Main Cast: Bing Crosby, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross, George Barbier
Release Year: 1937
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
Plot
This happy-go-lucky musical comedy is set in beautiful Hawaii and follows a public relations man who works for a pineapple company (Bing Crosby) and his pal as they escort a beauty contest winner (Shirley Ross) and her loudmouthed friend (Martha Raye) on a tour of the islands. Unfortunately, the winning beauty finds the islands a crashing bore and plans to return to the mainland. This forces the P.R. man to take drastic and romantic measures to convince her to stay. The song "Sweet Leilani" won an Oscar. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Review
Audiences in 1937 couldn't get enough of Waikiki Wedding, a tremendous hit in its day. To say that it's dated now is an understatement, but for those looking for a pleasant, undemanding little musical, Waikiki will more than fit the bill. Some have observed that this film plays like an Astaire-Rogers film with out Astaire and Rogers, and to some degree it does: it has a similar antagonists-who-must-be-brought-together set up, and both the main and the supporting characters could be dropped into one of the famous duos films with only minor alterations. But Waikiki doesn't have the singular dancing of the team, nor does it have the superior scores associated with their films. Waikiki's songs are good, but they are not special. And though Bing Crosby does quite well as the star, Shirley Ross lacks that extra zing that his co-star should have; she's good, but not outstanding and not a match for Crsoby. Martha Raye and Bob Burns certainly impress as the comic duo, but their styles -- especially Raye's -- may strike modern viewers as a bit overblown. Still, Waikiki is breezy and playful; if it's not a top drawer musical, it's still good fun. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Waikiki Wedding (1937) is a musical film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bing Crosby. Bing plays the part of Tony Marvin, a PR man charged with extolling the virtues of Hawaii. The female lead is Shirley Ross.
Martha Raye, along with Bob Burns, are the "comic relief". The female lead, played by Shirley Ross is a local beauty queen who makes unhelpful comments about the islands. The film was made by Paramount Pictures as a rival to the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films then being made by RKO Radio. The songs included Sweet is the Word for You, In a Little Hula Heaven, Blue Hawaii, Okolehao and Nani Ona Pua. Amongst the supporting cast was a young Anthony Quinn.
The film is best remembered for the song Sweet Leilani with words and music by Harry Owens, which won the Oscar for Best Song in 1937.
