mark.waltz Proclaiming that she's engaged to radio singer (obviously not knowing what he looks like), the determined Marjorie Kane gets the chance when she keeps bumping into him on a train. But her unrelenting suitor (Franklin Pangborn) refuses to let her go and the confusion just gets worse when her friends tell her that they've invited the real Bing Crosby to their pool parry. Bing keeps the deception going for his own amusement, creating more comical mayhem in between songs. This would be Bing's farewell to short films as feature film stardom was right around the corner, giving his fans no doubt of what he really looked like. Moderately amusing with the comical idea of Pangborn being interested in a woman the most unintentionally funny gag in the film.

bkoganbing Blue Of The Night is not the best of Bing Crosby's Mack Sennett shorts which were being used to introduce Crosby as Paramount's new star in terms of comedy. I agree with the person who says it's real hard to imagine Franklin Pangborn as a jilted lover. Pangborn and Bing would later work together in Dr. Rhythm although Pangborn's scenes are with Beatrice Lillie and they're marvelous.But Crosby aficionados will treasure this short subject because besides singing the song that would be his theme we get a chance to hear him Every Time My Heart Sings and My Silent Love, a couple of really great numbers that he never did a studio recording of. They're real gems from Bing's early crooning days and must for every fan to have.For that reason this film is precious.

Michael_Elliott Blue Of The Night (1933)** 1/2 (out of 4)Bing Crosby plays a crooner who gets on a train and ends up sitting by a woman (Marjorie Kane) who just happens to be about to marry another man. On the rip she jokingly says that she wishes she could marry Crosby and a reporter hears this and reports that the two are getting married, which doesn't sit too well with her real boyfriend. This was one of eight two-reelers Crosby made at Paramount under the supervision of Mack Sennett who was working at the studio during the time. If you're look for a funny comedy then you're going to be quite disappointed but even though the "story" doesn't work fans of Crosby will want to turn in for his music alone. "Ev'ry Time My Heart Beats" is sung by Crosby on the train and this is the tune used to have the woman fall for him. It's a simple number in terms of visuals but the vocals are so strong that you really don't need to be looking at anything. Another strong number is Where the Blue of the Night, which the legend performs at the very end. Again, the comic banter surrounding the sequence is pretty unfunny but it's the music that's important. The film's supporting characters are quite weak as is the direction and the slapstick obviously thrown in by Sennett really doesn't work either. Crosby gives a charming performance and that voice is certainly worth sitting through this thing for.

jbacks3-1 Holy cats... Blue of the Night has cute society girl Babe Kane on a train bragging to Der Bingle that she's engaged to none other than Der Bingle. Then he goes off and gets a story planted announcing the engagement. Babe is in a tither and in an inspired bit of casting designed to challenge the suspension of disbelief, the lightly loafered Franklin Pangborn appears as the jilted fiancée, who overhears what he thinks is a plot. This Bing is a fraud? When Bing shows up at the party he bets his way-cool 1932 Cadillac roadster against five bucks that Bing is an impostor. Bing left is i.d. back at home so he sings-- and whistles--- his way through the title song long enough to prove he's the real deal and drives off with Babe in Pangborn's car. Several things distinguish this from Bing's other shorts: it wasn't directed by Mack Sennett so it doesn't have a tacked on car/motorcycle chase, it has very high production values and best of all the ravishing 17-year old Toby Wing (with a decidedly southern drawl) in a swimsuit... humma humma! Otherwise, it's got the typical 'Bing ends up engaged or married plot with the happy couple leaving a debris trail of unhappy relatives and fiancées in their wake' plot that never varied much. As Crosby's shorts go, this is one of the better ones. VIII out of X.