''Moonlight and Pretzels'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code musical film, directed by

Karl Freund Karl W. Freund, A.S.C. (January 16, 1890 – May 3, 1969) was an Austrian cinematography, cinematographer and film director best known for photographing ''Metropolis (1927 film), Metropolis'' (1927), ''Dracula (1931 English-language film), Dracul ...

, about a man who puts on a Broadway show. The film was released by

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

and featured Mary Brian and William Frawley, now best-known as "Fred Mertz" on the 1950s TV show ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

''; Freund was the groundbreaking cinematographer for ''I Love Lucy''.

Cast

* Leo Carrillo as Nick Pappacropolis (credited as Leo Carillo) * Mary Brian as Sally Upton *

Roger Pryor Roger Atkinson Pryor (July 19, 1828 – March 14, 1919) was a Virginian newspaper editor and politician who became known for his fiery oratory in favor of secession; he was elected both to national and Confederate office, and served as a gen ...

as George Dwight * Herbert Rawlinson as Sport Powell *

Lillian Miles Lillian Miles (August 1, 1907 – February 27, 1972) was an American actress in several films in the 1930s. Biography Miles was born in 1907 in Oskaloosa, Iowa. Aside from singing and performing in the celebrated 'Continental' musical number in ...

as Elsie Warren * Bobby Watson as Bertie * William Frawley as Mac *Jack Denny as himself (credited as Jack Denny and His Orchestra) *Frank Britton as himself (credited as Frank and Milt Britton and Band) *Milt Britton as himself (credited as Frank and Milt Britton and Band) *Alexander Gray as singer *

Bernice Claire Bernice Claire (born Bernice Jahnigen; January 27, 1906 – January 17, 2003)John Hundley John Walker Hundley (born July 4, 1899, Hightstown, New Jersey – died April 17, 1990, New York City) was an American musical comedy actor, singer, and, later, a CBS television executive. Hundley was the namesake of his grandfather, the Reverend ...

as Man in Bed *Doris Carson as Woman in Bed

Production

The film was not produced in Hollywood, but was filmed at the

Astoria Studios The Kaufman Astoria Studios is a film studio located in the Astoria section of the New York City borough of Queens. The studio was constructed for Famous Players-Lasky in 1920, since it was close to Manhattan's Broadway theater district. The p ...

Astoria, Queens Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City to the southwest, Sunnyside to the southeast ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, primarily used by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. The dances were choreographed by

Bobby Connolly William Harold "Bobby" Connolly (July 4, 1897 – February 29, 1944) was an American choreographer and director, first for Broadway musicals and then for films. Connolly was nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Dance Direction, for his wo ...

Critical reception

A contemporary review in '' Variety'' reported that the film "moves along at a sprightly pace and has sufficient pep to hold interest," noting the film's "several nice tunes," "some good dance routines," and "a good looking line of girls." The review also notes " the negative side of the ledger are a pretty dull and routine story, practically no laughs and no actual cast stars." A modern review of the film by Danny Reid notes that although it "was obviously made on a tight budget ..and its numbers never escape feeling stage bound," it contains "a few undeniable charms that make it an enjoyable experience."

References

External links

* 1933 films 1933 musical films Films directed by Karl Freund American black-and-white films American musical films Films shot at Astoria Studios 1930s English-language films 1930s American films {{musical-film-stub