Roman Scandals

I'd heard and read about this film since I was a kid in the 60's but never got the chance to see it until recently. I suggest you do the same! It's kinda like "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court", "Brigadoon" and "Wizard Of Oz" wrapped into one.
Cantor is a citizen of the American town, West Rome and suddenly finds himself transported to Ancient Rome. David Manners is a co-star and is much better in this film than in the Universal horror classics (like "Dracula") where he played a somewhat smarmy, prissy hero. He goes from bad guy, to good guy, to romantic guy, to action hero and I actually enjoyed him in this film. Gloria Stuart, who played "Old Rose" in 1997's TITANIC, plays Princess Sylvia, and is she ever a hotsy-totsy! Lucille Ball gets billing on the VHS back cover, but none in the film. She's basically just one of the many "Goldwyn Girls" featured. You can also catch a glimpse of Lucy's best friend at the time, Barbara Pepper, another hot Goldwyn Girl who went on to star as Mrs. Ziffel in the 1960's GREEN ACRES tv show! There's a great Busby Berkeley "slave market" scene with the girls stripped naked (honest!), shackled, with their long, flowing blond hair covering all their major body parts. Need more? Some of the jokes are predictable but I found myself laughing aloud at some of the pratfalls. How did the stuntmen survive some of these scenes without being seriously injured? Especially in the great chariot chase scene at the end with Cantor and Manners running from the bad guys. This is great, classic 1930's stuff and if you enjoy old films, this won't let you down.

Arguably Cantor's best film (with "Whoopee" and "Kid Millions" a close second and third), blessed with a great central premise (a la "A Connecticut Yankee"), terrific performances (watch for Lucille Ball as one of the Goldwyn Girls in "Keep Young and Beautiful"), and a great score (the aforementioned number, as well as "Put a Tax on Love" and "Build a Little Home"). A truly captivating time capsule of the musical diversions made to offset the Great Depression, and a compelling reminder of why Cantor was reckoned one of the bright lights of his day!

Yes, I'm under 30, and I love this movie. This is Depression-era musical entertainment at its finest: it's got Eddie Cantor, Ruth Etting, Busby Berkeley directed dance numbers, a chariot race, big sumptuous art deco sets, and truckloads of scantily dressed chorus girls! Although it has its corny moments, it's hardly ever sappy and never slow: a lot of the jokes are still funny, even after 70 years, and the songs are really incredibly catchy, especially "Build a Little Home" and "Keep Young and Beautiful." The plot is whimsical fantasy at its most charming: it's something of a cross between "The Wizard of Oz" and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." By '30's standards, "Scandals" was risque, and by today's standards, it's not particularly politically correct. But who cares? It's loads of fun! (Interestingly enough, I once heard "Keep Young and Beautiful" on an episode of "Daria." An instrumental version was playing over the credits. I never would have thought I would have heard a song by Warren & Dubin on MTV...)