| Jolly Fellows | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Grigori Aleksandrov |
| Written by | Grigori Aleksandrov Nikolai Erdman |
| Starring | Lyubov Orlova Leonid Utyosov |
| Cinematography | Vladimir Nilsen |
| Music by | Isaak Dunayevsky |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Russian |
Jolly Fellows (Russian: Весёлые ребята, romanized: Vesyolye rebyata), also translated as Happy-Go-Lucky Guys, Moscow Laughs and Jazz Comedy, is a 1934 Soviet musical film, directed by Grigori Aleksandrov and starring his wife Lyubov Orlova, a gifted singer and the first recognized star of Soviet cinema.[1][2]
The script was written by Aleksandrov, Vladimir Mass, and Nikolai Erdman (whose father briefly appears on screen as a German music teacher). It features several songs which instantly became classics across the Soviet Union. The most famous song — "Kak mnogo devushek khoroshikh" (Such a lot of nice girls) — enjoyed international fame, covered as "Serdtse" (Heart) by Pyotr Leshchenko. Music was by Isaak Dunayevsky, the lyrics were written by the Soviet poet Vasily Lebedev-Kumach.
Both Orlova and her co-star, the jazz singer and comic actor Leonid Utyosov, were propelled to stardom after this movie.
- ^ Peter Rollberg (2009). Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. US: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 309. ISBN 978-0-8108-6072-8.
- ^ Jay Leyda (1960). Kino: A History of the Russian and Soviet Film. George Allen & Unwin. pp. 307–308.