Director: Lloyd Bacon
Year:  1934
Rating: 5.5

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In 1934 the musical Wonder Bar managed to just slip into theaters before the Breen Era of the Hays Code came into full effect. The movie industry had been concerned about pushback from civic groups such as the Catholic League that protested and formed boycotts of what they perceived as immoral acts in film and so had created the Hays Code (overseen by Will Hays) in 1930. But initially they were fairly lax about censoring films – that was to change when Joseph Breen took over in 1934 and brought a puritanical eye to films. From now on any film had to first submit its script to the Hays Office to be approved and often the process became one of bickering and compromise between studios, directors and the censors. But the censors generally had the last word. They had a list of taboo’s that were not to be crossed:


“That those things which are included in the following list shall not appear in pictures produced by the members of this Association, irrespective of the manner in which they are treated:


Pointed profanity – by either title or lip – this includes the words "God," "Lord," "Jesus," "Christ" (unless they be used reverently in connection with proper religious ceremonies), "hell," "damn," "Gawd," and every other profane and vulgar expression however it may be spelled;


Any licentious or suggestive nudity – in fact or in silhouette; and any lecherous or licentious notice thereof by other characters in the picture;


The illegal traffic in drugs;


Any inference of sex perversion;


White slavery;


Miscegenation (sex relationships between the white and black races);


Sex hygiene and venereal diseases;


Scenes of actual childbirth – in fact or in silhouette;


Children's sex organs;


Ridicule of the clergy;


Willful offense to any nation, race or creed;”

In other words all the good stuff though children's sex organs I can gladly do without.


And other no-no’s came into play such as men and women could not be seen to be in bed together and the guilty had to always be caught and punished. These basic rules were to last till the mid-1950’s. So, you will often hear the term pre-code films meaning talkies made before the rules were forcefully applied. These pre-code films were not even close in terms of immorality or nudity to what we have today, but there is sin and sometimes they make it look like fun. This was too much for much of America in the 1930’s.


Wonder Bar breaks a bunch of the rules which is really odd when you consider that it is a musical from Warner Brothers choreographed by their premier choreographer Busby Berkeley. He had already been involved with such classics as 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933 and Footlight Parade. Compared to those films, they miss the boat with Wonder Bar which is why it is rarely even mentioned any more other than for two scenes – one very short and one quite long. Wonder Bar has adultery, homosexuality, racism and a murderer that gets away scot free. There are even two middle class couples from Schenectady who are all intent on cheating on their spouses with gigolos and call girls.


It all takes place in one night in the City of Love, Paris. At the Wonder Bar, a swishy nightclub where people go for fun, for secret liaisons, for heartbreak, for one last night of ribaldry before dying and to see the performers. The owner is played by the legendary Al Jolson of Mammy and blackface fame and watching him perform now – he was at one time titled the Greatest Entertainer in the World – is like having a sharp pebble in your shoe – just annoying and painful as he jumps around warbling and throwing out bad jokes by the basket full. Also, on hand is Dick Powell who had appeared in a few of the Berkeley musicals with ingénue Ruby Keeler who just happened to be Jolson’s wife in the real world. Powell complained that Jolson stole all the good material and had expected better treatment because of his friendship with Keeler – but Jolson stole from everyone. Throw in Dolores del Rio a famous Mexican actress who made it reasonably big across the border, Kay Francis and Ricardo Cortez, who was the original Sam Spade in the 1931 version of The Maltese Falcon.


The musical numbers from Berkeley don’t have the zip that he usually brings but he does have one of his trademark geometrical patterned shot from above scenes and there is of course Going to Heaven on a Mule. Going to Heaven on a Mule may be one of the most offensively racist numbers ever presented. I expect back then most people didn’t raise an eye-brow but seen through our filters it is kind of horrifying. It is sung by Jolson once again in blackface but also with everyone else in blackface – even children angels. Note also that even heaven is segregated.


Now blackface entertainment - which has lately risen its ugly head again - was an American tradition going back to minstrel shows in the mid 1800’s, then moving to vaudeville and to films – so you can’t really single Al Jolson out - but still it feels pretty shameful. The song begins with “Ever since I was a little pickaninny” and progresses from there into a giant 13-minute extravaganza with watermelons and such. The music is actually pretty good and you have to love the conceit – as many of these old musicals did – that this was performed in a nightclub to a small audience. This is just such a bizarre film that it is worth seeing if for nothing else for historical reasons and I don't believe we should ever shy away from our history good or bad.