(80 min) Released 1938-08-19
Director: Elliott Nugent
Stars: Martha Raye, Bob Hope, Betty Grable.
LeRoy Prinz ... choreographer
Genres: Comedy | Romance
Jack Whiting was Dicky Randall in Sailing Away (earlier '38, Jessie Matthews). This is his last film credit. He was a B'way guy.
When I saw this cast, and the choreographer, I couldn't believe it wasn't a musical. It's borderline.
The opening scene is sailors singing in their quarters. At 27:30 BG sings the song playing while social dancing, and after a lot of cutting in, JW gets very annoyed and aggressive, peeling her off from the crowd and they dominate the floor for a while.
Then at 39:30 MR sings while cooking at a picnic; she's alone and anticipating the man she loves (JW). She's surprised by BH instead, as is he. She reprises the song when she wins the best legs contest (BG didn't enter, and MR still could have won), and they film a newsreel on her lawn. Not sure where the 4th song in the Soundtracks occurs, and it doesn't list a performer.
BG plays a very unpleasant character, confident of her effect on men, and she plays it well. After winning the contest, MR provides a stunning gown and car to fill my glamour quota; she has another fur-trimmed dress during the final scene. The dress that BG wore while danced by JW was pretty too.
Paramount, dir. Nugent; 6
