following? To say that she can’t sing or dance is to be kind. I suffered through it now you should too.
Feast your eyes:
Myrna Loy-The Truth about Youth-1930 by redhotjazz
This post brought to you by demonic voice recognition software. Apologies for brevity, wrong word choices, weird syntax and occasional incomprehensible swearing.
That was pretty entertaining! I also love Myrna Loy. She was wonderful in a dramatic role in the movie “Wife vs. Secretary” with Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. But she couldn’t sing a note! (I love how the audience seems so awed by her performance! Leave the singing to Judy Garland, please!)It is unusual for a person of my age to be interested in old movies and I am thrilled that you decided to post this clip. I am also looking foreward to the 1930s novel. There aren’t a whole lot of books set in the ’30s for young adults. I hope there will be more.
That was pretty bad. This summer in Atlanta Stormy Weather was playing at the national Black Arts Festival. I’d never seen it so I went with a friend. The best part of the movie was Nicholas Brothers dance. They were amazing.
I highly recommend watching their serious dance skills
Books Before Boys: If you hit the 1930s NYC Novel category you’ll find other such clips. Well, except that they’re actually good. Here’s to loving movies from many years before we were born!
Doret: The Nicholas Brpthers are pure genius. I love that sequence! In fact, I blogged about it here.
The Nicholas Brothers did a fabulous dance with Gene Kelly in “The Pirate”. They were athletic dancers and their dances were choreographed well. I agree that they were absolutely amazing!It’s too bad that their style of dancing has gone virtually extinct.
I’m pretty sure that it’s not Myrna Loy singing, and not just because she’s doing a very bad lip synching job. It was not unusual for them to dub actresses in films, even ones who could sing. And the voice is in a different register and much brassier than Loy’s speaking voice. I suspect they figured they needed some vaudeville singer with volume. Of course, the dancing is on her.