The Vagabond Lover (1929)

RKO, 1929. Directed by Marshall Neilan. Starring Rudy Vallee, Sally Blaine, Marie Dressler, and The Connecticut Yankees.

When Rudy Vallee starred in the film version of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (1967), he had developed into a very accomplished actor. But The Vagabond Lover was made in 1929, at the peak of his success as a megaphone-toting crooner, and back then his Thespian abilities were still questionable. He sounds very stiff most of the time, as though he had been made to memorize his lines and repeat them like a parrot. There is no doubt that Vallee is upstaged by the fabulous Marie Dressler, and even some members of his band, The Connecticut Yankees, do a better acting job than he does.

It's also true that there isn't very much to the plot. TCM says that it's based on Vallee's own career, yet in case it really is, we believe it's very loosely so. But no matter, because the movie reaches its goal: showcasing Vallee's great singing at a time when he was one of the hottest singers in the country, only matched by other great names such as Bing Crosby, Gene Austin, and Russ Columbo.

Even if Vallee's stiffness makes it hard to really believe him as a romantic leading man, the music is excellent, and the movie is loaded with great songs like "A Little Kiss Each Morning" and "Nobody's Sweetheart Now." By the way, the title track, "The Vagabond Lover," written by Vallee himself, was one of his biggest hits, and that may be the reason why the picture is titled after it. Vallee doesn't perform the song during the movie, and it can only be heard over the opening credits. Overall, we think this film is only for diehard fans of Vallee's. We certainly love his music, and so we enjoyed it.

Anton&Erin.