1. Career
Girl
Miss Joan Terry is broke and trying to make it on
Broadway. Her fiancé at first comes off as a jerk and he wants her to come
home, but Miss Terry is determined to stay and moves into more affordable
housing. Ah, the 1940s, when all women had gorgeous furs, even women who have
to move into cheap accommodations. “Right through this window you can see
Broadway, if it weren’t for that building.” Because her fiancé seems like a
jerk, we don’t judge her when she accepts a date with another man. The other
girls hatch an idea to help Joan stay in New York. There are several funny
moments, like when Sue reads a bit of a play, reading “Pause” aloud as
part of the dialogue. Or when Joan says, “James is really much nicer than he
sounds or looks.”
2. The
Duke Is Tops
The first credit in this film is Million Dollar
Productions, which makes me laugh, because these days that would be an
extremely low budget. Lena Horne plays Ethel Andrews, the star of a local show.
When she gets a chance to make it in the big times as a solo artist, Duke
(Ralph Cooper) has to be unkind to her to convince her to go. There are some
delightful tunes, though not much of a plot.
3. Royal
Wedding
This is an incredibly enjoyable film starring Fred
Astaire and Jane Powell as Tom and Ellen Bowen, a brother and sister who
perform at a theatre in New York. Their show contains an odd incestuous tone,
as Tom sings of his love for Ellen, and neither is interested in marriage. When
a servant says, “Married men live much longer than bachelors,” Tom
replies, “If that’s true, they’re only trying to outlive their wives so they
can be bachelors again.” Tom and Ellen learn they’ve been hired to take
their show to England. Ellen is hilarious with her string of male admirers, and
she meets her male counterpart on the voyage across the ocean. There is a lot
of great dancing. Fred Astaire’s dance in the gym is a total delight. And this
is the movie that contains his famous dance on the ceiling.
4. Something
To Sing About
Something To Sing About is perhaps the best film
of this set. It stars James Cagney as Terry Rooney and Evelyn Daw as Rita. The
film opens with a joke about Terry not really singing. Every time he sings, we
hear a different voice. The opening number ends without him actually singing a
note. Terry is heading out to Hollywood to play the male lead in a picture, but
finds it’s not so much about learning one’s lines, but about being groomed to
appear and sound like a star. Hollywood apparently has always enjoyed poking a
little fun at itself. Rita is his girlfriend, and before he leaves he puts a
ring on her finger, and that’s done to music and dance without any dialogue.
Stephanie is a female star with an ego (one character calls her an “egotistical
little mink coat,” which is wonderful). The producers don’t want Terry to
know he’s good, because they’re afraid he’ll grow an ego like Stephanie. It’s
an excellent film, and Cagney is great. There’s also a wonderful Japanese
character. This movie had me laughing out loud many times. “Good, good, I’m
getting tired of saying ‘good.’” This movie even has a cat fight. And
I mean a real cat fight. It’s an absolute delight.
5. All
American Co-Ed
Hurrah, cross-dressing, 1940s style! It’s a fairly stupid
film, however. One of the transvestites applies for a scholarship at an
all-girls school. And a genetic girl says, “A girl doesn’t want to live with
a mind, she wants to live with a husband.” Alan Hale Jr. plays a supporting
part.
6. The
Inspector General
A credit at the beginning tells us this film was “suggested
by the play by Nikolai Gogol.” It stars Danny Kaye, Gene Lockhart and Alan
Hale. At a medicine show, Danny Kaye feels bad about cheating a woman whose
husband needs real medicine. After he’s apprehended, the corrupt town officials
mistake him for the mysterious inspector general. The physical comedy is rather
stupid, and it’s punched up with relentless music cues. But the movie is still
enjoyable, and there are some good lines, such as “What a naughty inspector
general” and “We’ll put something else around your neck.”
7. People
Are Funny
Johnny has to come up with a new radio program.
Meanwhile, another guy tries to purchase a local radio show and beat Johnny to
the gig. This film isn’t very good, with long comic bits that just aren’t
funny, like when Johnny tries to steal a record from Leroy, or when the older
man gives a speech after saying he’s not good at public speaking. Despite the
film’s title, it’s relentlessly unfunny, though I do like the line, “I don’t
like the tone of what you’re not saying.”
8. Second
Chorus
Second Chorus stars Fred Astaire and Burgess
Meredith as trumpet players in a university band who are both interested in the
same woman. When Danny (Astaire) thinks she’s slipping him her phone number, he
discovers it’s actually a summons. This doesn’t make her any less attractive in
their eyes, and they decide to hire her as the band’s secretary, after first
getting her fired from her current employment, of course. She then goes about
getting them gigs. This movie is a delight, and it features some excellent big
band music by Artie Shaw, who also appears in the film, and of course some
superb dancing. Burgess Meredith is fantastic, though there is at least one
moment when he gives a hint of his later role as the Penguin. There are quite a
few funny lines. Hank (Meredith) says sarcastically, “I suppose this
elevator stops at Portland,” and the elevator operator says: “No, sir.
The last stop is the twenty-second floor.” At another point, Hank says, “Can’t
you smell the delta?” Lester Chisholm (Charles Butterworth) replies, “I
have a slight cold.”
9. The
Fabulous Dorseys
Tommy Dorsey and Jimmy Dorsey star in a film about their
lives. It begins in 1916, when they were kids trying to have fun, but forced by
their dad to practice. Their mother says, “There’s only one thing worse than
being Irish, and that’s not being Irish.” There is, as you might expect,
some great music. Art Tatum plays in the film.
10. The
Pied Piper Of Hamelin
A credit at the beginning tells us The Pied Piper Of
Hamelin is based on the music of Grieg, and one of my favorite
compositions, “In The Hall Of The Mountain King,” plays a significant part in
the film. The Piper (Van Johnson) plays a bit of it on his pipe before drawing
a rainbow in the air, spinning around and disappearing. And when the town is
overrun with rats, the Piper appears to help, playing the composition again
while driving out the rats. There is some comical dancing during a song about
prestige titled “Prestige.” This film also stars Claude Rains and Jim Backus.
11. Till
The Clouds Roll By
This movie is based on the life and music of Jerome Kern.
It has an incredible cast, including Judy Garland, Van Johnson, Lena Horne,
Angela Lansbury, and Frank Sinatra. But Robert Walker as Jerome Kern and Van
Heflin as Jim Hessler really stand out. The film itself is good, but I would
trim a bit from the opening and I would cut the end. After Kern sees Sally sing
in Hollywood, the movie is over; yet several songs are just tacked onto the end
for some reason.
12. Pot
O’ Gold
James Stewart plays Jimmy Haskell, owner of a music
store. His uncle Charlie wants him to abandon the store and come into his
business, as Jimmy is his only living relative. Financial troubles force Jimmy
to take him up on his offer. Meanwhile, Uncle Charlie is engaged in a personal
war with the big band living next door to his business. The sound isn’t perfect
at times on this one, but it’s a delightful film. And the dinner scene is
fantastic.
13. Road
To Bali
This movie stars Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy
Lamour, and during the opening credits, their names are actually sung. In this Road
movie, Crosby and Hope sign on for a dubious deep sea diving expedition and try
to woo a princess. It’s a very silly movie with a giant squid, an amorous
gorilla widow, and a really fucked up monkey. There is also a Bogart mirage, a
cameo by Jane Russell, and a gay wedding. Crosby and Hope acknowledge the
presence of the camera and directly address the audience at times, and also
refer to the film itself, as when Bob Hope says: “What happened? Is the
picture over?”
14. Stage
Door Canteen
Soldiers have a 24-hour leave in New York City, and
discover the Stage Door Canteen, a place that entertains those in the armed
services. But the girls there are forbidden from dating the guys. The
entertainment is done by famous stars of screen and stage, including Gracie
Fields singing a song about shooting down “Jap planes” and then singing
the Lord’s Prayer (yes, it’s weird). Edgar Bergen does a bit on occultism with
Charlie McCarthy. The film also features appearances by Ray Bolger, Tallulah
Bankhead, Ralph Bellamy, Helen Hayes, Katharine Hepburn, Harpo Marx and Ethel
Merman. It’s an important film in that Katharine Cornell does a bit of her
famous Juliet from Romeo And Juliet in one wonderful scene, and
apparently this is the only film footage of her doing it. It’s also her only
Hollywood film appearance. The film also includes a really good rendition of
“Why Don’t You Do Right?” and the cute, odd line, “Do you want to hold me
while you dance?” By the way, the soldiers are given a second 24-hour
leave, and then a third, because otherwise the movie would be over.
15. Private
Buckaroo
At a club, a couple waits for a table, and after the
woman tips the host a dollar, they’re given a table far away, a table designed
only to punish. They’re pretty funny, by the way, particularly Mary Wickes as
Bonnie-Belle. Fed up, they move the table to a great spot in front of the band.
Meanwhile, a singer is upset because the army won’t take him. Harry James,
however, is being drafted. Really, this movie is just a series of performances
at this club, and then some silliness once they all get into the army. Not much
to it. But there is one really good dance sequence toward the end. And Jennifer
Holt is beautiful as Joyce Mason.
16. This
Is The Army
This Is The Army stars George Murphy, Alan Hale
and Lt. Ronald Reagan (yes, that’s how he’s credited), and features music and
lyrics by Irving Berlin. In 1917, entertainer Jerry Jones gets a draft notice
and is excited about it. Other folks happily enlist. I love the mother telling
her son, as he goes off to war, “Be a good boy and don’t fight.” Once in
the army, Jerry Jones leads the others in song and dance. After World War I
ends, the movie jumps to World War II, with Johnny Jones (Lt. Ronald Reagan)
joining the army. He and the other sons of the World War I veterans are
commanded to put on a new show. There are some good lines, like “That guy
wasn’t born; he was issued,” plus some great acrobatics in one scene. And
there is a number about the Stage Door Canteen.
17. At
War With The Army
At War With The Army stars Dean Martin and Jerry
Lewis as friends in the army. There is a song about army food, with men
chanting “Bean, beans.” That is one of its few highlights. There’s not
really a story, just a series of gags, most of which are not at all funny. And
many of these unfunny bits are dragged out to a surprising degree, and also
punched up with an annoying score.
The Golden Age Of Musicals was released on August
9, 2016 through Film Chest Media.
No comments:
Post a Comment