Swing High, Swing Low (1937)
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58% of users liked it
(77 ratings)
Swing High Swing Low is a new coat of paint on the old stage play Burlesque, first filmed in 1929 as The Dance of Life. Ex-serviceman Skid Johnson (Fred MacMurray) rises to the uppermost rungs of show business as a bandleader. As his fame swells, so does his head, and he becomes impossibly arrogant,… More Swing High Swing Low is a new coat of paint on the old stage play Burlesque, first filmed in 1929 as The Dance of Life. Ex-serviceman Skid Johnson (Fred MacMurray) rises to the uppermost rungs of show business as a bandleader. As his fame swells, so does his head, and he becomes impossibly arrogant, forgetting the friends who helped him get to the top -- not to mention his ever-faithful sweetheart, band vocalist Maggie King (Carole Lombard). Consuming great quantities of booze, Skid hits the skids, ending up a skid-row derelict (there seems to be a pattern here). The ultimate humiliation comes when he isn't even allowed to return to the Army because his insides are shot. In the film's calculatedly teary finale, Skid is rescued emotionally and professionally by Maggie, now a big star in her own right. As indicated by the synopsis, the film is banal and old-hat, but the stars are terrific, especially Carole Lombard, who sings in several scenes (and not all that badly!) Swing High, Swing Low was remade in 1948 as When My Baby Smiles at Me. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Mitchell Leisen
- Written By
- George Manker Watters, Virginia Van Upp
- Genres
- Drama, Romance, Musical & Performing Arts
PG,
- In Theaters
- Mar 12, 1937 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Beautifully affecting
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Any film that has Franklin Pangborn, no matter how little screen time, should have been able to swing more high than low.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
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Cast
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Carole Lombard
as Maggie King
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Fred MacMurray
as Skid Johnson
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Charles Butterworth
as Harry
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Jean Dixon
as Ella
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Dorothy Lamour
as Anita Alvarez
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Harvey Stephens
as Harvey Dexter
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Franklin Pangborn
as Henri
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Charles Judels
as Tony
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Cecil Cunningham
as Murphy
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Charles Arnt
as Georgie
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Anthony Quinn
as The Don
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Harry Semels
as Chief of Police
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Enrique de Rosas
as Judge
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Lee Bowman
as Man in Nightclub
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Spencer Chan
as Cook
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Gino Corrado
as Italian
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Jack Daley
as Dock Policeman
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Esther Howard
as Customer
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Darby Jones
as Negro Santa Claus
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Donald Kerr
as Radio Technician
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Nick Lukats
as Man in Nightclub
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Chris-Pin Martin
as Sleepy Servant
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Louis Natheaux
as Gambler
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Paul Newlan
as Army Lieutenant
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Ralph M. Remley
as Musselwhite
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Oscar Rudolph
as Elevator Boy
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George Sorel
as Manager
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Charles Stevens
as Panamanian at Cock Fight
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Frank Whitson
as Gambler
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William Arnold
as Croupier
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Dennis O'Keefe
as Purser
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William Wright
as Attendant
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Richard Kipling
as Army Surgeon
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Eumenio Blanco
as Interpreter
- Nick Kobliansky
