Dixie Jamboree
Cast & Crew
Christy Cabanne
Frances Langford
Guy Kibbee
Eddie Quillan
Charles Butterworth
Fifi D'orsay
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In the Mississippi town of Clarksville, a sleek limousine pulls up in front of a waterfront bar and out steps J. M. Thornton. Inside the bar, Thornton meets with gangsters Anthony "Tony" Sardell and Jack "Curly" Berger and warns them to leave town because the law is on their trail. After overhearing Captain Jackson, the skipper of the Mississippi showboat Ella Bella , discussing his impending voyage to New Orleans, Tony and Curly decide to book passage on the boat. Jackson, who in addition to being a sea captain also bottles and sells a patent medicine named "Pepto Vintage Water," gives Joe, the bartender, two empty barrels to be filled with water for his elixir. When the crew of the Ella Bella return to load the barrels, they mistakenly take two kegs filled with whiskey instead of water. To promote the Ella Bella 's show, singer Susan Jackson, the captain's niece, gives an impromptu concert on the docks. Susan's performance is interrupted by the trumpet playing of Jeff Calhoun, and by the drumming of his Indian friends, Double and Nothing. When the music threatens to disrupt the peace, the police arrest Jeff, Susan, Double and Nothing. In the jailhouse, Jeff explains that he is unable to play his trumpet without a "tickle" of inspiration, which is usually provided by being in love or being locked in a cell. When Jackson appears to bail Susan out of jail, she persuades him to hire Jeff and his friends to perform aboard the Ella Bella . Once the voyage is underway, Curly becomes seasick and Jackson gives him one of his newly concocted bottles of Pepto Vintage Water to settle his stomach. After taking a gulp from the bottle, Curly realizes that it is filled with whiskey, leading him and Tony to conclude that Jackson is operating a distillery aboard the boat. Thinking that the vessel is loaded with bourbon, Tony and Curly offer to buy the Ella Bella , and when the captain turns them down, they decide to hijack the boat. Jeff, meanwhile, declares his love to Susan and plays a suite on his trumpet. Recognizing Jeff's talent, the Professor, the boat's band leader, offers to transcribe his compositions onto sheet music. When Yvette, another entertainer in the show, starts to flirt with Jeff, Susan becomes jealous and turns her attentions to Tony. Feeling rejected by Susan, Jeff loses his inspiration and, heart-sick, follows her off the stage as the boat approaches New Orleans. In the corridor, they overhear Tony and Curly plotting to steal the boat, and Jeff instructs Susan to stall the crooks while he summons the police. After the boat docks, Susan suggests to Tony that they go ashore with Yvette and Curly. As the foursome dine at a café, Jeff, still attired in his stage costume, and Double and Nothing search for a police officer. Mistaking them for anarchists, the officer arrests the trio and locks them up. When Susan hears the sound of Jeff's doleful trumpet emanating from the police station, she realizes that he has been arrested and hurries to free him. At the station, they see a poster offering a $10,000 reward for the arrest of Tony and Curly. Upon returning to the boat, Susan and Jeff are captured by Tony and Curly and locked in a room with Double and Nothing. Awakened by the sound of Jeff's trumpet playing, the professor wanders the corridor until he hears Jeff's calls for help and unlocks the door. When Tony and Curly then appear, a fight ensues in which Jeff and his Indian friends overpower the crooks. All ends happily as the police arrive to arrest Tony and Curly, and Susan realizes that Jeff loves her and not Yvette.
Director
Christy Cabanne
Cast
Frances Langford
Guy Kibbee
Eddie Quillan
Charles Butterworth
Fifi D'orsay
Lyle Talbot
Frank Jenks
Almira Sessions
Joe Devlin
Louise Beavers
Ben Carter
Gloria Jetter
Edward Shattuck
Ethel Shattuck
Tony Warde
Angel Cruz
Ben Carter Choir
Crew
George Bahr
Michael Breen
Clarence Bricker
Dave Chudnow
Robert Crandall
Edward Davis
Harry D. Edwards
Jack Mackenzie
Sam Neuman
Sam Neuman
Paul Palmentola
Harry Reif
Rudy Schrager
Jack Schwarz
F. Paul Sylos
Lawrence E. Taylor
Edith Watkins
Frank Webster
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The working title of this film was Dixie Show Boat. Although Hollywood Reporter news items add Judy Cook, Renee White, Vernell Vernon and Ralph Peters to the cast, their appearance in the released film has not been confirmed.
