1h 42min | Romance, Comedy, Musical, Thriller | September 1943
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Stars: Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, Sam Levene.
Bobby Connolly ... dance director
Eleanor Powell ... choreographer (Lasso dance sequence) (uncredited)
Minnelli's next film (2nd credit as full director) after Cabin in the Sky ('43). John Hodiak's 2nd film credit; spoiler: he's the saboteur.
EP marries Glenn Ford in October; her son is born in '45. She was definitely phasing out of films already in '43. In Thousands Cheer she had only a specialty; here 2 of her numbers are extracted from prior films. In Sensations of '45, at least part of the movie is a revue, and in Duchess of Idaho ('50) she appears as herself in an Esther Williams film.
Dances/songs (official release, 11 chapters are at 10 min intervals):
- ch1. Jimmy Dorsey & orch w/singers opens the film.
- ch1. EP dances with rodeo rope tricks (impressive)
- ch3. EP & RS do some comedic social dancing where they take over the floor.
- ch4. more JD & orch w/ Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell
- ch7. Joe's dream of a hula/tap dancing Connie is the "Hola E Pae" part of the Hawaiian medley lifted from Honolulu (1939)
- ch7 (almost 8). Hazel Scott and combo play Taking a Chance on Love (beautiful)
- ch8. Lena Horne with HS combo and chorus sing Jericho (a 1919 song! but modern arrangement). Lena's hair is the best 40's 'do I've seen so far, more timeless than others of that wrapped style. All are dressed to the teeth (gowns/furs/tuxedos) for this audition.
- ch10. the finale is a shortened edit of the "Swingin' the Jinx Away" routine lifted Born to Dance (1936) set on a stylized white battleship with dozens of musician/sailors.
We get a pretty good fight scene between RS & Hodiak before the finale. But the fact that only 1 dance number is original (and it's mostly rope tricks) diminishes the rating, although LH & HS enhances it.
MGM, dir. Minnelli; 6+
