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It starts with an unnecessary, almost out-of-place sequence in which
we, the audience, are seated in the auditorium (as if at least
contemporary audiences had not just gone through that experience in real
life), than we are treated to what's supposed to be a live show, of
variety acts of all sorts, from trick cyclists (the Diacoffs, Paul Gordon)
to magicians (Ron Ormond-mentor Ormond McGill), to jugglers (Duke and
Harry Johnson), speciality dancers (Armando and Lita), singers and
musicians (including Ron Ormond favourites Jimmy & Mildred Mulcay and
singing cowboy Eddie Dean), comedians (Jackie Coogan), even a moviestar
(Lyle Talbot) and whatnot, all hosted by Eddie Garr.
Basically, Varieties on Parade is your typical musical
revue film, but it is not on par with typical big studio revue films from
10 to 20 years earlier, not in scope, not in starpower, not in glamour,
not in anything. Basically, this film is nothing more than a filmed
vaudeville stageshow - and that's where Ron Ormond feels right at home:
While in later days, he has found more fame for his often weird,
dirt-cheap genre movies, he actually had found his start in showbusiness
in vaudeville, and by 1951 when this was filmed, he hadn't left the
vaudeville circuit for long, either - so in a way, this is a loving
tribute to his vaudeville days, and to a form of performing arts that
hasby today (2011) long died out. That said of course, the film in its
simplistic way of putting a vaudeville stageshow to the screen isn't
without its shortcomings: Most of the acrobatic acts lose their tension
when translated to the screen and also seem a bit pitiful in scope, the
comic performances (including a Charlie Chaplin-hommage) could have done
with a bit more gloss, and the musical performances are not exactly
extraordinary. Actually, it's only the performance by dancers Armando and
Lita, who manage to turn a tired dance routine into a physical marital
dispute in less than two minutes that shows any real sparkle of
originality. But all that said, if you're only remotely interested, you
should probably still watch this - as a historical document rather than
great entertainment maybe, but then again, this film isn't a trainwreck
either.
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