Best Music Movies of 1931
Monkey Business
Four stowaways get mixed up with gangsters while running riot on an ocean liner.

Bimbo's Initiation
Bimbo finds himself surrounded by a mysterious group of robed figures who invite him to become a member of their secret organisation. When he refuses, they fling him through a nightmarish sequence of terror and torture devices. Will our hapless hero make it out alive?

The Smiling Lieutenant
A simple wink, intended by Austrian palace guard Lt. Nikolaus von Preyn for girlfriend, Franzi, is accidentally intercepted -- and misread -- by the visiting Princess Anna. As a result, the soldier has no choice but to marry the royal lady and move with her to the neighboring kingdom of Flausenthurm. His girlfriend follows to continue the romance and, subversively, give Princess Anna tips on how to keep her husband satisfied.

Palmy Days
Musical comedy antics in an art deco bakery (motto: "Glorifying the American Doughnut") with Eddie Cantor as an assistant to a phoney psychic, who is mistaken for an efficiency expert and placed in charge. Complications ensue when the psychic and his gang attempt to rub the payroll.

Nine O'clock Folks
In this short, multiple acts perform before an audience in a town hall. Performers include The Aaron Sisters singing trio and the Mound City Blue Blowers musicians. Another act features a tap dancer whose shoes have extensions on them that allow him to balance on the ends as one might use stilts. In the finale, an "inebriated" dog in the audience performs tricks. The short's title refers to the curfew in the town.

The Barnyard Broadcast
Mickey runs radio station ICU from his barn. His friends play various musical numbers. A cat wanders in and starts yowling (which sets Pluto, who was listing from his doghouse, off). Mickey puts it out, but it, and several kittens, keep coming back in, playing with the equipment, running through the musicians (chased by a broom-wielding Mickey, who does a great deal of damage himself), and generally making a mess of things.

Local Boy Makes Good
John is a timid student who works at the University Book Store. He is studying to be a botanist and has a secret crush on the lovely Julia. One day, one of his letters gets accidentally mailed and Julia receives it. When the letter says that he is a fraternity man and a big track star, Julia rushes right over to see him. But John is neither and Spike, Julia's boyfriend, is a track star at a nearby College. John does not want to enter the track meet so Julia tries to use psychology on him. That and a good wrestling hold makes John timidly agree to enter the race, but Spike still scares him.

I Surrender Dear
A short musical comedic romance starring Bing Crosby as ... Bing Crosby. This 2 reel short was directed by Mack Sennett.
In My Merry Oldsmobile
A lady is rescued from a villain by a heroic young man, who then takes her for a spin in his Oldsmobile.

Flying High
An inventor and his lanky girlfriend set an altitude record in his winged contraption.

The Delivery Boy
Delivery boy Mickey encounters Minnie washing clothes and singing. He stops for a quick song and dance with her. Meanwhile, Pluto gets tangled up in tar. Mickey sends a beehive flying; it lands on his mule, who kicks Mickey's instrument-filled wagon into the air. He plays a march or two on the piano with Minnie, with many animals playing along.
Old Man Blues
A woman sundered from her sweetheart sings the title song as a duet with a personified Old Man Blues, in fog-shrouded woodland.

Kiss Me Again
An officer of the French Military is in love with a shop girl, but his aristocratic father wants him to marry in his class and convinces the girl that marriage would be a mistake. The officer goes off to war and she becomes an opera star.

The Bum Bandit
Masked bandit Bimbo holds up a train carrying someone tougher… Betty Boop (with dog's ears), played by a different, deeper-voiced actress.

Kitty from Kansas City
Sun bonneted Betty Boop takes a train to "Rudy Valley" where she gains weight and Rudy Vallee performs the title song with Bouncing Ball.

Blue Rhythm
Mickey plays a bluesy tune on a piano on a stage. Minnie sings. Then an unseen band plays while both sing and dance. Mickey then leads the 9-piece band in an uptempo number, with Pluto on trombone, Horace on percussion, and Clarabelle on bass, among others. Mickey steps out for a clarinet solo.

One More Time
Cop Foxy is trying to enforce the law in town, but dangerous drivers and gangsters who also kidnap his sweetheart are making this difficult.

Sally in Our Alley
A woman believes her boyfriend died in the First World War, but he is now looking for her

Lady, Play Your Mandolin!
In this first Merrie Melodie short, things are hopping at a certain Mexican café. And then Foxy walks in and the customers go really wild.

You Don't Know What You're Doin'!
Piggy picks up his girlfriend and takes her to a theater where a hot jazz orchestra is playing.

Kiki
A young Frenchwoman is determined to get into and stay in show business, no matter what. Then she's determined to win a recently divorced man's heart... again, no matter what.

The Cuban Love Song
A guilt-ridden U.S. Marine returns to Cuba to try to find the woman he promised to marry.

Red-Headed Baby
The old toymaker goes to sleep, and his toys immediately come to life and sing "Red-Headed Baby." A red-haired baby doll begins the song. She's soon joined by her sweetheart, a toy soldier named Napoleon. A spider briefly spoils the fun when he descends upon the toys and grabs the doll. It's up to Napoleon to save her.

The Animal Fair
An ordinary fair, but run by animals.
Radio Racket
The Aesop Sound Fables, while almost forgotten today, produced some of the strangest cartoons during the Depression with dream-like backgrounds, surreal imagery and some of the best cartoon scores.

City of Song
A tourist guide in Naples is taken on by an English woman impressed by his singing, and who regards him as her protege.
Out of the Blue
Impoverished aristocrat's daughter Tommy Tucker is in love with radio announcer Bill Coverdale, but he is engaged to her more glamorous sister Angela, who he does not love. Seeking escape from this hopeless situation, and her life of genteel poverty, Tommy flees abroad to Biarritz to become a nightclub singer.
I'd Climb the Highest Mountain
After some slapstick mountain climbing, the title song is sung with the Bouncing Ball, then spoofed with humorous images. All animated.
Words & Music
Singer Ruth Eton is looking for some new songs to use in her act. Don Hopkins is a songwriter who wants to break into the business, but knows it is difficult to get music publishers to consider new talent. Don sees Ruth having dinner at a night club and asks for her help.
Showgirl's Luck
The story of a crazy film company attempting to make the first 'talkie' in Australia. Two divas compete for the main role.

The Darktown Revue
With a series of long takes and frontal camera set-ups, Michaeux provides a record of several cabaret acts, using intertitles to separate the individual numbers. This quietly outrageous film begins with the high-toned Heywood Choir singing "Watermelon time" and concludes with Amon David playing a preacher using heavy blackface. Amon Davus was known as "the Back Biting Comedian, Par Excellence", and his sermon is one of Michaeux's many notable send-ups of the clergy.
By the Beautiful Sea
A boy dog walks down the train tracks singing "I Ain't Got Nobody," with a train coming. He looks at a photo of his girlfriend, and she razzes him. He lies down on the tracks, but the train bypasses the section of tracks that he's lying on! He jumps off a cliff, but a tree saves him. The ball bounces... we see him on the sidewalk, crying, and singing to passersby.
Romany Love
A musical film directed by Fred Paul
Devil Sea
Be Like Me
Ethel runs a run down saloon in Nicaragua. Word arrives that the soldiers are pulling out, and most of the American miners and all of the women must ship out on a vessel bound for San Francisco, but her boyfriend has been ordered to remain.
Roaming
A medicine show singer finds her love.
Morita
A short musical film directed by Fred Paul.
In a Lotus Garden
A musical film directed by Fred Paul.
Stepping Stones
A musical film directed by Geoffrey Benstead
The Happiness Remedy
An itinerant medicine salesman sells joy in bottles with the aid of his band.
Somebody Stole My Gal
A boy dog walks down the train tracks singing "I Ain't Got Nobody," with a train coming. He looks at a photo of his girlfriend, and she razzes him. He lies down on the tracks, but the train bypasses the section of tracks that he's lying on! He jumps off a cliff, but a tree saves him. The ball bounces... we see him on the sidewalk, crying, and singing to passersby.

Sunshine Susie
Sunshine Susie was a remake of the German film The Private Secretary, and retained many of the originals general characteristics. Renete Muller who starred in the original, was again cast as the country girl seeking fame and fortune in the big city. She takes a secretarial job at a bank, and sets about catching the heart of her boss, Herr Hasel (Jack Hulbert).

Blue of the Night
Starring Bing Crosby as himself in a short comedy/romance telling a tale of mistaken identity. Two-reeler; directed by Mack Sennett

One More Chance
Bing Bangs (Crosby) is a salesman for "Magic" washing machines and his demonstration of the machine at the beginning of the film results in disaster. Crosby later gains a transfer from Hoboken to California and he drives his wife Ethel and her Uncle Joe (who dislikes Bing) in an open car on the journey having many adventures en route. Uncle Joe presses Ethel to divorce Bing and marry a more desirable suitor called Percy Howard. Ethel, Joe and Percy are dining in a California night club when the announcer refers to the sponsor, the Magic Washing Machine Company and introduces their singer. It is Crosby and he sings "Just One More Chance" and he and Ethel reunite.
Ship Ahoy
Two sailors get romantically involved with a mother and daughter.
Also check Best music movies of 1932.
Check out our top containing the Best Music Movies of 1931 - PickTheMovie.com. This top was obtained with our unique algorithm ordered by our unique ranking system.
