Jimmy Savo Movies
- 1952
This is a '50s comedy and dance revue with such performers as Jan Murray, Jimmy Savo, Dorothy Claire and Tommy Wonder. ~ Rovi
- 1938
This harmless Universal musical comedy is worth having as one of the few filmed records of legendary Broadway comedian Jimmy Savo (his previous starrer, Once in a Blue Moon, is among the rarest of collector's item). The story proper is carried by Robert Wilcox and Nan Grey, cast as a pair of mismatched lovers who share a common interest in horse racing. Hero and heroine get mixed up in a shady get-rich-quick scheme, which threatens to turns disastrous but which ends up solving everyone's problems. Harry Davenport adds a touch of gentle pathos as a blind horseplayer. Jimmy Savo's pantomime turns and musical numbers were not up to his usual standard (at least that's what the critics said), but they play rather well when seen today, even though Savo's patented streak of healthy vulgarity had to be soft-pedalled for the screen. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Wilcox, Nan Grey, (more)
- 1937
Merry-Go-Round of 1938 was the first (and last) of a proposed series of films spotlighting top Broadway talent. Three headliners from the Great White Way--comedian Bert Lahr, pantomime artist Jimmy Savo and monologist Billy House--team with veteran Hollywood scene-stealer Mischa Auer. The storyline has our four heroes taking care of a cute little girl, but the plot is forgotten amidst a series of choice specialty acts, including Lahr's legendary "Woodman Spare That Tree." Universal took a bath with Merry-Go-Round of 1938, which explains why you never saw the 1939 edition. As for the stars, Bert Lahr went on to Wizard of Oz; Jimmy Savo returned to Broadway; Billy House became a Hollywood character actor; and Mischa Auer continued to be everyone's favorite "Gloomy Russian." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bert Lahr, Jimmy Savo, (more)
- 1936
Hecht and MacArthur's Once in a Blue Moon was an unsuccessful attempt to fashion a film vehicle for legendary Broadway comedian Jimmy Savo. The pixieish star is cast as Gabbo the Great, a circus performer in pre-Revolutionary Russia. A sensitive soul, Gabbo is afforded an opportunity to prove his loyalty to the Motherland by delivering an urgent message to a Russian general (Nikita Balieff, who died just after completing his role). Savo's great appeal lies in his whimsical pantomime, not his handling of dialogue; alas, he is saddled with reams and reams of satirical dialogue, very little of which was genuinely amusing. Though co-scripters Ben Hecht and Charlie McArthur are credited with the direction, it was an open secret in 1936 that most of Once in a Blue Moon was directed by cinematographer Lee Garmes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nikita Balieff, Cecilia Loftus, (more)
- 1928
No relation to the British "Carry On" series of the 1950s, the Canadian WWI seriocomedy Carry on Sergeant was written and directed by Bruce Bairnsfather, the cartoonist-creator of woebegone British soldier "Old Bill." The story begins in a Canadian locomotive plant, where heroes Hugh Buckler and Jimmy Savo (a legendary Broadway comedian, making a rare screen appearance) labor away, unaware that a German spy is in their midst. When war is declared, Buckler and Savo enlist in the Canadian Highlanders, but not before Buckler is able to marry heroine Nancy Hargreaves. Rising to the rank of sergeant, Buckler tries to do his duty to the best of his ability, but his competence is compromised by an on-and-off love affair with French temptress Louise Cardi. Feeling guilty about his indiscretions, Buckler returns to the front, where he is promptly killed. It is up to his pal Savo to tie up loose plot ends by capturing the spy who has been weaving in and out of the plotline since the first reel. Over a year in the making, Carry On Sergeant ended up costing half a million dollars, the highest-budgeted Canadian film of its time. It is still available for reappraisal from several mail-order "public domain" videocassette companies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jimmy Savo
