Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Wyatt There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

utgard14 Cagney sings and swings in this enjoyable musical comedy about a bandleader who goes to Hollywood and winds up brawling with stuntmen. It's lightweight fluff done on an obviously low budget, one of two movies James Cagney did for Poverty Row studio Grand National. It has a nice turn from Jimmy, who gets to show off his dancing skills in the movie's best scenes. Lovely Evelyn Daw plays his singing fiancée and has some adorable dimples. The rest of the cast is fine, including William Frawley and Gene Lockhart. Some of the behind-the-scenes movie bits are fun but the songs are nothing to write home about and the musical numbers aren't as flashy or impressive as what was going on at the bigger studios at the time. Still, as I mentioned before, Cagney is a great dancer so it's worth seeing the picture just to watch him hoof it.

MartinHafer The main plot of this film is fairly entertaining and it hooked me--even though the material seemed awfully familiar. Band leader Jimmy Cagney goes to Hollywood to do a screen test and he becomes a star. The film is filled with interesting behind the scenes intrigue and studio business and is in some ways reminiscent of a light-weight version of A STAR IS BORN and other "behind the scenes" movies. In addition, how the studio head (Gene Lockhart) and publicity agent (William Frawley) schemed is pretty funny and diverting. These two men plus Cagney did a lovely job despite having rather limp support from the rest of the cast.Unfortunately, despite the nice but familiar plot, the film was also chock full of tedious songs. While Cagney's dance numbers weren't bad (what he lacked in grace he made up for in energy), his co-star (Evelyn Daw) sang in a style that was like an amalgam of opera and big band music--something that I disliked intensely. Had she only sang one or two numbers, this might not have been so bad, but she seemed to sing and sing and sing--when all the audience really wanted was more of Cagney and his nice, easy-going personality.Worth seeing for Cagney fans, but definitely one of his lesser films.

whpratt1 James Cagney got tired of film studios wanting him to make gangster films and typecasting him, so he went to Grand National Pictures and made this film with a Independent film maker. In this picture Caqney plays the role as Terry Rooney a band leader who has a great show in Manhattan with a great singer, Rita Wyatt, (Evelyn Daw) and there is plenty of comedy and great dancing routines throughout the show. Terry is very well liked as well as his singer Rita. Hollywood becomes interested in Terry and Bennett Regan, (Gene Lockhart) is a Hollywood director who wants to give Terry a contact to make a picture. Terry finds it hard to break into the Hollywood scheme of things and gets down in the dumps about his performances. Little does Terry realize that the producers and directors all like Terry and feel he is doing a great job, but Bennett Regan does not want to tell him that in order to keep him from getting a big head on his shoulders. Great Cagney film with outstanding dance routines.

bkoganbing Something to Sing About was produced at Grand National Studios where James Cagney was working while under a contract dispute with the brothers Warner. He did two films for this B studio, neither of which rank high in the Cagney credits.One of the great losses to cinema is the fact that Jimmy Cagney did so few films that utilized his terrific dancing abilities. The two that come to mind immediately are Yankee Doodle Dandy and Footlight Parade. Two lesser films are The West Point Story and Never Steal Anything Small. Cagney himself said he never used to watch anything but his musicals in retirement. So why did he make so few of them?Well this one was all wrong. The plot of Something to Sing About concerns a hoofer who fronts for a band who's discovered and given a movie contract. There are the usual complications of a conniving studio boss and a conniving press agent played respectively and well by Gene Lockhart and William Frawley. His contract calls for a no- marriage clause, so Cagney and band girl singer lady Evelyn Daw marry in secret. Then we get the complication of a publicity driven studio romance with screen leading lady Mona Barrie. I think you can figure where this is going.The most disappointing thing about Something to Sing About is the lack of dance numbers for Cagney. He dances briefly at the beginning and the end of the film and nothing in the middle. Evelyn Daw had a nice singing voice and the charisma of a ham sandwich. She got the musical numbers such as they were. I'm sure the movie-going public was paying their tickets to see Cagney dance. Also in addition to giving him some dance numbers a female dance partner would have been nice. He danced well with Ruby Keeler in Footlight Parade and with Virginia Mayo and Doris Day in The West Point Story. Weren't Ginger Rogers, Eleanor Powell or Ruby Keeler available?No memorable songs came out of this. And Daw's voice is waisted as well. She has a Jeanette MacDonald soprano voice which was so out of place with a swing band.No wonder Cagney went running back to Warner Brothers. But they should have given him some decent musicals.