Swingtime in the Movies main backdrop
Swingtime in the Movies main poster

Swingtime in the Movies

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5.9/10 • 12

1938-12-240h 20m

ComedyMusic

In this musical short, a waitress at the Warner Bros. commissary gets her big break.

Directors
Crane Wilbur
Writters
Crane Wilbur
Editors
Crane Wilbur, Everett Dodd

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Fritz Feld

    Fritz Feld

    Mr. Nitvitch

  2. Kathryn Kane

    Kathryn Kane

    Joan Mason

  3. John Carroll

    John Carroll

    Rick Arden

  4. Charley Foy

    Charley Foy

    Sammy

  5. Jerry Colonna

    Jerry Colonna

    The Texas Tornado

  6. Helen Lynd

    Helen Lynd

    Lorna an Actress

  7. Irene Franklin

    Irene Franklin

    Head Waitress Kate

  8. George Brent

    George Brent

    Himself (uncredited)

  9. John Garfield

    John Garfield

    Himself (uncredited)

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 13, 2025

6/10

I bet there were quite a few Hollywood directors who might have seen a bit of themselves in the “Nitvitch” character amiably portrayed here by Fritz Feld. He has a musical in the pipe called “Texas Tornado” and is struggling to find a leading lady who can speak with a Texican accent. Then, as luck would have it, a visit to a staff canteen full of real-life stars supping their 1930s equivalent of a kale smoothie and aspiring actresses who fawn at him, he discovers waitress “Joan” (Kathryn Kane) who has just the voice he’s been seeking. Thing is, though, can she act, or sing, or learn lines? It’s fair to say that his film is really just a portmanteau of themes from the western genre, so we have plenty of opportunity for her to show off her skills on stage and off whilst we take a pop at the vanity of the industry and the pomposity of directors who do that daft thing with their eyes through the square of their fingers. It’s all very predictable, but I think that’s part of the joke. How many movies did we ever sit down to watch and not know just what was going to happen at the end after five minutes? It pings the world of shallow characterisations, derivative writing and is actually quite an entertaining little twenty minutes. It is almost certainly not what you’d expect, given it’s title, so give it a go.

Media

  • Swingtime in the Movies poster
  • Swingtime in the Movies poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
short film