Dixiana/La Cucaracha

I've waited a long time before getting the Roan version of this film. I owned the Alpha version which was decent, until I got the Roan copy. The Roan version outshines any other copy out there. 35mm elements had to of been used, as the print sparkles on the screen. The Tech scenes are bright and totally restored. If you've seen the C& C television print you will fully appreciate this beautiful version of W&W's musical. Not a bad deal for 8 bucks!

Considering the enormous loss of early sound films, it is amazing that Dixiana survived at all. We cannot sit in 2013 and wonder why a film from 1930 does not seem to measure up. We must see it from the viewpoint of that time. 1929 began one of the many financial "Panics in American history before they were called, "Depressions", and general laughter was not easily on the lip. Sex was suggested and, the audiences were not clubbed over the head with it as they are today. Wheeler and Wolsey were not famous by accident. Again, a softer humor was adequate for that time, when it was all absolutely new. Harry Tierney, a household name, was one of the great universally admired American composers for the stage at that time, and Dixiana was first conceived as a stage piece. The public believed, and needed to believe, that happy endings were possible and did not need to be taken through dark psychological labyrinths to find the "truth" they needed. How fortunate they were. Thanks, John Wilson, Music Historian

The DVD cover art for this early Wheeler & Woolsey musical comedy is a bit misleading; Bebe Daniels has top billing over the boys, as they are clearly in supporting roles as comedy leads. The comedy team would get their chance starring in their own vehicles shortly after, beginning with "Half Shot at Sunrise". As one of many stage productions adapted to screen during the early talkie era, it's a pleasant slice of 1800's New Orleans hospitality as Daniels plays the title character Dixiana, an enchanting entertainer introduced into high-brow Orleans society, but harboring a checkered past as a circus star (yes, there was a great deal of prejudice & condescension towards "showbiz folk" back then, apparently). This web of deceit, misunderstandings & star-crossed romance builds to a frothy climax (typical of early 1930's productions). The Wizard of Oz-like switch from black & white to technicolor is something really to behold, considering this was only 1930. So the question remains: Are W&W funny? Well, being a musical comedy, they are forced to share screen time with the many gargantuan musical numbers, so they're appearances are few & far between. But the dueling bit is elaborate & funny. And the running gag about the "cigar game" is good for several chuckles. But in my opinion, W&W would be shown to greater advantage in their starring vehicles. In other words, the best was yet to come. Still, whether your a W&W fan or a fan of early 30's musicals, you'll find this one satisfying!

"Dixiana" is perhaps the worst Wheeler & Woolsey comedy I have ever seen. The good news is, because it is so bad, rarely will you have to sit down and watch a movie as bad. "Dixiana" is one of your typical RKO lavish musicals with big costumes and sets, a somewhat pleasant musical score, and a mixture of romance/comedy/musical. But the film fails to live up to the standard other RKO pictures have set. First of all, I'm not the biggest Wheeler & Woolsey fan in the world. I have however seen 14 of their films together. Why? I like to collect rare films and Wheeler & Woolsey films are rare. If I see one I don't like to pass up the opportunity of collecting them. I don't think Wheeler and Woolsey were as funny as some of the other comedians and comedy teams of their era. I find I'm much more involved in the work of Chaplin, Keaton, Fields, Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers. This is not to say I'm incapable of enjoying one of their films. I am. I have seen a few that I really enjoyed. "Dixiana" takes place in the old south and tells the story of Carl Van Horn (Everett Marshall, whose mustache looks like it is about to eat him alive) he has fallen in love with a circus performer, Dixiana (Bebe Daniels) and plans on marrying her, which will break up her act with two comics, Peewee (Bert Wheeler) and Ginger (Robert Woolsey). Carl's father and stepmother however do not know about Dixiana's past and his stepmother will not allow Carl to marry the women fearing it will ruin her chance of getting into society, especially since Carl's father Cornelius (Joseph Cawthon, who appeared in the much funnier Wheeler and Woolsey comedy "Peach-O-Reno") has just inherited his family's Southern planation. One of the film's biggest mistakes is not allowing Wheeler and Woolsey room for their comedy, even though it is pretty dated with Woolsey's stale one-liners. But, it is my opinion, the best Wheeler and Woolsey films were the ones that didn't concentrate so much on the plot but gave the comedy team plenty of room to do their stuff, that would include "Diplomaniacs" (their best film and one of the funniest comedies of all time), "Peach-O-Reno" and "Hips, Hips, Hooray". "Dixiana" on the other hand take too much time away from the team and injects too much romance. Over half the film involves the love story going on between Dixiana and Carl. We've seen this situation before, especially in Marx Brother comedies made after "Duck Soup" and Laurel and Hardy films of the 40's. It usually upsets fans of the comedy teams because they are mainly there to serve as comic relief, but the comedians usually have all the best parts. And that's pretty much true in the case of this film as well. While I admit, the film as a whole isn't very funny, the film's best moments are when Wheeler and Woolsey are on-screen. Some people also complain the film is racist. I thought only the film's beginning moments, including the title song sung over the opening credits, showcased a kind of racist humor, that no doubt was seen as harmless in the day. I don't think a large number of people though would find the film offensive, in less of course you find unfunny films offensive. Dorothy Lee has a very minor, and useless part in the film as Nanny, a dancer in a gambling casino Wheeler and Woolsey find themselves working in. Lee makes her appearance 50 minutes into the film, and the movie is only 99 minutes to begin with! Her character provides nothing to the story at all, despite the fact that I usually like her. I will in all fairness say her first appearance in the film gives Wheeler and Woolsey perhaps their best routine in the film as each man tries to go up to her room without the other one knowing. "Dixiana" was directed by Luther Reed, a studio director whom had directed Wheeler and Woolsey's first film, "Rio Rita". "Rita" in my opinion was not a great film either, it suffered from this film's same problem of having Wheeler and Woolsey as comic relief, but it is more watchable than "Dixiana". Reed also wrote the film but it was based on a story by Anne Caldwell, who served as a writing source for Wheeler and Woolsey's next film, "Half Shot at Sunrise" (another far better Wheeler and Woolsey comedy). I mention this because Reed and Caldwell have worked with the team before so I find it odd how badly things went here. "Dixiana" was the team's third film (coming behind, in order, "Rio Rita" and "The Cuckoos", the latter being the better of the three) and proves to be lackluster and boring at best. Bottom-line: The stale humor of Wheeler and Woolsey mixed with some racist undertones of the ol' south make "Dixiana" better left unseen. The comedy team is reduced to comic relief (and they barely provide any relief) and is plagued by bad joke after bad joke. Perhaps their worst film.

Only one Bert Wheeler song. Okay movie. Humor very dated. Music not too bad.

DIXIANA is in the public domain, which means that there are many companies that have released versions missing footage that is vital to the plot, as well as being in the original, two-color Technicolor. This Roan version, a version from Grapevine, and possibly a newly-released version do contain the complete film as released in the late summer of 1930. The film is a good example of the extravagant operetta genre popular in the early days of sound. If you don't like musicals, no, you will not like this, but if you are the type of person who watches a film and appreciates the era in which it was filmed, you will like this. The 1934 short LA CUCARACHA is included here, the first live-action film shot in the three-color Technicolor process.

Excellent value for a quality product.