Watch Paramount on Parade For Free

One of my all time favorites.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I used to think KING OF JAZZ, Universal's entry into the studio review genre, was the worst, but Paramount tops it. MGM had THE Hollywood REVIEW, the best of the four; Warners had THE SHOW OF SHOWS; Paramount has PARAMOUNT ON PARADE.Only 1 hour and 19 minutes, 20 seconds of this survives, leaving 21 minutes missing. I believe this is lost Technicolor footage (recently restored by UCLA), featuring four numbers: Dream Girl; Singing in a Gondola; The Gallows Song; and Isadore the Toreador.What's left has only one redeeming feature and that is Maurice Chevalier in three numbers: History of the Apache (with Evelyn Brent and obviously directed by Lubitsch); One Girl (most likely directed also by Lubitsch) and the Sweeping The Clouds Away finale.The comedy and musical numbers are from hunger with cheesy sets, forgettable writing and songs, and blah performances. Elsewhere in other reviews here you will find a run down of the numbers and their performers. Perhaps the worst singing is that f Nancy Carroll, although she dances well. Ruth Chatterton even sings better than Carroll, but her number is stupid and beneath her dignity as a dramatic actress.It's fun to see all four of these, just to marvel at how talentless most all the studios were with the advent of sound and musical savor faire. Only MGM comes out on top.

Odd mix of music comedy and sketches show casing all of Paramount stars at the time.Since its release the Technicolor sequences were removed or only presented in black and white (the final musical number on the roof tops). Trims over time reduced this from its original 104 minutes to 77. the version I saw ran 73 minutes.(and as anyone who's ever talked about the film has said this film has several introductions for sequences that never come) A scatter shot affair this has some winning things in it (the final dance number), some strange things (Fu Manchu, Philo Vance and Sherlock Holmes all together in a comedy sketch) and some not so good things (a couple of the songs are duds). Clearly made to cash in the idea of all singing and all dancing as well as to assure the public enough stars that some one they like would be in it, this film is too much of a "good" thing. If you like revues this film I suppose would be great, except that the up and down nature makes it hard to really get into an groove of enjoyment. The film isn't bad, but then again it isn't wholly good, or good enough to make it anything more than a curio. To be honest I don't know if I would watch it again in its present form, though if it were ever restored to full length and with the color sequences I might give it ago again (if for no reason then to see the introduced but removed sequences).6 out of 10. More if you're a fan of old musicals.

When "Paramount on Parade" was filmed - Paramount had more musical stars than any other studio. The other studio revues (MGM's "Hollywood Revue of 1929" and Warner's "Show of Shows") may have been more flashy but most of the stars were not singers or dancers and people went for the novelty of seeing their favourites trying to sing or dance.In 1930 Nancy Carroll was voted "Queen of the Screen" and Maurice Chevalier was the new sensation of the movies - both were Paramount players. Helen Kane was also very much in vogue (although within a year her popularity had nose -dived). There are three Masters of Ceremonies - Leon Errol, Skeets Gallagher and Jack Oakie are introduced singing "Paramount on Parade".As dredmn says several of the segments are missing. Among the sketches I liked:- "Any Time's the Time to Fall in Love" - was sung by Buddy Rogers and Lillian Roth looking vibrant and happy."What Did Cleopatra Say" - Helen Kane attempts to teach history to a class (including Mitzi Green and Jackie Searle)."I'm True to the Navy Now" - Clara Bow was fantastic - she could really sing (apparently she had to film her segment during a break from another movie and also do her own hair.)Jack Oakie and Skeets Gallagher were sailors."Dance Mad" - "Dancing to Save Your Soul" was the highlight for me. Coming out of a shoe box Abe Lyman and his band played the song. Nancy Carroll was completely gorgeous and sang in a very sweet voice. Al "Rubberlegs" Norman was on hand and he and Nancy did a funny, eccentric dance."I'm in Training for You" - Jack Oakie and Zelma O'Neal did a novelty song and dance in a girl's gym.( I think Mitzi Mayfair was a featured dancer.)Maurice Chevalier came on for his first number "All I Want is Just One Girl" - it's great - Chevalier plays a gendarme who is helping out lovers in a park in Paris.Mitzi Green then comes out to sing the song as Maurice Chevalier and Moran and Mack would sing it. I actually really like her and found her very talented."Impulses" - I really loved - I thought it was very funny. George Bancroft (a movie tough guy of the day) in a sketch where people followed their impulses (elegant Kay Francis cracked a vase over Bancroft's head.)The finale was "Sweeping the Clouds Away". Maurice Chevalier was a chimney sweep with a chorus of pretty sweeps. It was originally in colour and would have been beautiful. Chevalier climbs a ladder to the top of the rainbow and the sweeps have transformed into the colours of the rainbow. I enjoyed this film so much.

Well much of this Paramount landmark talkie is missing but what remains is entertaining and it's fun to see the old stars in their primes. Copying MGM's Hollywood Revue of 1929, which earned a best picture Oscar nomination and was a smash, Paramount on Parade has a lot of talent but the film seems cheesy compared to the MGM revue. However, this served as the talkie debut of a lot of stars on the Paramount lot. Among the major names: Clara Bow, Maurice Chevalier, Kay Francis, William Powell, Jean Arthur, Gary Cooper, Nancy Carroll, Ruth Chatterton, Fay Wray, Fredric March, Lillian Roth, Buddy Rogers. And also Jack Oakie, Mitzi Green, Leon Errol, Harry Green, Stu Erwin, Cecil Cunningham, Warner Oland, Eugene Palette, Clive Brook, Skeets Gallagher, Al Norman, Mary Brian, Zelma O'Neal, Helen Kane, George Bancroft, Mischa Auer, etc.Most of the skits are duds but the musical numbers of funny and snappy, especially Chevalier in "Sweeping Away the Clouds," Helen Kane in a "Poop-a-Doop" classroom number, 8-year-old Mitzi Green doing impressions, Clara Bow in her splashy Navy number, Nancy Carroll quite good in her "shoe" dance, and Jack Oakie and Zelma O'Neal in their gym number.Where the MGM film had unity via a master of ceremony (Jack Benny) this film seems like a bunch of "shorts" strung together but maybe that's because of the missing material.Most at ease among the many big stars are Clara Bow and Maurice Chevalier who are energetic, snappy, and not afraid of the mike..... Worth a look.