''Jolly Fellows'' (), also translated as ''Happy-Go-Lucky Guys'', ''Moscow Laughs'' and ''Jazz Comedy'', is a 1934

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

, directed by Grigori Aleksandrov and starring his wife Lyubov Orlova, a gifted singer and the first recognized star of Soviet cinema. The script was written by Aleksandrov, Vladimir Mass, and Nikolai Erdman (whose father briefly appears on screen as a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

music teacher). It features several songs which instantly became classics across the Soviet Union. The most famous song — "Kak mnogo devushek khoroshikh" (''Such a lot of nice girls'') — enjoyed international fame, covered as " Serdtse" (''Heart'') by Pyotr Leshchenko. Music was by

Isaak Dunayevsky Isaak Osipovich Dunayevsky ( ; also transliterated as Dunaevski or Dunaevskiy; 25 July 1955) was a Soviet film composer and conductor of the 1930s and 1940s, who composed music for operetta and film comedies, frequently working with the film dire ...

, the lyrics were written by the Soviet poet Vasily Lebedev-Kumach. Both Orlova and her co-star, the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

singer and comic actor

Leonid Utyosov Leonid Osipovich Utesov, also spelled Utyosov or Utiosov, born Lazar (Leyzer) Iosifovich Vaysbeyn or Weissbein (, Odessa – 9 March 1982, Moscow), was a famous Soviet estrada singer, and comic actor, who became the first pop singer to be award ...

, were propelled to stardom after this movie.

Plot

Yelena (Mariya Strelkova), a wealthy aspiring singer who cannot carry a tune, mistakes shepherd Kostya Potekhin (Leonid Utyosov) for the famous

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

ian conductor Costa Fraschini. She invites him to a lavish party at her house. Unaware of the misunderstanding, Kostya attends, bringing along his herd from the

kolkhoz A kolkhoz ( rus, колхо́з, a=ru-kolkhoz.ogg, p=kɐlˈxos) was a form of collective farm in the Soviet Union. Kolkhozes existed along with state farms or sovkhoz. These were the two components of the socialized farm sector that began to eme ...

. His performance on the

pan flute A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have been ...

inadvertently summons the animals, who invade the dining area, causing chaos. Meanwhile, Yelena's maid, Anyuta (Lyubov Orlova), secretly falls in love with Kostya, but his attention is focused on Yelena. When Kostya's true identity is revealed, Yelena rejects him, and her mother expels him in anger. Heartbroken, Kostya leaves for the city to pursue a career as a professional musician. In the city, Kostya faces a series of comedic misadventures as he tries to establish himself in the music world. He eventually joins a jazz band composed of vibrant and eccentric young musicians, the "jolly fellows." Leading the band proves challenging as Kostya must navigate creative differences and fiery tempers among his bandmates. Their rehearsals often spiral into heated arguments and brawls, resulting in them being evicted by their landlord. Forced to practice wherever they can, the band even resorts to performing at funerals for extra rehearsal time. Despite the setbacks, Kostya’s determination helps the band grow into a cohesive group. On a rainy evening, Kostya and his bandmates cross paths with Anyuta, who has made her way to the city. They invite her to join them on their way to a concert, where her exceptional singing talent is revealed. She becomes a key member of the band, and together they begin to achieve success, blending their talents and passion for music. As the "jolly fellows" rise to prominence, Kostya and Anyuta's connection deepens, paving the way for a joyful and harmonious future.

Contemporary criticism

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

, in his 26 September 1935 review for ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

'', wrote that it "is the best thing that has happened to the cinema since

René Clair René Clair (; 11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette (), was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. H ...

made '' The Italian Straw Hat''. Alexandrov, who has been awarded a Soviet Order for his direction, has produced, just as Clair did then, out of the smallest resources and apparently with poor-quality film, a picture of almost ecstatic happiness. ... I have no wish to criticise this film, but simply to rejoice in its wildness, its grotesqueness, its light, taking tunes, a sense of good living that owes nothing to champagne or women's clothes." Film critic

Jean Ross Jean Iris Ross Cockburn (; 7 May 1911 – 27 April 1973) was a British people, British journalist, political activist, and Film criticism, film critic. During the Spanish Civil War (1936–39), she was a war correspondent for the ''Daily Expres ...

— writing as Peter Porcupine in her 1 October 1935 review for '' The Daily Worker'' — effusively praised the film: "The workers in the Soviet Union have introduced to the world an entirely new sort of humour... behind the comedy of ''Jazz Comedy'' is no dismal shadow of tragedy, but the electrifying strength and vitality and freedom of a victorious working class."

Influence

The film was enormously successful in the Soviet Union. It had a small impact much later in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

after it was shown in 1964 at the Australia Cinema in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

and the name "The Jolly Fellows" was used for over a decade thereafter by a small jazz band after the original members, David Meadows, Keith Morgan and Pete Bannister, high school friends and then all aged 19, had seen and enjoyed the film.

Cast

* Leonid Utesov as Konstantin Ivanovich "Kostya" Potekhin, a shepherd and amateur musician * Lyubov Orlova as Anyuta, a housekeeper * Maria Strelkova as Elena, the child of Torgsin * Elena Tyapkina as Elena's mother * Fyodor Kurikhin as torchbearer * Robert Erdman as Karl Ivanovich, music teacher * Arnold Arnold as Gustav Fraschini, conductor from

* Emmanuel Geller as a spectator who, instead of a stage, looked with loving eyes at a friend whose shoes were pinching * Sergey Kashtelyan as musician, instigator of a fight at a rehearsal * Nikolai Otto as musician, instigator of a fight at a rehearsal * Alexander Kostomolotsky as musician * Valentin Parnakh

References

External links

* * http://www.close-up.ru/catalog/detail.php?FID=5325 {{Authority control 1934 films 1930s Soviet films Mosfilm films 1930s Russian-language films 1934 musical comedy films 1930s romantic musical films Films set in Moscow Films set in the Soviet Union Films shot in Georgia (country) Films shot in Moscow Soviet black-and-white films Soviet musical comedy films Russian musical comedy films Russian-language romantic musical films Russian-language musical comedy films Films directed by Grigori Aleksandrov Films scored by Isaak Dunayevsky