AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

calvinnme 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.

GManfred This is a museum piece which got worse as it went along. I love Wheeler & Woolsey but this was tough sledding. Had never heard Met tenor Everett Marshall before - great singer, Nelson Eddy-type actor.I stuck with it because I wanted to hear him sing, to watch W&W be funny,to see Bill Robinson dance. Two out of three isn't bad, I guess, as W&W were trapped in their weakest comedy - Joseph Cawthorn was funnier than they were, to give you an idea.It is also a rare opportunity to see Jobyna Howland as the battle-axe wife - a role she was born to play. She died too soon. This must be one of the boys' poorest outings and from the looks of it their most expensive picture. Wish I had better news to relate regarding one of Hollywoods' best and most underrated comedy teams.

juliewhee A real artifact of the earliest talkies and musicals, which includes the first two-strip Technicolor (the last half of the movie). The romance between a New Orleans cabaret singer (Bebe Daniels) and the scion of a plantation (Everett Marshall) is your basic boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl-due-to-misunderstanding-her-selfless-action, boy-gets-girl-back story......all this interspersed with singing, dancing, vaudeville routines (Wheeler & Woolsey), circus acts, chorus girls, contortionists, evil machinations of an oily villain, a near duel, and superb tap-dancing (Bill Robinson)!The dialog and acting are painfully weak and the storyline lurches roughly from scene to scene - often with little sense or continuity. The 75-year-old film is sharply dated by several instances of slaves in the background singin' and workin' happily for their beloved master and being called "boy" instead of by name. The impending Civil War is totally ignored. Still, I recommend "Dixiana" as valuable viewing for its historical Technicolor sequence as well as its illustration of the then-prevailing movie fiction of happy slaves working for benign masters in the sweet and gentle South.

bebegirl35 This was the first movie I purchased with Bebe Daniels! It is pretty good considering when it was made! The jokes never stop and the inuendos are way ahead of their time! I was totally amused with the interaction between the prospective groom's father and stepmother in this film! As I said earlier, the double entendres were plentiful in that relationship! The comedy team of Wheeler and Woolsey were just downright hilarious and the tapdance sequence in technicolor (Bill Robinson, "Bojangles") was absolutely wonderful! Such a rare opportunity to see something like that! The Mardi Gras finale is also rare as it was cut from TV prints for a long time! That is in technicolor also! I ordered the DVD, so if anyone is interested, please email me and I can tell you where to find it online for a very reasonable price!