Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

mark.waltz Today's audiences just don't get vaudeville or burlesque humor for the most part, and they certainly don't understand the social mores of the past. For a common entertainer like the title character (played with gusto by Bebe Daniels) to fall in love with a Southern aristocrat (Everett Marshall) and for him to return her affections would shock society, and indeed it does. His Vaugnerian mother (Jobyna Howland) is one of those larger than life dowagers, a woman of tremendous size (in weight and height), who, like Henry Higgins described in "My Fair Lady", has a voice that shatters glass. Howland's demure husband (Joseph Cawthorn) isn't afraid to stand up to her every now and then since he holds the purse strings, but when size comes down to it, she always wins. Gambler Ralf Harolde is also determined to see that Daniels' common past keeps her and Marshall apart, even if it means destroying him in a card game.Along for the ride in this lavish early musical is the comedy team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, then featured performers in films, not quite the headliners of their corny but entertaining second features with titles like "The Nitwits" and "Silly Billies". (They were even featured in a lavish musical called "The Cuckoos", released the same year as this.) Wheeler and Woolsey aren't as full of spitfire wisecracks here as they later would be, although their recurring gag of the "ouch" game is amusing as is the threat of a duel where the be-speckled Woolsey incites squeaky voiced Wheeler to keep hitting him with a glove, ANY glove. Woolsey leads the chorus girls in a very amusing musical number ("A Lady Loved a Soldier") while other lavish musical numbers pop up here and there, although they seem more modern than the era this is supposed to be set in. Dorothy Lee once again plays Wheeler's Olive Oyl-voiced love interest and shares a comic duet with him as well.More of a historical interest for classic movie buffs than for general interest, "Dixiana" isn't a "Show Boat" by any means, but there have certainly been far worse musicals about the old South and certainly ones that were more offensive with racial stereotypes. Bill Robinson pops in for a musical number as well. By 1930, the cameras were beginning to speed things up a little, so this isn't as static as the previous big RKO operetta ("Rio Rita", featuring Daniels, Wheeler and Woolsey, and Dorothy Lee) yet work was still in process of getting the microphone to move along with the camera so movie musicals like this (on the verge of being dead for a few years) wouldn't seem like filmed stage plays.

calvinnme I had never seen the comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey before I saw this movie, and at the very least they are an acquired taste. They were a successful Broadway act that actually helped save RKO from bankruptcy during the Great Depression, but quickly plummeted in popularity after the production code came into effect in 1934 because of their heavy reliance on risqué humor.Wheeler plays the wide-eyed innocent to the more caustic Woolsey, whose manner is very reminiscent of George Burns. "Dixiana" is basically a musical drama played out in the pre-Civil War south with comedy bits by Wheeler and Woolsey interspersed with the dramatic storyline. The problem is, this movie is just not big enough for the two of them. Wheeler and Woolsey's comedy really has nothing to do with the dramatic storyline, and the dramatic storyline is totally divorced from Wheeler and Woolsey's characters. The funny thing is, this formula worked fabulously in the previous year's "Rio Rita". A large part of that might have been that the male romantic lead in Rio Rita was played by the much more dashing and effective John Boles versus Everett Marshall in this film. Also, Wheeler and Woolsey were given much better comic material in Rio Rita than they were in this film.This film has fallen into the public domain, and I have seen both a public domain version and the restored Roan version. Scenes have been cut from the public domain versions that cause the film to not make sense at some points. For example, in the public domain version, there is a scene where the villain says he had something to do with rigging a duel resulting in the death of a relative of the hero of the dramatic storyline - and that's the last you ever hear of it. Also, somehow at the end, the heroine, Dixiana, and her boyfriend are reunited, but there never is anything in the movie showing exactly how this was accomplished. These lost scenes are restored in the Roan version, and everything is made clear. I don't like to plug specific products in these reviews, but if you watch the short version you're not giving the film a fair chance.The music is pretty good, and the musical numbers have very lavish and in some cases unusual sets and costumes. The prime example is the opening number with Wheeler and Woolsey dressed up as dancing ostriches and Dixiana popping out of an egg to do her part of the musical number. I'd say it's worth viewing just for the weirdness of it all.

MartinHafer While I am NOT a bleeding heart, I do find it very odd that very few of the reviews even bother to mention the racist elements in the film. While I would NOT say that you shouldn't watch it (I am a huge believer in Free Speech...period), I think the problematic view of slavery at least deserves a mention!! After all, as the film begins, you see a plantation owner and his son talking about how happy their slaves are--as the human chattel do their "fun" chores and sing. While this might ruffle a few feathers, this is akin to showing a song and dance number at a Soviet gulag! This just reinforced the horrible stereotype of the 1930s that slavery "wasn't THAT bad"! Seemingly child-like slaves who are happy and carefree is just a gross stereotype.The plot involves a circus performer, Dixiana, who has fallen for rich Carl Van Horn--the family who owns the plantation at the beginning of the film. Carl's father is a nice but hen-pecked guy. His mother is a society-conscious old battle-ax--and when she learns of the marriage between her well-connected son and a common circus performer, she blows a gasket and demands the wedding be stopped. Carl is apparently a wiener and caves to his battle-ax mother's whim. All this comes out as Wheeler & Woolsey (who look after Dixiana) have been invited to stay with the Van Horns. As for the duo's behavior during this time at the Van Horns, they mostly kick people in the butt (I am not exaggerating in the least).As for the film, it's a mixed bag. For a 1930 film, the sound is excellent. Many early sound films suffer from varying sound or sound that is simply too soft, as they had still to work out all the ins and outs of the new medium. Unfortunately, the problem is that because of this you can actually hear what's going on!! That's because the two leads warble operatic style songs that make Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy seem like pop singers! In 1930, the public liked this sort of old fashion drivel--now it is a definite chore to get past these god-awful songs. In addition to these two leads, Bert Wheeler and Dorothy Lee also sing a bit--as does Robert Woolsey near the end of the film. The Wheeler/Lee songs are more cute and enjoyable than the rest, though it should also be noted that Ms. Lee sings almost exactly like Betty Boop!! Be ready to hit the fast-forward button when any song occurs! Be forewarned, there are a lot of songs and they are hard on the ears!Newly teamed comics, Wheeler & Woolsey are on hand for comic relief. Like Abbott and Costello, the studio first used them in this role and only later gave them their own starring films. Their sort of humor is what you might expect--Burlesque style skits and not particularly inspired ones. The team is okay here, but have been better and are not enough to salvage the film. I never thought I'd find myself saying that I wanted MORE Wheeler & Woolsey! The overall film is wretched--far worse than any other Wheeler & Woolsey film I have seen (I've seen about 12-15). While many of their early films have singing, none feature as much or at annoying music. This combined with the whole slavery issue make this a tough film to enjoy.

GManfred This is a museum piece which got worse as it went along. I love Wheeler & Woolsey but this was tough sledding. Had never heard Met tenor Everett Marshall before - great singer, Nelson Eddy-type actor.I stuck with it because I wanted to hear him sing, to watch W&W be funny,to see Bill Robinson dance. Two out of three isn't bad, I guess, as W&W were trapped in their weakest comedy - Joseph Cawthorn was funnier than they were, to give you an idea.It is also a rare opportunity to see Jobyna Howland as the battle-axe wife - a role she was born to play. She died too soon. This must be one of the boys' poorest outings and from the looks of it their most expensive picture. Wish I had better news to relate regarding one of Hollywoods' best and most underrated comedy teams.