Louis Lewyn's Hollywood Parties

During the golden age of Hollywood, the big studios were sort of like an assortment of kids in a neighborhood. Warner Brothers could be called the tough wise-guy, Universal was like that slightly eccentric fellow that liked to read horror stories, RKO was the one who liked to tinker with his erector set, Columbia was that poor kid that was fun to have around.... and then there was MGM, the snooty, pampered rich boy.
Throughout its existence, MGM boasted to have "more stars than there are in the heavens" and, from massive full-color spreads in fan magazines to elaborate one-reelers showing off their facilities, they made damn sure audiences knew about it. And this leads me to a rather peculiar series of efforts produced during the mid 1930's.
Louis Lewyn was a producer at MGM... and beyond that I didn't find that much information. From 1934 to about 1937 he produced a series of Hollywood party films showing everyone's favorite stars having a fine time at high-class spot, with a celebrity host, dancing girls, music and comedy acts.... or attempts at it anyway. All in glorious Technicolor to boot! (That being the one reason for which I discovered these shorts)
Let's take a look:

It's 1934 and, to the tune of "I Saw Stars",  Leo Carrillo hosts Star Night At The Cocoanut Grove. This is the first year 3 strip Technicolor was used in live action so it ain't exactly perfect. From the murky lighting, I'm pretty sure this is the actual Cocoanut Grove we're seeing here. The entertainment for the evening is Ted Fio Rito and his orchestra, and following an introduction, there's what we came here for-

Cameos! This is pretty much what these short subjects were all about - stars sitting down and being greeted by the emcee. And without ever uttering a line. Joining us for the evening are the likes of Sir Guy Standing, Jack Oakie, Richard Cromwell and Gary Cooper (above). But what's an all-star revue without dames?

We're treated to a fashion show, displaying various styles from ancient Egypt to the gay 90's. A rather demure display compared to what's coming next. Incidentally, one of the models seen here is a very young Ann Sheridan. Then comes a bit of entertainment with a fellow named Candy (or so it sounds) who sings in a rather eerie novelty number in alternating falsetto/basso profondo voice. And after El Brendel attempts to autograph a balloon we get a bit of good old rhumba from Eduardo Durant's band and a saucy dancing couple. Throughout the numbers we see quick cuts to the star-studded audience reacting, if sometimes incongrously. And then comes the highlight of the evening:

Mary Pickford and der bingle himself! As pointed out in Jim Lane's Cinedrome, Lewyn would often bring out stars from the silent days out of retirement for a little moment back in the spotlight. Other shorts include cameos by Chester Conklin, Ben Turpin and a certain serious looking fellow we'll be seeing later on.
And following a charming exchange - Bing signs a tune while miss Pickford looks on.
To cap off the evening, we have Ted Fio-Rito who plays an arrangement of King Kamehameha... with the requisite compliment of dancing hula girls and a location shot to boot!
Thus ends out peek at the Cocoanut Grove and the first part of this little series.
In all, this is a fine introduction to this Hollywood party series, the entertainment is mostly top-notch, the cameos look natural enough and it makes for an interesting look at how the Hollywood elite spent the evenings... well, surely a heavily cleaned up look anyway.

In the next part - Pirates! Sombreros! And Jiminy Cricket himself!

(This post is transcribed from our sister blog.... sequel coming soon)