Waikiki Wedding (1937), a big hit in its day now available on DVD, is a charmer of a movie. Bing Crosby plays a happy-go-lucky publicist for a Hawaiian pineapple company who has arranged a contest whereby the winner will be dubbed the "Pineapple Girl" and flown to Hawaii on an all-expenses paid trip. The idea is that she will write articles describing how much she loves Hawaii which in turn will promote tourism and pineapple sales. Problem is, the contest winner (Shirley Ross) is bored by Hawaii and threatening to return to the mainland. To entice her to stay, Crosby concocts an adventure involving a stolen pearl, a sailboat trip and a rumbling volcano - and of course he ends up falling in love with her.

It's all a good excuse for lush tropical sets, dancing Hawaiian extras, lingering shots of moonlit ocean water and several pleasing songs. Martha Raye and Bob Burns are on hand to provide some comedy routines, with Burns seemingly more interested in his pet pig, Wofford, than in Raye. Character actor George Barbier is funny as Crosby's boss, and a never-skinnier Anthony Quinn appears in only his fourth credited role, playing a Pacific Islander named Kimo.

But it's Crosby's sweet music which is the main draw here. Songs (by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin) include "Blue Hawaii" (sung by Crosby and then reprised when he charmingly teaches it to Shirley Ross), "In a Little Hula Heaven," "Sweet is the Word For You" and the lullaby "Sweet Leilani," written by Harry Owens, which won the Oscar for Best Song. The movie was also nominated for Best Dance Direction.

The plot as a whole plays something like an Astaire-Rogers film, with mistaken identities creating comic situations as the stars come together through light musical numbers. The pace slows noticeably, however, in the second half. Shirley Ross shows off a very nice voice in what was really the prime of her short movie career. Her biggest picture was probably San Francisco (1936), though she also sang memorably with Bob Hope in The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938). In Waikiki Wedding, she achieves good chemistry with Crosby, especially in their meet-cute scene which is an example of great comic timing.

Waikiki Wedding has received a fine transfer, which is great because that's all you're going to get; there are no extras here, not even any chapter headings. Universal has simply thrown five of Bing Crosby's 1930s and early '40s films onto three DVDs and called the package Bing Crosby: Screen Legend Collection. The other titles are Double Or Nothing (1937), East Side of Heaven (1939), If I Had My Way (1940) and Here Come the Waves (1944). Most of these are seldom seen today on television, making it a nice treat to be able to rediscover Bing Crosby in some of his more forgotten films.

For more information about Waikiki Wedding, visit Universal Studios. To order Waikiki Wedding (only available as part of Bing Crosby: Screen Legend Collection), go to TCM Shopping.

by Jeremy Arnold