''Please'' is a 1933

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed and produced by Arvid E. Gillstrom. It stars

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

as himself along with

Vernon Dent Vernon Bruce Dent (February 16, 1895 – November 5, 1963) was an American comic actor, who appeared in over 400 films. He co-starred in many short films for Columbia Pictures, frequently as the foil and the main antagonist and ally to The Thr ...

and

Mary Kornman Mary Kornman (born Mary Agnes Evans, December 27, 1915 – June 1, 1973) was an American child actress who was the leading female star of the ''Our Gang'' series during the Pathé silent era. ''Our Gang'' She was born as Mary Agnes Evans, the ...

Plot

Elmer Smoot and Bing Crosby both have a crush on vocal teacher Beth Sawyer, who is sponsoring an upcoming music recital. Smoot is an aspiring singer who hopes to run Bing Crosby off the radio, though he doesn't realize Crosby's identity when he meets him. They become bitter rivals for Sawyer's affection. At the recital, as Smoot sings the old-fashioned song "Dear Old Girl," Crosby's dog runs loose onto the stage and ruins Smoot's performance. Though Crosby didn't intend for this to happen, Sawyer is embarrassed and angry. Crosby, using the pseudonym of Howard Jones, croons the song "

I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" is a 1932 song recorded by Bing Crosby with Orchestral Accompaniment. The music was composed by Victor Young, with lyrics written by Ned Washington and Bing Crosby. The song is a jazz and pop standar ...

" and wins the audience over. Sawyer is pleased. While Crosby sings, Smoot finds a signed photograph of Bing Crosby and notices the resemblance between him and "Howard Jones". When the song is over, he rushes to the stage and informs the audience that Howard Jones is indeed Bing Crosby. This amuses the audience, and Sawyer is humiliated. Later, Sawyer is surprised by Crosby singing "Please" through her window. Sawyer forgives him, and they kiss. They drive away passing a garage where Smoot is destroying what he erroneously thinks is Crosby's car.

Cast

as himself / Howard Jones *

as Elmer Smoot *

as Beth Sawyer *Dickie Kibby as Sonny *

Dick Elliott Richard Damon Elliott (April 30, 1886 – December 22, 1961) was an American character actor who played in over 240 films from the 1930s until the time of his death. Early years Elliott was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Career Elliott p ...

as Sonny's father *

Dorothy Vernon Dorothy Vernon (1544 – 24 June 1584), the younger daughter of Sir George Vernon and Margaret ''nee'' Talbois (or Tailboys), was the heiress of Haddon Hall, an English country house in Derbyshire with its origins in the 12th century. She marr ...

as an extra in the audience (uncredited)

Reception

The Film Daily liked it saying: "Between Bing Crosby’s several vocal numbers and the intervening comedy sequences this Arvid E. Gillstrom two-reeler manages to be consistently entertaining. Crosby, driving along the road, does a little flirting with Mary Kornman, who turns out to be a voice teacher. So he stops at her place for lessons. A rival, Vernon Dent, pulls various pranks to eliminate Crosby, but only makes things worse for himself, with Crosby finally coming through, not only as the star crooner, but also in a romantic way." In Los Angeles where Bing had recently been appearing, the reception was enthusiastic too. "Two shorts, Bing Crosby in ''Please'' and a Popeye cartoon almost run the main feature off the screen. Crosby sings and clowns with Vernon Dent and, although he has just completed a week at the Paramount, the audience reacted as if he had been off the screen for ages."

Soundtrack

* " You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me" (sung by Bing Crosby) :Music by

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

:Lyrics by

Al Dubin Alexander Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945) was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren. Life Al Dubin came from a Russian Jewish family that emigrated to the United States from Swi ...

* "Dear Old Girl" (sung by Vernon Dent) :Music by Theodore Morse :Lyrics by Richard Henry Buck * "

" (sung by Bing Crosby) :Music by

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

:Lyrics by

Ned Washington Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington, August 15, 1901 – December 20, 1976) was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Life and career Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Bes ...

and

* "Please" (sung by Bing Crosby) :Music by Ralph Rainger :Lyrics by

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1900 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Oscar-winning song "Thanks for the Memory," sung by Bob Hope and Shirl ...

References

External links

* {{Arvid E. Gillstrom 1933 films American black-and-white films Films directed by Arvid E. Gillstrom American musical comedy films 1933 musical comedy films 1930s American films