Michael_Elliott Going Hollywood (1933)*** (out of 4)Light but entertaining comedy, which is pretty much a film that glamorizes stalking. Marion Davies plays Sylvia, a school teacher who quits her job after hearing Bill Williams (Bing Crosby) on the radio. She instantly falls in love with him and decides to track him down. He gives her the slip but she finds him in Hollywood where, as fate would have it, they end up being co-stars. William Randolph Hearst was the backer of this film and wanted Davies to be surrounded by as much talent as possible so he paid an outrageous fortune to get Crosby away from Paramount as well as paying to get Walsh away from Fox. The end result of all the time and trouble made for a good 80-minute comedy that has plenty of small laughs and some nice music. Davies once again comes across very charming and one can't help but fall for her here. She gets to play several parts here as she spoofs a French actress to great effect and also manages to be quite good playing a country good during a great music number set on a farm. There's also a sequence where she goes blackface and ends up making this one of the funniest scenes in the film. Crosby plays the "supporting" part but in many ways this is his film. Not only does he have that great voice going through many nice songs but he also manages to be the perfect mix for Davies comedy. The two stars have great chemistry together and really do make for a believable love story. The supporting cast includes Patsy Kelly, Ned Sparks, Stuart Erwin and Fifi D'Orsay as the mean French woman. The film is certainly a showcase for stalking but no one should take it too seriously as the film wears its heart right on its shoulder and delivers some nice entertainment. Fans of the two stars will certainly want to check the film out but so will others just wanting a good time. If you're not familiar with the stars then this would be a nice place to start out.

C.K. Dexter Haven No story. No substance. No point. Crosby croons some though and that's always worth hearing, but this production is dappled with musical numbers that, though entertaining unto themselves, get in the way of the the hackneyed romance between Crosby and Marion Davies.Marion Davies is not nearly as bad as some comments here suggest. She's adequate as the female lead but still not overly memorable. Nothing about this picture apart from the music really stays in the mind after you see it. And even that doesn't linger long.A curious look at early 30's Hollywood, and Bing on the way up as a song and dance dynamo, but little else to recommend it. One of those so-called classics that makes a good sleep aid.

blitzebill Bing Crosby truly was the quintessential vocalist of his time. I strongly recommend Gary Giddins bio on Bing; an excellent reference.Anyway, the story may be weak in this film, but the songs and Bing's clear baritone voice make up for it.An interesting tidbit about this film: Of course Marion Davies was W.R. Hearst's mistress, and Hearst financed the film. Ms. Davies thus took full advantage of the situation by showing up for filming at 10 AM, shooting a scene or two before a four hour lunch replete with all the catered trimmings and wines. The day wound down by 4PM.It's no wonder it took six months to shoot this film in an era when the typical film was shot in 2 weeks!

jimddddd "Going Hollywood" is one of countless 1930s musicals that Hollywood made about itself, or rather about its own myths. It begins with Marion Davies being so enchanted by Bing Crosby's voice on the radio that she rebels against the stuffy girls' school where she teaches French and goes looking for Der Bingel. The film has all the era's cliches, including Patsy Kelly's butch buddy with a heart of gold, Ned Sparks' caustic sidekick with a heart of bronze, and the usual compliment of corny songs and soft-shoe chorines, but there's no surprise about where this film is going. Marion Davies, enjoying perhaps a 2002 reappraisal because of Kirsten Dunst's fine portrayal of her in "The Cat's Meow," is not all that interesting here and, frankly, is upstaged by her rival Fifi D'Orsy, whom I'd rather spend a night with if I had the choice. Crosby is saddled with mostly forgettable songs (with the exception of "Temptation"), but at least his character shows a dark side behind his easy charm. But overall the flaccid story, Hollywood hokum and badly dated entertainment sink "Going Hollywood" like a stone.