Swing High, Swing Low

1937

Swing High, Swing Low

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TOMATOMETER

Total Count: N/A

57%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 90

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Movie Info

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.

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Cast

Carole Lombard
as Marguerite 'Maggie' King
Fred MacMurray
as Skid Johnson
Dorothy Lamour
as Anita Alvarez
Charles Butterworth
as Harry
Jean Dixon
as Ella
Harvey Stephens
as Harvey Dexter
Cecil Cunningham
as Murphy
Charles Arnt
as Georgie
Franklin Pangborn
as Henri
Anthony Quinn
as The Don
Charles Judels
as Tony
Harry Semels
as Chief of Police
Ricardo Mandia
as Interpreter
Enrique DeRosas
as Judge
Enrique de Rosas
as Judge
Chris-Pin Martin
as Sleepy Servant
Lee Bowman
as Man in Nightclub
Nick Lukats
as Man in Nightclub
Darby Jones
as Black Santa Claus
Eumenio Blanco
as Interpreter
George W. Jimenez
as Justice of Peace
Oscar Rudolph
as Elevator Boy
George Sorel
as Manager
Jack Daley
as Dock Policeman
Gino Corrado
as Italian
Paul Newlan
as Army Lieutenant
William Arnold
as Croupier
Frank Whitson
as Gambler
Nick Kobliansky
as Gambler
Louis Natheaux
as Gambler
William Wright
as Attendant
Esther Howard
as Customer
Charles Stevens
as Panamanian at Cock Fight
Spencer Chan
as Cook
Donald Kerr
as Radio Technician
Richard Kipling
as Army Surgeon
Lee Cooley
as Radio Announcer
Ralph M. Remley
as Musselwhite
Dennis O'Keefe
as Purser
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Critic Reviews for Swing High, Swing Low

All Critics (2)

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Audience Reviews for Swing High, Swing Low

  • Oct 08, 2015
    Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl again, roll credits. The charisma of the stars carry the well known story then, and they don't do too badly at all. Look for Anthony Quinn and Dorothy Lamour in smaller parts before they were big time box office draws. MacMurray has to Act like he's playing a trumpet the whole film and I don't think he could play a lick, so that's something.
    Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
  • Oct 06, 2014
    The story has cobwebs on it but Carole and Fred make it far better than it should be. Jean Dixon adds a nice bit of snap in support as well.
    jay n Super Reviewer
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