Wonder Bar (1934)

Harry and Inez are a dance team at the Wonder Bar. Inez loves Harry, but he is in love with Liane, the wife of a wealthy business man. Al Wonder and the conductor/singer Tommy are in love ... See full summary »

Director:

Lloyd Bacon

Writers:

Geza Herczeg (based on the play by), Karl Farkas (based on the play by)

Stars:

Al Jolson, Kay Francis, Dolores del Rio

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Al Jolson	...	Al Wonder
Kay Francis	...	Liane
Dolores del Rio	...	Inez (as Dolores Del Rio)
Ricardo Cortez	...	Harry
Dick Powell	...	Tommy
Guy Kibbee	...	Simpson
Ruth Donnelly	...	Mrs. Simpson
Hugh Herbert	...	Pratt
Louise Fazenda	...	Mrs. Pratt
Hal Le Roy	...	Dancer
Fifi D'Orsay	...	Mitzi
Merna Kennedy	...	Claire
Henry O'Neill	...	Richard - the Maitre'd
Robert Barrat	...	Captain Hugo Von Ferring
Henry Kolker	...	Mr. R.H. Renaud

Storyline

Harry and Inez are a dance team at the Wonder Bar. Inez loves Harry, but he is in love with Liane, the wife of a wealthy business man. Al Wonder and the conductor/singer Tommy are in love with Inez. When Inez finds out, that Harry wants to leave Paris and is going to the USA with Liane she kills him.

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Plot Keywords:

death | husband wife relationship | male female relationship | weapon | waiter | 

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Taglines:

Warner Bros.' Wonder Show of the Century!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 March 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cabaret trágico

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$675,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One scene gave the censors some consternation: A man asks a couple if he can cut into their dance, and while the woman says, "Sure!" and rushes towards him, he dances away with her partner. Upon hearing this, Al Jolson says with a twinkle in his eye: "Boys will be boys!" Warner Brothers refused to cut the scene (and it exists today in the Turner Classic Movies print). At the time, the Production Code was not rigorously enforced. Surprisingly, however, the movie was approved for reissue in 1936 despite this homosexual scene and the fact that someone gets away with murder, both clear violations of the Production Code.

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Quotes

Al Wonder: [rolls eyes as two men dance off together] Boys will be boys, woooo!

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits appear as the respective actors enter the nightclub through a revolving door.

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Connections

Featured in Moguls & Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood: Peepshow Pioneers: 1889-1907 (2010)

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Soundtracks

You're So Divine
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Warren
Used instrumentally only (after "Don't Say Good-Night" sequence)

User Reviews

A strange yet likeable film

I am very fond of Al Jolson, But the only film I have seen with him in it is this one. I like it quite a lot but I found it very strange; what the hell was a murder story doing in a 1930's musical? Well never mind about that, just enjoy the rest of the film, with its fantastic score by Harry Warren (music) and Al Dubin (lyrics). But there is yet another thing which I wasn't particularly fond of in this film which was Dick Powell who, I think, is overrated. If you don't like minstrels then don't see this film (it has Al Jolson in it). Despite being a great lover of music, I am not terribly fond of some of Busby Berkely's stuff, His dance sequences for example, tend to be a bit over-long. Despite the handicaps that I have written here, this film is very watchable. Enjoy. 8/10