DANCING SWEETIES (1930)

For some, we are told in opening titles, dancing is pleasure--or business--or life. For hunky Bill Cleaver (Grant Withers), dancing seems to be life. Looking to be in his mid-20s, he still lives with his parents and works as a soda jerk, and seems to live only for the madcap evenings he spends at Hoffman's Dance Palace, winning dance contest trophies which he proudly displays on his folks' mantle. His usual partner is a brassy blonde who goes by Jazzbo, and his rival is a slick oily type named Needles. But one night, Bill is captivated by the more wholesome looking Molly (Sue Carol) who is dancing with Needles. Chatting with her, he discovers they both love dancing and both chafe under the parental yolk. He steals her for the climactic waltz contest which they win. When a couple who had won a newlywed contest for a furnished apartment split up before they can claim the prize, Bill and Molly are talked into a quickie wedding so they can win the prize. A month later, the bloom is off the rose; Bill is tired of entertaining boring relatives of Molly's and one night, after telling Molly he has to visit a sick relative, he sneaks out to enter a dance contest with Jazzbo. They win and Molly hears the announcement over the radio. They split up, going back to their families, but months later, they see each other at the dance hall where Molly is dancing with Needles, and sparks fly again.

This is an odd little B-romantic comedy from Warner Brothers, like a comic take on THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY, the grueling period piece from 1969 about the marathon dancers of the Depression. But the Depression isn't bothering anyone here--these crazy but mostly wholesome kids just wanna dance the latest fads to the latest tunes and compete for cheap loving cups. One might think that a major plot point would be the comic incompatibility of our "wed in haste" lead couple, but their first month together is portrayed as happy, until Bill's dancing feet get the best of him. A happy ending is never in doubt. The last shot is a clever comeuppance scene in which Needles and his wife are walking through the park with their baby in a carriage, and come upon Bill and Molly--with two babies! Withers is handsome and cocky, but occasionally seems like he's working a little too hard to be carefree. He does have good chemistry with Sue Carol who never quite got off the ground as a leading lady and left the business just a few years later, and eventually married Alan Ladd. Edna Murphy certainly looks the part of the hardened Jazzbo, and Eddie Phillips is a nice surprise as Needles--he's handsome and funny and serves as a good "man you love to hate," though honestly his character isn't all that bad. My favorite bit is Withers continually calling Carol's mom "Mother" in a misguided attempt to be ingratiating. Pictured from left to right: Murphy, Phillips, Carol and Withers. [TCM]