Name: The Madcap Musician
Genre: Short, Musical
Released: 1929-12-31
Duration: 8 min
Cast: Herschel Henlere

Herschel Henlere does a musical comedy act, in ragged clothes and Russian accent -- he was actually born in Canada. He plays the Jolson hit "Sonny Boy" as if it were written by various classical composers, and then plays a composition of his own as a one-man band, using an accordion, clarinet, and squeaky toys.

It's one of the many Vitaphone shorts which captured popular vaudeville routines of the era and preserved them for future generations. I think it's a good act, although Henlere's performance strikes me as more frantic than funny. Even so, his "What if a Classical composer" bit it a good one; I've seen variations on it by both Tom Lehrer and Victor Borge.

Henlere appeared in several shortsf the period and had a couple of roles in features in the 1930s, in which he played this character.

The musical genre features stories that combine music, singing, dancing, acting, and often spoken dialogue to tell a story or convey a narrative. Musicals incorporate various elements of drama, music, and choreography to create a cohesive theatrical experience that engages audiences on multiple levels.

Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music (1965)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Herschel Henlere in The Madcap Musician (1929)

The Madcap Musician

Photos4

Cast1

User reviews1

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed