Not a big fan of this guy:

 

 

Pop-eyed vaudeville whimsy has its charms, but there's something to be said for underplaying things. This was an early, early talkie musical - 1930 - and look who's arranging the dancing, and who's doing the lensing:

 

 

You'll always get some enjoyment out of a Busby production. Gregg Toland was the cinematographer for "Citizen Kane." That movie awaits at the end of the decade; let's see what he's doing when the decade began.

The story takes place at a modern, high-tech doughnut factory, its designs a prelude to the Chicago World's Fair:

 

 

It Glorifies the American Doughnut - a term that's morphed over the years, and come to mean its opposite, at least in outcome; for example, something described as a "glorified X" now means the original item hasn't been altered a great deal, but its pretensions or reputation have been exaggerated. Back then I believe the meaning was "Wonderfully improved."

The glorifyin' gals are making doughnuts in spotless outfits, and move with synchronized precision:

 

 

 

Yes, how do you dress for a job where you're dropping dough into boiling grease which spatters all over the place? A sleeveless backless uniform. Of course.

Work is punctuated by a lengthy exercize session. Behold the Shiva of Pastries. Glorify her!

 

 

And, of course, there's the patented parade-o-gals walking into the camera for the audience to judge and enjoy:

 

 

 

Wonder how many in the audience thought Hey, is that Louise Brooks?

 

 

The choreography is a bit less complex than it would appear in subsequent Busby movies. . .and a bit less precise.

 

 

Plot? Who cares. Stuff happens, people sing. But it's precode, so it has a variety of allusions. If you want to call this an allusion.

 

 

Unpossible! Audiences would not understand that in 1930!

They'd understand this, of course. Sigh:

 

 

It ends with a marriage, but since pop-eyed Eddie isn't handsome, he gets the mannish wacky wide-eyed MAN-HUNGRY GAL.

 

Worth if for Busby fans, if only see how things went in in the early years.