Main Cast: Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Charlie Ruggles, Ida Lupino, Grace Bradley
Release Year: 1936
Country: US
Run Time: 60 minutes
Plot
Anything Goes is a fun-filled but hardly faithful adaptation of the same-named Cole Porter Broadway musical, with additional songs by Hoagy Carmichael, among many many others. Set on a luxury liner, the story gets under way when Moonface Mullins (Charlie Ruggles), Public Enemy No. 13, slips on board disguised as a bishop. As he weaves in and out of the story, Billy Crocker (Bing Crosby) romances Hope Harcourt (Ida Lupino), titled Englishman Evelyn Oakleigh (Arthur Treacher) also pursues Hope, and brassy entertainer Reno Sweeney (Ethel Merman) chases after Sir Evelyn. Critics in 1934 complained that the original Broadway production's Victor Moore was replaced by Charlie Ruggles, but none could fault Ethel Merman's rendition of "I Get a Kick Out of You", nor her duet with Bing Crosby, "You're the Top" (the only two songs retained from the Porter score!) Anything Goes was remade in 1956, again with Bing Crosby, and again with little fidelity to the original (this remake required MCA Television to retitle the 1936 version as Tops is the Limit). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Anything Goes is a disappointment for those who appreciate fidelity when bringing a Broadway musical to the screen, but many others will not mind the extensive tinkering. Fans of Ethel Merman will have mixed reactions. It's a treat to get to see the legendary stage star recreating one of her trademark theatrical roles. Unfortunately, the part has been severely cut down (and co-star Bing Crosby's commensurately enlarged), and many of her musical number messed around with. She sounds absolutely grand, whether belting out the title tune, giving a wistful rendition of the gorgeous "I Get a Kick Out of You", or romping through the lyrical delights of "You're the Top" with Crosby. But the numbers are not necessarily staged to take best advantage of her, and "Kick"'s on-a-moon-in-a-nightclub setting deprives it of much of its impact. Crosby comes off well, relaxed but commanding, and his crooner style and Merman's Broadway razzle work surprisingly well together. He also makes the most our of additions like "Moonburn" and "My Heart and I," and he's certainly a genial figure to pal around with. Charlie Ruggles adds his special comic persona to the proceedings, and Ida Lupino does very well with the rather-thankless ingénue role. While anything is a bit of a missed opportunity, what's there has plenty of entertainment value. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
This first cinematic version, filmed in black and white, was directed by Lewis Milestone with star Ethel Merman reprising her role as Reno Sweeney, and Bing Crosby in the renamed role of Billy Crockett. Charles Ruggles (replacing Victor Moore), Ida Lupino and Arthur Treacher headed the supporting cast. The film required lyrical revisions of Porter's infamously saucy lyrics to pass Production Code censors. Only four of his songs remained; "Anything Goes", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "There'll Always Be a Lady Fair", and "You're the Top" — all substantially lyrically revised.
Bing Crosby's influence was used to obtained four new songs from three new songwriters, but other than "Moonburn", written by Hoagy Carmichael and Edward Heyman, which temporarily became a hit for Crosby, it is usually agreed that most of the replacement score was forgettable. Some, including movie musical expert John Springer, have criticized Paramount for substituting new songs by other composers for the originals. (This was a common policy in Hollywood during the 1930's, when film studios owned music publishing houses and hoped that songs written especially for films would guarantee extra profits for the studio.)
When Paramount sold the 1936 film to television, they retitled the movie Tops is the Limit because the 1956 film version, also from Paramount, was currently in theaters.
