h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

First off, this movie is so bad, on so many levels, that it approaches the surreal. It's from 1930, and it goes so far beyond the concept of 'politically incorrect' that it approaches new levels of appallingness.

At the same time, it's funny, and surprisingly clever in places. Sounds contradictory, no? Elektra says, 'There's too much lousy singing in it, and not enough Bill Robinson.' But 'Dixiana', the first film in which Robinson appeared, is an interesting curiosity.

Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson was the greatest tap dancer of his day. He was the first black solo vaudeville performer, the highest-paid black entertainer in America, and the star of an all-black-cast Broadway hit in 1928. Unfortunately, all we see here is a brief version of his famous dance on the stair steps, at about 1:22 (1 hour, 22 minutes), if you care to fast forward.

We recommend that you fast-forward through the songs. The singing is truly dreadful. However, the comedy's pretty good for vaudeville. Oh, you want a plot synopsis? The plot, such as it is: Cornelius van Horn, a Dutchman from Philadelphia, has inherited a cotton plantation. He and his wife aren't good at this plantation-owning stuff. Their son isn't good at the 'scion of the Old South' number, either: he falls in love with a circus performer, Dixiana (Bebe Daniels, as who wouldn't?). There are ructions at the Mardi Gras, weird costumes, hoop skirts galore, and too much singing. Skip the singing, and watch the silliest running gag in film history. Here it is, 'Dixiana':

http://archive.org/details/Dixiana1930