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Behind the scene at a burlesque show, a haggard manager worries over where his star act is. Bonnie is a show girl, and the fiancee of Skid. He makes it, barely, and is chewed out worse by Bonnie. Can’t she control him, and his tendency to sew his wild oats? Bonnie is relieved to find out her rival, Marco, is leaving for the big time in New York.
After Skid’s act of singing, clowning, and taking pratfalls, he learns his shot at the big time comes as well. First, Al sings,, and Ruby tap dances to, Toot Toot Tootsie. He leaves, but promises to be true to Bonnie, and write her often. Time marches on, Skid never writes, and soon finds his career going nowhere due to his drinking and carousing.
Meanwhile, Bonnie has found a fan, who wants too marry her, and take her back to his ranch out West. Before she can agree to the stable life of a rancher’s wife, she goes to the big city to see how Skid is doing without her. His performance has fallen off, and he takes it hard hearing the potential wedding bells.
Skid has hit the skids, and is fired from his big time gig. Making his way back too that small time theater, he’s in worse shape than ever. Will a phone call to Bonnie pull him out of it? How will her fiancee, Harvey, take it if she runs back to Skid? If she couldn’t control him before, is there any hope for Skid now?
Note: Ruby Keeler was a dancer, singer, showgirl, and actress. She married Al to be his third wife, in a whirlwind romance, after he broke it off with his second wife. In this episode, they refer to their son, Al Junior. Al Jolson never had kids of his own. Over the course of time, he adopted three children. One girl, and two sons. Ruby would be married to Al for 12 years, then have 4 kids from her later husband.
I like the performances of Al and Ruby in this production. Though Lux Radio Theatre tried to get the original stars, neither Al, or Ruby were in this movie. They only starred in one film together, and at a moment when Al’s popularity was waning, and Ruby’s career was beginning to skyrocket.
Bonus Tracks
- Keith shares a few historical tidbits about Al Jolson and Ruby Keeler.
- Ben Selvvin 1930 Around the Corner. Vocals by Vaughn Deleath.
