Something to Sing About

1937
U
1h 33m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

James Cagney and Evelyn Daw in Something to Sing About (1937)

A New York bandleader journeys to Hollywood when he is offered a contract with a studio, but he is determined to do things his way and not theirs.A New York bandleader journeys to Hollywood when he is offered a contract with a studio, but he is determined to do things his way and not theirs.A New York bandleader journeys to Hollywood when he is offered a contract with a studio, but he is determined to do things his way and not theirs.

Director
- Victor Schertzinger
Writers
- Victor Schertzinger
- Austin Parker
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.2/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Victor Schertzinger
Writers
- Victor Schertzinger
- Austin Parker
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 1 nomination total

User reviews33

Featured review

7/10

Cagney was Outstanding

James Cagney got tired of film studios wanting him to make gangster films and typecasting him, so he went to Grand National Pictures and made this film with a Independent film maker. In this picture Caqney plays the role as Terry Rooney a band leader who has a great show in Manhattan with a great singer, Rita Wyatt, (Evelyn Daw) and there is plenty of comedy and great dancing routines throughout the show. Terry is very well liked as well as his singer Rita. Hollywood becomes interested in Terry and Bennett Regan, (Gene Lockhart) is a Hollywood director who wants to give Terry a contact to make a picture. Terry finds it hard to break into the Hollywood scheme of things and gets down in the dumps about his performances. Little does Terry realize that the producers and directors all like Terry and feel he is doing a great job, but Bennett Regan does not want to tell him that in order to keep him from getting a big head on his shoulders. Great Cagney film with outstanding dance routines.

whpratt1
Jan 17, 2008
Permalink

Photos41

+ 33

More like this

6.3

7.2

7.4

6.5

7.1

6.8

6.3

7.7

5.9

6.8

7.9

Angels with Dirty Faces

6.8

Souls at Sea

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
Known as "the picture that broke Grand National". Grand National Pictures, which produced and distributed it, was a "B" studio known mostly for low-budget westerns and action pictures. It signed James Cagney during one of his frequent disputes with Warner Bros. and saw this picture as its chance to compete with the major studios by doing a lavish musical with a major star. It poured more than $900,000 into this film--not much by MGM or 20th Century-Fox standards but a tremendous sum for a small studio like this. Unfortunately, the film was a major flop and the studio lost just about all the money put into it. Grand National, established in 1936, folded in 1939, having never recovered from the financial beating it took on this picture. Its remnants were purchased by RKO in 1940.

Goofs
Rita is in New York when she reads of Terry's supposed relationship with Steffie on the front page of the "Express" newspaper. Meanwhile in Hollywood, Terry learns of the false rumours in exactly the same way, from the exact front page of an identical "Express" newspaper. Props used the same newspaper for both coasts. Highly unlikely.

Quotes
Rita Wyatt: [laying down winning cards] You now owe me 129 million dollars.
Terrence 'Terry'; Rooney: A mere bagatelle.
Rita Wyatt: I'll settle for a box of candy.
Terrence 'Terry'; Rooney: You'll take chewing gum and like it.

Connections
Featured in Hooray for Hollywood (1982)

Soundtracks
Something to Sing About
(uncredited)
Written by Victor Schertzinger
Sung over the opening credits by Evelyn Daw
Sung by James Newill
Reprised by Evelyn Daw
Played as background music often