ABSTRACT
In San Francisco Paul Whiteman saw the act, and gave the boys a contract. It was Crosby’s appearance as a solo singer in a series of two-reelers made by Mack Sennett in 1931 which attracted the attention of the gramophone companies, and subsequently aroused interest amongst the radio sponsors. In the touring show they danced, did a black-face act, and Hope sang in a quartette and played a saxophone. Some might prefer crazier comedy, such as Irene Dunne in The Awful Truth, Herbert Marshall in Breakfast for Two, or Jean Arthur in Easy Living. In 1934, two Ufa films produced in Germany were prohibited because the instructions of the board had not been obeyed. The Paramount film Desire could be smuggled in only when the name of Lubitsch, its director, had been cut out. No German synchronization of Ruggles of Red Gap was permitted because of the Lincoln speech on democracy quoted by Charles Laughton.
