Honolulu

Director: Edward N. Buzzell, Edward Buzzell Edward N. Buzzell

Overview

Robert Young appears in a dual role as both a Hawaiian farmer and a movie star who agree to swap places for a change of pace. The comedy team of Burns & Allen co-stars.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/01/2011
UPC:	0883316395721
Original Release:	1939
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	1:24:00
Sales rank:	32,265

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Young	George Smith/Brooks Mason
Eleanor Powell	Dorothy March
George Burns	Joe Duffy
Gracie Allen	Millie de Grasse
Rita Johnson	Cecelia Grayson
Clarence Kolb	Mr. Horace Grayson
Jo Ann Sayers	Nurse
Ann Morriss	Gale Brewster
Willie Fung	Wong
Cliff Clark	First Detective
Edward Gargan	Second Detective
Eddie "Rochester" Anderson	Washington
Sig Rumann	Psychiatrist
Ruth Hussey	Eve
Kealoha Holt	Native Dancing Girl
Edgar Dearing	Jailer

Technical Credits

Frank Partos

Herbert Fields

Edward Buzzell	Director
Frank Partos	Screenwriter
Herbert Fields	Screenwriter
Jack Cummings	Producer

Editorial Reviews

Honolulu is hardly a great musical; in fact, overall it would have to qualify as a very middling one. That said, however, there are a number of elements in Honolulu that are far more than middling. Foremost among these is star Eleanor Powell. Most Powell films exist as a showcase for the star's dancing talents, and this one is no exception. Those glorious taps and dizzying swirls and captivating bends and dazzling arms are very much in evidence here, and watching her go through her routines provides the viewer with a great deal of pleasure. The "hula tap" is especially noteworthy, the Bill Robinson tribute is equally good (even if the blackface is hard to watch) and the jump rope dance is quite delightful. But there are too many stretches between these numbers when the by-the-numbers script intrudes, and Powell's strength is in her dancing; her acting is fine, but not something that can add zing and zest to lackluster dialogue and situations. As the romantic interest, Robert Young is quite enjoyable, dealing with the hoary "identical twins" mix-ups with ease. But Young is not a musical performer like Powell, and so there's an imbalance to the film that's damaging. Fortunately, Gracie Allen and George Burns are also on hand to enliven the proceedings, with an especially fine sequence late in the film that shows the duo off in a particularly good light. The score is jaunty and enjoyable, if not one of Harry Warren's greatest. The script and unimaginative direction -- and lack of color, which the film cries out for -- keep Honolulu from soaring, but those Powell specialty spots are well worth catching.