The crash of the stock market and an irate fianc?e are just two of the romantic hurdles that handsome, hard-drinking business mogul Larry Day (Douglas Fairbanks) must overcome in his stop-at-nothing wooing of aviatrix Vivian Benton (Bebe Daniels). There's also the fact that he's utterly incompetent around women. Luckily his valet (Edward Everett Horton) happens to be a worldly expert in such matters and advises him on the proper way to catch his heart’s desire. Larry follows Vivian aboard a luxurious ocean liner and the two ensnare each other in all sorts of romantic tangles, to the tune of some great Irving Berlin songs. One of them, "When the Folks High Up Do the Mean Low Down" is performed by Bing Crosby in an early film appearance. Designer William Cameron Menzies did the amazing art-deco sets, and created the fantastic miniature city for the tracking shot that opens the film. This elaborate, big budget musical is from director Edmund Goulding, who would go on to direct GRAND HOTEL the following year.

release year: 1931

star(s): Bing Crosby