Wonder Bar
Warner Bros.' Wonder Show of the Century!
1934 | 84m | English
Popularity: 3 (history)
| Director: | Lloyd Bacon |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Earl Baldwin |
| Staring: |
| Harry and Inez are a dance team at the Wonder Bar. Inez loves Harry, but he is in love with Liane, the wife of a wealthy business man. Al Wonder and the conductor/singer Tommy are in love with Inez. When Inez finds out that Harry wants to leave Paris and is going to the USA with Liane, she kills him. | |
| Release Date: | Mar 31, 1934 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Lloyd Bacon |
| Writer: | Earl Baldwin |
| Genres: | Drama, Romance, Crime, Music |
| Keywords | death, pre-code, black face |
| Production Companies | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 Entered: Apr 26, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Al Jolson | Al Wonder |
| Kay Francis | Liane Renaud |
| Dolores del Río | Inez |
| Ricardo Cortez | Harry |
| Dick Powell | Tommy |
| Guy Kibbee | Henry Simpson |
| Ruth Donnelly | Emma Simpson |
| Hugh Herbert | Corey Pratt |
| Louise Fazenda | Pansy Pratt |
| Hal Le Roy | Himself |
| Fifi D'Orsay | Mitzi |
| Merna Kennedy | Claire |
| Henry O'Neill | Richard |
| Robert Barrat | Hugo Von Ferring |
| Henry Kolker | R. H. Renaud |
| Gino Corrado | Waiter #2 (uncredited) |
| Jane Darwell | Baroness (uncredited) |
| Bill Elliott | Norman (uncredited) |
| Pauline Garon | Telephone Operator (uncredited) |
| George Irving | Broker (uncredited) |
| Bert Moorhouse | Joe (uncredited) |
| Dave O'Brien | Chorus Boy (uncredited) |
| Dennis O'Keefe | Chorus Boy (uncredited) |
| Émile Chautard | Pierre (uncredited) |
| Hobart Cavanaugh | Drunk (uncredited) |
| Bud Jamison | Bartender #3 (uncredited) |
| Mildred Dixon | |
| Marlo Dwyer | (uncredited) |
| Ruth Eddings | (uncredited) |
| Muriel Gordon | (uncredited) |
| Robert Graves | (uncredited) |
| Marie Marks | (uncredited) |
| Donna Mae Roberts | (uncredited) |
| Rosalie Roy | (uncredited) |
| Kathryn Sergava | (uncredited) |
| Victoria Vinton | (uncredited) |
| Renee Whitney | (uncredited) |
| Lottie Williams | (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Lloyd Bacon | Director |
| Orry-Kelly | Costume Design |
| Busby Berkeley | Choreographer |
| Earl Baldwin | Screenplay |
| Geza Herczeg | Theatre Play |
| Karl Farkas | Theatre Play |
| Robert Katscher | Theatre Play |
| Sol Polito | Director of Photography |
| L. De Angelis | Assistant Camera |
| George Amy | Editor |
| Jack Okey | Art Direction |
| Willy Pogany | Art Direction |
| Name | Title |
|---|
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 2 |
| 2024 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 9 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| 2024 | 11 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Trending Position
I found this movie to be a bid off-putting. The plot line of the woman crazed with love for her gigolo boyfriend while two potential paramours waited in the wings was fairly standard. However, Jolson's portrayal of Al Wonder, nightclub owner who not only covers up the murder of Inez's partner but se ... ems impervious to the news that his driver has also been killed in an auto accident, makes his character appear psychopathic instead of compassionate. Many of today's viewers will be upset with the grand finale, which has Jolson and backup singers and dancers in blackface. This is obviously a scene that is meant to showcase Al Jolson. The number actually seems contrived and out of place in the movie, and is a bit of a distraction from the story line. In the end, Dick Powell's character wins Inez's heart, leaving Wonder to live with the knowledge that he helped a murderess get away and got nothing for his efforts. But his last line, "There's nothing more for me to do but go home" reinforces the idea that empathy or a conscience are lacking.