''Laugh It Off'' is a 1939 American

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the 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 serve merely as breaks ...

directed by

Albert S. Rogell Albert S. Rogell (August 21, 1901 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - April 7, 1988 Los Angeles, California) was an American film director. Rogell directed more than a hundred movies between 1921 and 1958. He was the uncle of producer Sid Rogell. Filmogr ...

and starring Johnny Downs,

Constance Moore Constance Moore (January 18, 1920 or January 18, 1921Additional on April 23, 2017. – September 16, 2005) was an American singer and actress. Her most noted work was in wartime musicals such as ''Show Business'' and ''Atlantic City'' and the ...

, Marjorie Rambeau and Cecil Cunningham. It was shot at Universal City in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Jack Otterson John (Jack) Edward Otterson (August 25, 1905 – December 22, 1991) was an American Art director#In film, art director. He was nominated for eight Academy Awards in the category Academy Award for Best Production Design, Best Art Direction. H ...

.BFI.org
/ref>

Synopsis

Four veteran

actresses An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

are turned out of an retirement home for entertainers when the Spencer Trust that owns it goes bust. One of them gets her

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

nephew to seek out the only remaining member of the Spencer family, a young woman named Ruth, who proves sympathetic but has no money to help. They next turn to the idea of reopening a failed

gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...

club as a popular

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

in which they will all appear and sing. However this threatens to embarrass their respectable relations who try and prevent it.

Cast

* Johnny Downs as Stephen 'Steve' Hannis *

as Ruth Spencer * Marjorie Rambeau as Sylvia Swan * Cecil Cunningham as Tess Gibson * Hedda Hopper as Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Rockingham * Janet Beecher as Mary Carter * Edgar Kennedy as Judge John J. McGuinnis * Tom Dugan as Rod Bates * William Demarest as Barney 'Gimpy' Cole * Horace McMahon as Phil Ferrranti * Paula Stone as Linda Lane * Chester Clute as Eliot Rigby * Louise Bates as Ellen *

John Dilson John Dilson (February 18, 1891 – June 1, 1944) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 250 films between 1934 and 1944. Selected filmography * ''A Man's Game'' (1934) * '' The Westerner'' (1934) * '' The Girl Who Came Back'' ...

as Dr. Swan * Gertrude Hoffman as Carrie *

Claire Whitney Claire Whitney (May 6, 1890 – August 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actress who appeared in 111 films between 1912 and 1949. Only 21 of these films survive, as most have been lost. Whitney gained early acting experience with a ...

as Miss Martin *

Lillian West Lillian West (March 15, 1886 – April 23, 1970) was an American film actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1916 and 1958. She was born in New York, New York and died in Los Angeles, California. Partial filmography * ''Shad ...

as Sarah * Alan Edwards as Harvey Carter * Jack Norton as Thomas J. Carter, the Drunk *

Brooks Benedict Brooks Benedict (born Harold J. Mann, February 6, 1896 – January 1, 1968) was an American actor of the silent and sound film eras, when he played supporting and utility roles in over 300 films, mostly uncredited. Life He was born to Alice Jul ...

as Casino Croupier *

Dale Van Sickel Dale Harris Van Sickel (November 29, 1907 – January 25, 1977) was an American college football, basketball and baseball player during the 1920s, who later became a Hollywood motion picture actor and stunt performer for over forty years. Van ...

as Policeman *

Fay McKenzie Eunice Fay McKenzie (February 19, 1918 – April 16, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She starred in silent films as a child, and then sound films as an adult, but perhaps she is best known for her leading roles opposite Gene Autry ...

as Chorus Girl

References

Bibliography

* Hischack, Thomas S.. ''1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.

External links

* 1939 films 1939 musical films 1930s English-language films American black-and-white films American musical films Universal Pictures films Films directed by Albert S. Rogell 1930s American films {{Musical-film-stub