Today's audiences just don't get vaudeville or burlesque humor for the most part, and they certainly don't understand the social mores of the past. For a common entertainer like the title character (played with gusto by Bebe Daniels) to fall in love with a Southern aristocrat (Everett Marshall) and for him to return her affections would shock society, and indeed it does. His Vaugnerian mother (Jobyna Howland) is one of those larger than life dowagers, a woman of tremendous size (in weight and height), who, like Henry Higgins described in "My Fair Lady", has a voice that shatters glass. Howland's demure husband (Joseph Cawthorn) isn't afraid to stand up to her every now and then since he holds the purse strings, but when size comes down to it, she always wins. Gambler Ralf Harolde is also determined to see that Daniels' common past keeps her and Marshall apart, even if it means destroying him in a card game.Along for the ride in this lavish early musical is the comedy team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, then featured performers in films, not quite the headliners of their corny but entertaining second features with titles like "The Nitwits" and "Silly Billies". (They were even featured in a lavish musical called "The Cuckoos", released the same year as this.) Wheeler and Woolsey aren't as full of spitfire wisecracks here as they later would be, although their recurring gag of the "ouch" game is amusing as is the threat of a duel where the be-speckled Woolsey incites squeaky voiced Wheeler to keep hitting him with a glove, ANY glove. Woolsey leads the chorus girls in a very amusing musical number ("A Lady Loved a Soldier") while other lavish musical numbers pop up here and there, although they seem more modern than the era this is supposed to be set in. Dorothy Lee once again plays Wheeler's Olive Oyl-voiced love interest and shares a comic duet with him as well.More of a historical interest for classic movie buffs than for general interest, "Dixiana" isn't a "Show Boat" by any means, but there have certainly been far worse musicals about the old South and certainly ones that were more offensive with racial stereotypes. Bill Robinson pops in for a musical number as well. By 1930, the cameras were beginning to speed things up a little, so this isn't as static as the previous big RKO operetta ("Rio Rita", featuring Daniels, Wheeler and Woolsey, and Dorothy Lee) yet work was still in process of getting the microphone to move along with the camera so movie musicals like this (on the verge of being dead for a few years) wouldn't seem like filmed stage plays.

After the success of "Rio Rita" RKO planned an expensive version of Victor Herbert's "Babes in Toyland" for their new comedy sensations, Wheeler and Woolsey. Production was suddenly called off in favour of a project that reunited director Luther Reed, stars Bebe Daniels, Dorothy Lee etc and composer Harry Tierney and substituted Rio Rita's south of the border setting for New Orleans and Mardi Gras - "Dixiana". But instead of a big hit and in spite of kind reviews Radio was left with a big flop. The leading man was quickly blamed - a bit unfairly. When John Boles proved unavailable, the studio needed another stirring singer to cope with "Dixiana"'s demanding score and thought they had found him in Everett Marshall whose dashing looks and solid baritone had already won him applause at the Metropolitan Opera. Unfortunately he was definitely not at ease before the camera and Bebe Daniels, who was already upset by the lack lustre score and one dimensional role, could see that Marshall was not going to do her any favours in the leading man stakes!!!Jobyna Howland, so hilarious in "The Cuckoos", is hardly seen after the first half hour. Wheeler and Woolsey, in my opinion, an acquired taste, were already laborious in their comedy routines, including one involving chamber pots and another in which they kick people who pick up cigars, seemed never ending. Dorothy Lee's character Nanny turns up out of the blue in mid movie as a love interest to Wheeler's Peewee but she and Wheeler do get to sing and dance the cutest routine "My One Ambition is You". It starts out with shenanigans on a spiral staircase, then a sweet little gavotte and finishes with Nanny losing her hooped skirt and, oblivious, skipping off with the lovestruck Peewee.The movie gets off to a rousing start - after singing the stirring "Mr. and Mrs. Sippi" over the opening credits, Carl (Everett Marshall) journeys to New Orleans to see Dixiana. She is a carnival queen and Bebe Daniels makes a startling entrance - she breaks out of a giant egg singing "Am I Your Baby Now" - but to whom?? It seems Carl has a rival in the form of Royal Montague (Ralfe Harold), a powerful New Orleans gambler. When Royal indicates that Dixiana is not for the likes of the upper crust Carl, Carl takes her and her two side kicks, Ginger and Peewee to his father's plantation. He keeps their theatrical background a secret, announcing them as his distinguished guests. At the welcoming party the songs come thick and fast - "Here's to the Old Days" - Carl says goodbye to his bachelor days, Dixiana questions her worthiness with "A Tear, a Kiss, a Smile". During the party Peewee accidentally gives Dixiana's profession away and after a most unholy scene Mrs. Van Horn (Howland) banishes the trio from her home. When they return to the carnival Royal, who controls the carnival, commands the owner not to re-employ Dixi or her pals - he gives them a job in his gambling house.Once Dorothy Lee makes her appearance she quickly becomes the star - she is fresh, vibrant and cute. Bebe Daniels tries but she is really hampered by a Southern accent as thick as treacle. Ralfe Harold is good as well, although it's not hard to rise above this sort of material. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson makes everything worthwhile. His effortless and stylish stair dance (you can hear every beat of his taps) to "Mr. and Mrs. Sippi" during the film's Technicolor finale - rises above this film, which is a Mardi Gras mess. Even the movie's big song "Guiding Star" is completely forgettable.

This is a museum piece which got worse as it went along. I love Wheeler & Woolsey but this was tough sledding. Had never heard Met tenor Everett Marshall before - great singer, Nelson Eddy-type actor.I stuck with it because I wanted to hear him sing, to watch W&W be funny,to see Bill Robinson dance. Two out of three isn't bad, I guess, as W&W were trapped in their weakest comedy - Joseph Cawthorn was funnier than they were, to give you an idea.It is also a rare opportunity to see Jobyna Howland as the battle-axe wife - a role she was born to play. She died too soon. This must be one of the boys' poorest outings and from the looks of it their most expensive picture. Wish I had better news to relate regarding one of Hollywoods' best and most underrated comedy teams.

Wheeler and Woolsey musical comedy set in the pre-Civil War South is a mixed bag. The comedy duo are not the "stars" of the picture, rather that is Bebe Daniels. Wheeler and Woolsey are instead the comic relief and they do a good job of creating laughs. The plot concerns the pair attempting to make sure that the wedding of their sister goes off with out a hitch. Its a big scale musical of the kind they don't make any more.The film is based on a Broadway show and while it is suitably spectacular at times it suffers from the problem many films of the time suffered from and that is an uncertainty of camera usage. Because of the sound equipment was noisy and large directors and studios were still struggling with how to shoot scenes or move a camera, here the camera is either moving nicely or painfully nailed down. Its a tough slog. Then again the film's operetta style music is really not my cup of tea.If you like musicals its worth a try, especially if you're interested in the history of movie musicals.(I do have to say that rarely have I ever felt a movie recreated a bygone era as well as this film does. Hollywood flourishes aside this film really does feel as if you're watching something from long ago in the deep south)