Story: In antebellum New Orleans, two men vie for the affections of a beautiful young girl during Mardi Gras.
Director: Luther Reed
Writers: Luther Reed (adapted by), Anne Caldwell (story)
Stars: Bebe Daniels, Everett Marshall, Bert Wheeler
Genre: Comedy, Musical
Review: I had never seen the comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey before I saw this movie, and at the very least they are an acquired taste. They were a successful Broadway act that actually helped save RKO from bankruptcy during the Great Depression, but quickly plummeted in popularity after the production code came into effect in 1934 because of their heavy reliance on risqué humor.
Wheeler plays the wide-eyed innocent to the more caustic Woolsey, whose manner is very reminiscent of George Burns. "Dixiana" is basically a musical drama played out in the pre-Civil War south with comedy bits by Wheeler and Woolsey interspersed with the dramatic storyline. The problem is, this movie is just not big enough for the two of them. Wheeler and Woolsey's comedy really has nothing to do with the dramatic storyline, and the dramatic storyline is totally divorced from Wheeler and Woolsey's characters. The funny thing is, this formula worked fabulously in the previous year's "Rio Rita". A large part of that might have been that the male romantic lead in Rio Rita was played by the much more dashing and effective John Boles versus Everett Marshall in this film. Also, Wheeler and Woolsey were given much better comic material in Rio Rita than they were in this film.
This film has fallen into the public domain, and I have seen both a public domain version and the restored Roan version. Scenes have been cut from the public domain versions that cause the film to not make sense at some points. For example, in the public domain version, there is a scene where the villain says he had something to do with rigging a duel resulting in the death of a relative of the hero of the dramatic storyline - and that's the last you ever hear of it. Also, somehow at the end, the heroine, Dixiana, and her boyfriend are reunited, but there never is anything in the movie showing exactly how this was accomplished. These lost scenes are restored in the Roan version, and everything is made clear. I don't like to plug specific products in these reviews, but if you watch the short version you're not giving the film a fair chance.
The music is pretty good, and the musical numbers have very lavish and in some cases unusual sets and costumes. The prime example is the opening number with Wheeler and Woolsey dressed up as dancing ostriches and Dixiana popping out of an egg to do her part of the musical number. I'd say it's worth viewing just for the weirdness of it all.Watch Dixiana (1930) Movie Streaming Online For Free
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