Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round

1934 American drama film

November 2, 1934 (1934-11-02)

Running time

91 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round is a 1934 American drama film with musical and comedic elements, directed by Benjamin Stoloff.

Plot

Gangster Lee Lother (Sidney Blackmer) is shot and killed during an ocean liner cruise, and we're introduced in flashback to the interwoven stories and characters of the suspects: con-man and jewel-thief Jimmy Brett and his accomplice, a wife who bids goodbye to her husband without realizing he'll stowaway to spy on her, the star of the ship's entertainment revue and her brother with gambling debts, and the Inspector who interrupts his vacation to solve the case.

The film's many musical numbers include a Busby Berkeley-like number with chorus girls in geometric patterns filmed from overhead. A song performed by The Boswell Sisters titled "Rock and Roll", written by Richard A. Whiting and Sidney Clare, is sometimes credited as the first use of that term in a popular song,^[1] although in this case the lyrics referred to the motion of the ocean.^[2]

Cast

Gene Raymond as Jimmy Brett
Nancy Carroll as Sally Marsh
Jack Benny as Chad Denby
Sydney Howard as Dan Campbell, the Drunk
Mitzi Green as Mitzi^[3]
Sid Silvers as Shorty
Frank Parker as Frank, the Tenor
Sidney Blackmer as Lee Lother
Ralph Morgan as Herbert Rosson
Shirley Grey as Anya Rosson
Patsy Kelly as Patsy Clarke
Sam Hardy as Jack Summers
William 'Stage' Boyd as Joe Saunders
Robert Elliott as Inspector 'Mac' McKinney
The Boswell Sisters as themselves
Allan Cavan as Ship's Officer (uncredited)
André Cheron as Frenchman (uncredited)
Wallis Clark as Ship's Captain (uncredited)
Don Douglas as Purser (uncredited)
Bess Flowers as Woman in Audience (uncredited)
Mary Forbes as Passenger (uncredited)
Esther Howard as Passenger (uncredited)
Wilfred Lucas as Policeman at Dock (uncredited)
Tom McGuire as Detective (uncredited)
Wedgwood Nowell as Waiter (uncredited)
Dennis O'Keefe as Passenger Watching Revue (uncredited)
Lee Phelps as Porter at Dock (uncredited)
Syd Saylor as Campbell's Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Larry Steers as Passenger Asked to Get Purser (uncredited)

Production

London comic Sydney Howard was imported to star. The original title was London Showboat or Showboat of 1934.^[4]

References

^ Young, William H.; Young, Nancy K. (2007). The Great Depression in America: A Cultural Encyclopedia, Volume 1. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 506. ISBN 978-0-313-33521-1. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
^ "Rock and Roll - the Boswell Sisters".
^ Schallert, Edwin (July 19, 1934). "Mitzi Green, Former Child Star, Gets First Grown-up Role in Edward Small Feature: ACTRESS SCHEDULED TO DO HER IMPERSONATIONS D. W. Griffith Signs to Direct English Pictures; Jack Oakie Stays on at Paramount". Los Angeles Times. p. 11.
^ Schallert, Edwin (May 3, 1934). "Sydney Howard, Top-Notch Comedy Star of England, Signed for Work in Hollywood: "LONDON SHOW BOAT" TO EXPLOIT STAR'S TALENT "Serenade" by Rex Beach May Be Lilian Harvey Film; Peggy Wood Leaves for East". Los Angeles Times. p. 13.