This is not one of Fred Astaire's most known films, but its not a bad one either, plus you have solid support from Paulette Goddard, Artie Shaw and Burgess Meredeth.Film Chest did a stellar job with this restoration of this classic film.
This combo pack contains both a blu-ray and a DVD.
Special features include an audio commentary, trailer and restoration demo.
Recommended!
Director: H. C. Potter
Format: Black & White
Region: Region A/1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 2
Run Time: 84 min
Studio: Film Chest
Andrew's Review A notably lackluster vehicle for Fred Astaire, Paulette Goddard, and band leader Artie Shaw, Second Chorus (1941) was a Paramount release that's since fallen into public domain and released in this case by Hal Roach Studios. Fred and pal / rival Burgess Meredith are unusually grating and there's a surprising dearth of singing and especially dancing. Making matters worse is the transfer, allegedly "mastered from [the] original 35mm nitrate camera negative" but so soft with such weak blacks as to suggest a 25-year-old transfer dating back to the early days of VHS.
Fred Astaire and Burgess Meredith are overage college students and swing trumpeters Danny O'Neill and Hank Taylor, respectively, and that's the joke: they keep avoiding graduation so as to continue to rake in dough booking on-campus gigs. Still, it's a little hard to accept Fred was old enough in 1941 to be two college students. When Danny sees an old pal [Frank Melton] turn up with pretty Ellen Miller [Paulette Goddard] under his arm, she instantly falls for Danny, or so it seems. In one of the picture's few clever ideas, she passes under the table what he thinks is her phone number. Actually it's a summons to appear in court; she's a secretary for a collection agency.
Part of the problem is that Danny and Hank want a shot at joining Shaw's band, but they're even more fiercely competitive over their careers than they are with Ellen and only end up pissing off the bandleader. Ellen eventually convinces rich and eccentric bottle cap magnate J. Lester Chisholm [Charles Butterworth] to finance a special concert headlined by Shaw, but Danny and Hank nearly wreck that, too.
In many of Astaire's musicals [and for that matter, Gene Kelly's], he tries to win the girl by essentially pestering her to death, wearing her down to the point of stalking her until she finally gives in and sees what a swell guy he is. This is taken to the next level in Second Chrous. (In truth, Second Chorus was indeed Shaw's last Hollywood film, partly because of his frustrations with director H.C. Potter. Potter kept arguing that Shaw was playing his character all wrong until Shaw, in utter frustration, reportedly stormed off the set yelling, "You idiot I'm playing myself!") Shaw's okay in what amounts to the fourth lead; he's certainly a better actor than any of the other bandleaders of the time, including Glenn Miller who concurrently starred in several Fox pictures. [One should try to catch The Fabulous Dorseys if only for the hysterically awful acting of Tommy and Jimmy]. Butterworth gives the film it's only real charm.
Video & Audio Second Chorus was allegedly mastered off the original 35mm camera negative in 1984. Either this is a really old master, or it was mastered off anachronistic equipment and somebody simply did an awful job. In any case, the image is soft with details lost in a murky blur and grey throughout. The first reel is jittery and there's other damage here and there, but mostly it's the transfer rather than the condition of the film elements. Nighttime scenes come off especially bad; it's hard to make out what's going on in a couple of shots. The DVD is not subtitled, the sound is on the hissy side and there are no visual Extra Features.
Parting Thoughts Astaire regarded Second Chrous as the worst film of his career, and he may just be right. It's not awful, but terribly misguided. Fred Astaire and Burgess Meredith play irritating musicians that don't engender much sympathy, and Fred hardly gets to dance at all.
Finally, despite the slightly negative aspect of this Blu-ray, I still enjoyed it and glad I have it in my Blu-ray Collection, because to have Fred Astaire and Paulette Goddard together was a real treat. As to Burgess Meredith, he seemed totally out of his depth and should not of been in the film. The only eccentric part of this film, is having Charles Butterworth, who only just about makes it throughout the film. As to the Before & After Restoration Demo, this really is the only extra visual you get, which is okay, but I feel that should of done a much better job and not released the Blu-ray until it was 100% perfect, as the first 20 minutes you get a horrible scrapping sound in the background, like the film was not going throughout the gate properly and is very annoying.
Mr. Andrew C. Miller [Your Ultimate No.1 Film Fan]
Le Cinema Paradiso
WARE, United Kingdom
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