''Swing Your Lady'' is a 1938

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

film directed by Ray Enright, starring Humphrey Bogart,

Frank McHugh Francis Curry McHugh (May 23, 1898 – September 11, 1981) was an American stage, radio, film and television actor. Early years Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, of Irish descent, McHugh came from a theatrical family. His parents, Edward A ...

, and

Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films. Early life Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of merchandise bro ...

. Ronald Reagan is also in the cast in one of his early roles. Daniel Boone Savage, a professional wrestler, made his film debut in this feature.

Nat Pendleton Nathaniel Greene Pendleton (August 9, 1895 – October 12, 1967) was an American Olympic wrestler, film actor, and stage performer. His younger brother, Edmund J. Pendleton (1899-1987), was a well-known music composer and choir master ...

was a former Olympic and professional wrestler. In 1938, Brunette singer

Penny Singleton Penny Singleton (born Mariana Dorothy McNulty, September 15, 1908 – November 12, 2003) was an American actress, singer, dancer and labor leader. During her 60-year career on stage, screen, radio and television, Singleton appeared as the ...

was about to turn blonde and embark on a long, hugely successful career playing the iconic comic strip character Blondie in a series of 28 films and a popular radio show. Bogart was apparently becoming very disenchanted with the film roles that Warner Bros. was offering him at this stage of his career; the following year he appeared in his only horror/sci-fi film, ''

The Return of Doctor X ''The Return of Doctor X'' (also billed as ''The Return of Dr. X'') is a 1939 American science fiction- horror film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Wayne Morris, Rosemary Lane, and Humphrey Bogart as the title character. It was based o ...

'', and these were two roles he never liked talking about when he became a major film star several years later; he considered his performance in ''Swing Your Lady'' the worst of his career. ''Swing Your Lady'' features the first film performance by

the Weaver Brothers and Elviry The Weaver Brothers and Elviry were musical comedy vaudeville and film performers, in the " hillbilly" style. The group consisted of brothers Leon "Abner" Weaver and Frank "Cicero" Weaver, with June "Elviry" Weaver. The group headlined a traveling v ...

, a comedy troupe better known as The Arkansas TravelersNot to be confused with Bob Burns' Arkansas Traveler during their many years in vaudeville and on '' The Grand Old Opry'' radio show. Following this performance, the trio was picked up by Republic Pictures for '' Down in Arkansas,'' the first in what was to be a series of 11 comedy films for the studio. ''Swing Your Lady'' is listed in the 1978 book ''

The Fifty Worst Films of All Time ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''.

Plot

Promoter Ed Hatch comes to the

Ozarks The Ozarks, also known as the Ozark Mountains, Ozark Highlands or Ozark Plateau, is a physiographic region in the U.S. states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma and the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas. The Ozarks cover a significant port ...

with his slow-witted wrestler Joe Skopapoulos whom he pits against a hillbilly Amazon

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

, Sadie Horn. Joe falls in love with her and won't fight, at least not until Sadie's beau, Noah, shows up. Love triumphs, despite Ed's machinations, and after defeating Noah, Joe passes on a bout at Madison Square Garden to marry Sadie and take over the blacksmith's shop, while Noah rides away with Ed and his crew.

Cast

References

External links

* * * * 1938 films 1938 romantic comedy films 1930s romantic musical films 1938 musical comedy films American black-and-white films American films based on plays American musical comedy films 1930s English-language films Films directed by Ray Enright Films produced by Samuel Bischoff Films scored by Adolph Deutsch Warner Bros. films 1930s American films Films set in the Ozarks Films about hillbillies {{romantic-musical-film-stub