COLLEGE HUMOR: A 1933 REVIEW

Here is the original movie review for the early Bing film - College Humor. This appeared in the New York Times of June 23, 1933...

On the campus of Mid-West University the girls are charming, the faculty is tolerant and the romantic problems of Jack Oakie and Richard Arlen have a reminiscent appearance. "College Humor," at the Paramount, is a musical comedy tour of Mid-West during the four semesters when Professor Bing Crosby is giving his informal course on the history of the drama.Burns and Allen are there, too, as caterers, and Miss Allen is still preserving an uncommonly foolish attitude to the facts of life. 

And there are songs—"Learn to Croon," "Moonstruck," "Play Ball" and "The Old Ox Road." And a football game, Mid-West vs. that Eastern college, and the score 13—7 in the last minute."College Humor" is funny in spurts and agreeable most of the time. There are delightful moments when it seems to be on the verge of satirizing all the dreary collegiate films of the last decade. 

Mr. Crosby turns out to have a sense of humor and his subterranean blue notes are easy to listen to. Burns and Allen, hilarious clowns, have too little catering to do, for one thing. And the story wanders off the deep end about the time Mr. Arlen is kicked out of school for getting drunk and trying to punch Mr. Crosby in the nose.Looked at as a whole, it emerges as an unsteady entertainment, with no very discernable intent, theme or goal, but with a modest fund of humor and two or three heartily amusing patches. The story would seem to indicate that Mondrake (Mr. Arlen) is in love with Barbara Shirrel (Mary Carlisle), sister of his room-mate, Barney Shirrel (Mr. Oakie). Barbara, a capricious girl, loves Professor Danvers (Mr. Crosby), who doesn't realize it. Mondrake is expelled for making a spectacle of himself and Barney is forced to bear the brunt of the big football game all by himself.Mr. Oakie's owlish efforts to assimilate an education help the comedy along and Miss Carlisle is a very model of a model musical comedy co-ed. Mr. Arlen is reliably pleasant...