Movie-Mania (1937) User Reviews

Odd, but Interesting

[lunatim-1 · 7/10 · 25 September 2005]

I saw this odd little two-reel Vitaphone short from the late 30s on Turner Classic Movies last night and thought it was quite interesting. It's basically a bunch of musical numbers connected by Dave Apollon and his orchestra.

The opening gypsy sequence had Mr. Apollon doing a virtuoso performance on the mandolin, along with some serious tap dancing by others. It was followed by a so-so Mexican number. There was another sequence with a tap-dancing midget woman who was very good, if somewhat unusual, followed by a final dance sequence with a woman who looked ravishing in a shiny dress. The musical numbers were quite elaborate for a Vitaphone short. Movie Mania isn't exactly Singing in the Rain in terms of quality and budget, but a nice little film that classic-movie buffs would probably enjoy watching.

The Terror of Tinsel Town . . .

[pixrox1 · 6/10 · 23 January 2014]

. . . is oblivion (and we're talking Never-Was-Dom, NOT Has-Been-Dom, a la SUNSET BOULEVARD). Though one of the actresses here also had a bit part in the 1930s flick, THE TERROR OF TINY TOWN, most everybody involved with MOVIE-MANIA from 1937 has suffered from oblivion (I had a dickens of a time even FINDING this 22-minute short on this site; see where--if at all--the search term "Movie-Mania" turns up in the 200 results for that "title search.") The main character here, Dave Apollon, seems to be a pretty hot shot mandolin player. But in trying to understand how Dave could have faded into oblivion, just ask yourself: How many of Hollywood's top 1000 on-screen stars of all time made their name by playing the mandolin? (I'm NOT a musicologist OR a film historian; so please, if you know the answer, put it on a message board on this page). Also, during the "story" part of this short, I don't quite understand WHY Dave thinks he needs a total of 4,000 elephants for the flick he's supposedly directing, let alone 9,000 camels. I understand camels are messier than mules, and I've seen for myself the stench generated every few hundred yards by just a dozen mules on the Bright Angel and South Kaibab Trails in Grand Canyon National Park. Heaven help the guy who puts 9,000 camels on the same lot!

The Mandolinist

[boblipton · 7/10 · 2 July 2023]

Mogul-Producer-Writer David Apollon wanders from movie set to movie set, browbeating the same director each time and playing his mandolin. It's partly an excuse to show off various acts in a two-reel variety show -- I was particularly taken with Tommy Rafferty's eccentric tap-dancing to "Nola" -- but mostly to show off Apollon.

He was born in Kiev, and became, according to Wikipedia "one of the most innovative and influential mandolinists of the twentieth century", which sounds odd, but is more than I am likely to have achieved. He toured with Duke Ellington & Django Reinhardt, and his recording of the theme from "The Third Man" was a hit. Also, here, he's funny.

Why haven't I heard of him before?

[scrabbler · 8 November 2004]

Just saw this on TCM and was very impressed. Apollon was multi talented. He played the mandolin flawlessly. I am a longtime bluegrass fan and don't think I've every heard anybody play that fast without a single mistake. His tap-dancing was pretty fair, too, though we didn't get to see too much of it in this one-reeler.

How do these guys not get noticed, but others with no obvious talent seem to go much further? Judging from this flick, it must have a lot to do with personality. He seems very arrogant, and I assume he was as he did not seem like much of an actor.

Thanks to Ted Turner for unearthing this and so many other interesting if not classic pictures. I can almost forgive you for the whole colorization thing.

great mandolin

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 3 November 2020]

Dave Apollon is a bandleader trying to film his movie "Dark Eyes". He thinks he has to do everything and that's what he does. I don't know anything about Dave Apollon. He's great with the mandolin. In fact, he is amazing with it. As a general entertainer, he has a schmaltzy vaudevillian sensibility. This has some fun song and dance routines. It's something old and a little interesting.

The so-called "director" character in this live-action short . . .

[oscaralbert · 6/10 · 20 November 2019]

. . . "Dave Apollon" seems on the verge of some sort of nervous breakdown. Certainly, no person living in the 1930s would be inclined to accuse MOVIE-MANIA of being an incipient case of "Art foreshadowing Life" when it was released by the always eponymous Warner Bros. in 1937. At the time this came out, viewers wondered WHY Warner felt it necessary to warn America about an insane film studio with producer\director wannabes running amuck, Shilly-Shally-ing from lot to lot, working on gypsy romances, desert epics and musicals simultaneously. Plus, the child welfare crowd would NEVER allow any Real Life film studio to be so abusive toward a singing female minor, as Dave is toward "Yvonne" during MOVIE-MANIA. Well, guess what? IT ALL CAME TRUE--and only two years later! At the nearby Lair of the Groaning Fat Cat, producers and directors were cracking up on a weekly basis, as the strain of rewriting the history of THE WAR TO END LAZY SOUTHERNERS' RACIST EXPLOITATION OF HEROES SUCH AS HARRIET in that now-reviled bladder-buster, GASHED WITH THE WHIP, caused the child abusers to yank director "Vic" off the set of the WIZARD OF OZ and earn more centuries in Purgatory at the helm of GWTW! (And, as JUDY documented this fall, the OZ nightingale was ruined for life!)

Lots of singing and dancing,...and not much else

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 17 October 2006]

This short stars Dave Apollon--a Russian-born Vaudeville performer who you would think was a famous actor and director if you believed the film. However, despite his playing the role of a know-it-all and temperamental director, he only made a very few films in his brief film career.

In the film, he plays the mandolin, sings, dances and even appears in a brief scene as an usher in the movie theater,...as well as the director of this film. It is obvious that he was a pretty talented guy and he seems very self-confident and brash as well--and in many ways a lot like Eddie Cantor. However, unfortunately, Mr. Apollon was far from handsome and I am sure that despite his talents, this must have been why he never succeeded in films.

The short itself is chock full of music, music and more music. If you love 1930s-style production numbers (one involving gypsies, another Latin-American dancers and another a Broadway-like review), then you'll love the film. But despite starting off with a plot, this is soon forgotten and the film has very little to recommend it other than the dancing and music. An interesting curio and that's about all.

Most movies with titles including the word "manic" or "mania" . . .

[cricket30 · 6/10 · 7 March 2020]

. . . involve a lot of firepower. Let this review serve as a warning to all of you Second Amendment fans our there: I did not perceive a single gat during the entire 21-minute running time of MOVIE-MANIA. (Though cinematic heater droughts of this duration generally cause me to doze off, I swear by all the Virtue of the Oval Office that I endured every second of MOVIE-MANIA totally awake!) If you make the misjudgment of viewing MOVIE-MANIA, you'll want to shoot most of the hoofers appearing on screen. Please remember NOT to gun down your television set (unless it's due for an immediate upgrade). Otherwise, why not skip MOVIE-MANIA, and use the 21 minutes to make a generous donation to BANGS (Broke Americans Need Gun Stamps)?

Competent, not special

[ditkomaniac · 4/10 · 25 September 2005]

Competent musicians, slightly below average vaudeville comedy, dancing is barely mediocre except for the male tap dancer who is fun to watch for the first minute, but then you can't wait for him to be done.

It's good to hear a steel guitar used as prominently as it is in this short.

Appolon's mandolin playing is pretty good and worth watching.

The characters around Appolon could just as well have been cardboard cutouts, especially the band which has no life whatsoever.

Appolon's native Russian accent is so cheesy, you almost think he's doing some kind of schtick rather than actually having an accent.

Bottom line: If it's on and nothing else is, give it 20 minutes of your time.

Must have had a following in his day

[petelush · 27 April 2003]

It is not so odd that I have seen this short, as I'm always curious about the old one or two-reelers, and used to catch some back in the late 1940's and early 1950's in my neighborhood movie houses. Hence I immediately bought the laser-disc box sets when they were issued (I think they go for $500 now or some such ridiculous price). Movie Mania is on Vitaphone Shorts: A 70th Anniversay Celebration, a/k/a Cavalcade of Vitaphone Shorts Volume 2 (MGM/UA ML 105220).

Anyway, to get to the point: it is always strange to see an old-timer one has never heard of, when it is evident from the setting that he had a following back in the day. One assumes that if you've heard of Eddie Cantor, Pete Smith, and a few dozen others, you know the lay of the land. But people like Dave Appolon keep popping up. (One of my laser shorts collections has an extended one-man slapstick vaudeville act done by a man so obnoxious, not to mention unfunny, that it's hard to believe he would be invited for dinner, let alone cut a swath in show biz.)

Can't say I like Mr. Appolon. He is clearly master of his instrument, the mandolin, which puts me in mind of one of my friend's favorite put-downs: "it's like being the world's best accordianist". Of course, I don't want to sound or even be a philistine; all music is good, right? Then there's Appolon's personality; he projects himself as an imperious Russian. Just how large was his following? Not worth researching, to me. Now compare a team unknown today: Olson and Johnson. Geniuses who anticipated all the fancy post-modern doo-dads that wow the college circuit -- just catch Hellzapoppin.

Nice Fun

[Michael_Elliott · 23 May 2009]

Movie-Mania (1937)

*** (out of 4)

Vitaphone short has Vaudeville performer Dave Apollon playing a know-it-all director who is making a new film that doesn't sit well with one man. Apollon gets to do various things including singing, dancing and playing the mandolin and it's clear he has talent but looking at his credits on IMDb you'll see he had a very short career in Hollywood. I always love catching this type of short on Turner Classic Movies because you get to see a part of history that is all but forgotten. I especially like catching these Vaudeville acts because most of them are very talented yet their level of success in Hollywood is usually very mixed. I'm not sure why this guy never caught on but this short does provide a lot of entertainment in its 20-minutes. The film starts off trying to tell what some would consider a story but then cuts loose and joins the musical category.