Here Come the Co-eds (1945), 6+

Two bumblers become caretakers at an all-girls college. During their misadventures, the duo raise money to free the school from its traditionally-minded landlord.
1h 30min | Comedy, Music, Musical | 2 February 1945
Director: Jean Yarbrough
Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Peggy Ryan, Lon Chaney, Jr.
Louis Da Pron ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037771/

In the Tap! Appendix for Peggy Ryan. PR (b. 1924) looks younger than 20+ here. LC says at one point while he's onscreen with PR that he feels like Donald O'Connor, her frequent dancing partner and costar, not in this film. I wonder if she always dances comedically; she has 29 credits, and only 7 remain after this (last in '53, is also among her Soundtracks credits; found it online). She has at least 2 production numbers, and I'm not referring to Let's Play House.

This is home of the oyster soup [stew] skit, where the oyster fights back. Lots of other good physical humor.

I watched the last few minutes multiple times because the end is so sudden. What happens: LC steals money from bookies, after a (long, fun) chase they land at the college, after a tussle with the baddies they keep the money. Really, the money should go back to the people who gambled, because the contest was forfeited... sort of. Anyway, the college needed the money (that's why LC stole it), and so he "ends" (you'll get that joke when you see it) as a hero.

This is the second movie in a row with pro-wrestlers central to the story (although only a portion of it here). I've seen them in movies earlier, but maybe they're getting popular now? Guys too old or infirm for the military? BTW, I don't remember a war reference here.

Universal, dir. Yarbrough; 6+

The Big Show-Off (1945), 5-

Joe Bagley, owner of the Blue Heaven Club, tries to foster a romance between shy pianist Sandy Elliott and band vocalist June Mayfield. Joe tells June that Sandy is really a professional wrestler ... 
1h 9min | Comedy, Drama, Music | 22 January 1945
Director: Howard Bretherton
Stars: Arthur Lake, Dale Evans, Lionel Stander.
Dave Gould ... musical sequences 
Honey Freedley ... assistant choreographer (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037541/

Watched on AmazonPrime. Bad print, often ghosted itself, but that might be the internet traffic.

And not just A pro-wrestler, but a specific one, whose body type doesn't match AL at all. But he wears a hood, so you can't see his face, and if horn rim glasses can disguise Superman, why not?

There are a couple of production numbers in the nightclub, and they are bad, but intentionally so. Or maybe Dave Gould had a stroke and lost all his Oscar-winning talent.

Dale Evans sings the same song twice: once in rehearsal and once with customers. She has 2 other songs she performs at the club. And Soundtracks lists a dance duo, with a waltzy-sounding title (Memories of Old Vienna), which I don't remember, but it might have just not caught my attention.

Even Lionel Stander doesn't charm this much. He's the brains behind AL's alter identity as the wrestler, but somehow he's too savvy to be fun here.

DE's values are so fickle: she likes the mean, slimy MC, then she likes the brutal pro-wrestler, but then she wants to reform him so he won't be so brutal, and she likes the meek version of AL too. I don't get it, and neither does she.

AL really is Dagwood again here, except he doesn't get to yell "Blondie!" to come rescue him. He's ok, but Penny Singleton was the dominant figure, not just in character strength, but in comedic value and charm too.

Previously rated 6; no idea what I was thinking. Not horrid enough for a 4, but really, seriously, don't bother with this again.

Indie, distr. Republic, dir. Bretherton; 5-

A Song to Remember (1945), 7+ Color

Biography of Frederic Chopin.
1h 53min | Biography, Drama, Music | 18 January 1945 | Color
Director: Charles Vidor
Stars: Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, Cornel Wilde, Nina Foch

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038104/

I'd previously rated this 7, without benefit of +/-. I concur now, with a +.

Fascinating to look at this in the context of the war, and all the films I've seen about sacrifice.

Here we see Chopin being political in his youth, due to problems in his homeland of Poland.

When he goes to Paris to promote/develop his Art, George Sand builds on his music teacher's reasoning that his artistic gifts can help Poland. Sand insists he must isolate himself from the mundane world to truly focus on his Art. And she has the resources and the desire to take him away.

But when things get worse in Poland, he's prodded to contribute at least cash to the cause. Having little money of his own, he instructs his manager to arrange a concert tour at maximum prices.

The catch is: he's sick, and a concert tour will make him worse, perhaps kill him. Sand argues that forcefully, sounding a lot like Ayn Rand's philosophy against self-sacrifice. But he insists, and goes on the tour. Sure enough, he collapses. Here's a relevant quote from the film:

[Chopin is dying and wants to see Sand. Elsner visits her to relay the message.]
Sand: Are you satisfied, monsieur? Do you know anything that could replace a life as great as his?
Elsner: Yes. The spirit that he leaves behind in a million hearts, madam.

This is the idea I've heard over and over in the war propaganda films, whether encouraging people to enlist in the service, or work in the defense industry, or take on extra jobs, or make sacrifices in daily life. We're doing this for Freedom, for the spirit of mankind.

(I also liked when June Allison, in Music for Millions ('44), having not heard from her husband (at war) for months, broke down and exclaimed that she didn't understand any of those abstractions, including "the future".)

I really like the insights that movies can provide.

So far as the film itself: Paul Muni, as Chopin's teacher, is much too prominent. The script is really focused on him, not Chopin. But CW was not yet a star (I think this was his highest billing so far. In his prior release, Wintertime ('43), he was the romantic lead, and was billed 6th.) This is his 10th of 52 credits.

The makeup department (and CW's acting) deserve a lot of kudos for making him look and seem ill. CW was an athlete, and still quite virile 20 years later in The Naked Prey ('65).

Plus we get a lot of classical music, mostly Chopin. The Soundtracks page doesn't list individual works, but does credit Jose Iturbi for the piano playing. He's appeared in a lot of films in this quest, and I haven't mentioned him. But I am grateful for his choice to contribute to film as he did.

Columbia, dir. Vidor; 7+

Tonight and Every Night (1945), 7+

A photographer for Life magazine comes to London to do a story on a local theater troupe which never missed a performance during World War II. Flashbacks also reveal the backstage love ... 
1h 32min | Musical | 9 January 1945
Director: Victor Saville
Stars: Rita Hayworth, Lee Bowman, Janet Blair, Marc Platt, Florence Bates.
Jack Cole ... choreographer
Val Raset ... choreographer

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038178/

In the Tap! Appendix for Marc Platt, and he does tap a little. We get lots of dancing in this film, but not much tap.

Spotted Shelley Winters as one of the girls backstage; her character has a name, so maybe she spoke.

Numbers (13 chapters, menu with images and only digits to label them):

• ch1. What Does an English Girl Think of a Yank?, Sung by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears), Danced by Rita Hayworth, Jack Cole and dance chorus. (I wouldn't recognize JC.)
• ch2. Largo al factotum from "The Barber of Seville", Danced to by Marc Platt flamenco-style; he dances to other things in this scene (audition), including a Hitler speech. One of the segments is jive, where he does the splits a couple of times. After his audition, we get a montage of his growing success, dancing with JB & RH.
• ch3. You Excite Me, Sung and Danced by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears) 
• ch6. The Boy I Left Behind, Sung by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears) and Janet Blair 
• ch7. Tonight and Every Night, Sung by Janet Blair
• ch9. Cry and You Cry Alone, Sung by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears), Danced by Rita Hayworth, Marc Platt and chorus 
• ch10. Anywhere, also played on xylophone by Professor Lamberti with Rita Hayworth dancing in the background 
• ch11. Anywhere, Sung by Janet Blair 
• ch12. Tonight and Every Night, Sung by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears) in film's finale 

Although I remembered the plot and knew the bad thing that would happen, it still got to me.

I don't like the love quadrangle, because I don't like Lee Bowman (in general). And for a while it looked like MP was leaning toward JB, but then he fell for RH, leaving JB unrequited. Very messy.

Columbia, dir. Saville; 7+

Candles at Nine (1944), 6- {nm}

A rich but miserly old man taunts his relatives about who will get his money when he dies, and is soon mysteriously murdered. It turns out that he has left his estate to a beautiful young ... 
1h 15min | Mystery
Director: John Harlow
Stars: Jessie Matthews, Eliot Makeham, Beatrix Lehmann, John Salew

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036694/
print is public domain (lack of) quality: overly dark, fuzzy.

The credits are strange: on the card preceding the title card, JM is listed first. But a few cards later they have the full cast, where she is listed 10th.

JM is the reason I own this. Although it's not a musical, our introduction to her is as a performer (amateur?), singing and then dancing with a man on stage. The pair of men-cousins also sings something later at the estate, although it's not in the Soundtracks.

The only mention of the war was the requirement of ration coupons for buying new clothes and the enforcement of blackout conditions at night.

The only Mystery here is whether the butler & housemistress will manage to bump off the heiress (JM), and why are they trying. They would not profit; according to the will, if JM doesn't satisfy the conditions of inheritance, the remaining relatives will have to "work it out among them." That seems to leave out the staff. If they didn't know that before the deceased met with his "accident", they certainly did after the reading of the will. Ah, the former cop just explained that the housemistress was secretly married to the deceased, who years earlier had killed his brother to inherit the estate.

The film ends rather abruptly, after the former cop's explanation, and JM's thwarting the housemistress' latest attempt to dispose of her. No real resolution, since, as the cop says, he has no proof of his conjectures. But it was an ok film, based mostly on JM's presence.

JM makes only 2 more movies: Tom Thumb ('58), and a Peter Cook/Dudley Moore Sherlock Holmes film in '78.

British National Films, dir. Harlow; 6-

Can't Help Singing (1944), 7- Color

A senator's daughter (who can't help singing) follows her boyfriend West in the days of the California gold rush.
1h 30min | Musical, Western | 29 December 1944 | Color
Director: Frank Ryan
Stars: Deanna Durbin, Robert Paige, Akim Tamiroff

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036692/

Apparently I've seen RP a couple of times, but not noticed him. His 69 credits go back to 1934, and he has only 11 more to go.

To continue the synopsis: ... only to fall for her traveling companion while lying to him about who her intended was. Both suitor and faux suitor, plus father and fellow traveler converge at her destination in the same scene. She explains her way out of it, and can't help singing about her joy.

I'm not fond of duplicitous characters, especially when they profit from their mendacity. I'm not sure if this was a habit with her, or if she felt hemmed in by her limited travel options.

This is a gorgeous print of a Technicolor film (I think I read it was DD's only color film). Per the IMDb Soundtracks, DD sings 4 songs and reprises 2. RP joins her on 2+a reprise. Plus we get 2 more sung by others.

Previously rated 7; didn't enjoy it that much today, but fell asleep during, and don't want to start it again to find out if I should alter the rating. So I'll just minus it for now.

Universal, dir. Ryan; 7-

Carolina Blues (1944), 6-

Band Leader Kay Kyser wants to take a holiday, but his publicist Charlotte has promised that he'll give a concert for defense plant workers. Due to the fact that his vocalist has quit to ... 
1h 21min | Musical | 20 December 1944
Director: Leigh Jason
Stars: Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore.
Sammy Lee ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036698/

In the Tap! Appendix for Marie Bryant, Four Step Brothers, Ann Miller, Harold Nicholas. The one Harlem number begins at about 32 min, and is the only reason to watch this. (Ann Miller dances elsewhere, but we cut away for a lot of it, and she does her usual moves.)

https://www.discogs.com/artist/84962-Marie-Bryant

Found this photo of Marie Bryant, and did recognize her in the Mr. Beebe number with HN & the Step Brothers. She danced with HN for a while, matching his style while retaining her own. The Step Bros did things similar but different from what they did in Greenwich Village. Very enjoyable 8 min.

I've only posted about one other Kay Kyser movie, but it seems like I've watched more. There he was solving a murder mystery in a haunted house with his band. Not my cup of tea. He's less obnoxious here, even has a local citizen doing his signature shtick so he doesn't need to. He and his band are not so extremely comedic as Spike Jones and his City Slickers, but they're not a straight big band either. So far, neither (Spike nor Kay) is a reason to watch a musical, but also not a reason to avoid one either.

Columbia, dir. Jason; 6-

Music for Millions (1944), 9-

Six year old "Mike" joins her sister Barbara Ainsworth who plays in a classical orchestra during WW II.
1h 57min | Comedy, Drama, Music | 18 December 1944
Director: Henry Koster
Stars: Margaret O'Brien, José Iturbi, June Allyson, Jimmy Durante, Marsha Hunt, Hugh Herbert, Marie Wilson.
Jack Donohue ... dance director (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037104/

Uh, oh. Little girl is top billed. But previously rated 7. Roll 'em Smokey.

Lights up. Good thing I'm at home, not stuck in a theatre without kleenex. Holy Smokes. I want to give this a 9. Why?

1. MO
2. Classical music, and plenty of it.
3. Seeing the orchestra go from 50% male to almost none. Makes me wonder if some orchestras were only amateurs, populated with people who had defense or other "essential" full-time jobs. 
4. JA's storyline and performance
5. JD
6. HH & MW (and her fur coat)

We get two novelty numbers from JD, and one jazz blast during an orchestra warm-up. Otherwise look at the Soundtracks for the classical pieces, all well-executed. A music-only track would make sense here, but this is only Warner Archive.

I'll not reveal any spoilers for future viewing.

MO (b. 1937) is still acting; she has 2 films in post-production for release this year. I should look at viewing/owning more of her childhood stuff.

This should strike me as sentimental schmaltz, but it felt genuine and plausible instead. I'm sure it's partially because I'm watching in sequence, and am immersed in the time period, with its sacrifices and heartaches. Nowhere near what the contemporary audience with men overseas would feel, but closer than just watching the movie as a random choice without having thought about the war much.

I'll give this a minus to distinguish it from the color extravaganza of Meet Me in St. Louis.

MGM, dir. Koster; 9-

Here Come the Waves (1944), 6-

Show business twin sisters Rosemary and Susie, one serious and the other a scatterbrain, join the WAVES and both fall in love with crooner Johnny Cabot.
1h 39min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 18 December 1944
Director: Mark Sandrich
Stars: Bing Crosby, Betty Hutton, Sonny Tufts.
Daniel Dare ... choreographer (as Danny Dare)
Sam Ledner ... dance supervisor: "That Old Black Magic" sequence (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036912/

4th of 26 film credits for ST (b. 1911); he's familiar from The Seven Year Itch ('55), the only other film I own where he's credited. Apparently the song Accentuate the Positive with BC (both in blackface) was really his voice, since he studied opera; no trace of opera in his delivery here. He died at age 58 in '70, with his last film credit in '67.

BH plays twins, one reserved, the other manic (and already a rabid fan of BC before meeting him). When BC is allowed to join the navy, BH (manic one first) join the Waves. In order to be near BC, she sends in a letter, supposedly from BC, suggesting he organize a recruitment show for the Waves, which will include the BH twins who sing/dance. Both twins fall for BC, and manic tries to eliminate the competition with ST's help.

Because manic BH is disdained by characters onscreen, she's less annoying to me.

10 songs, some with production numbers.

A wonderful song, That Old Black Magic, is turned to mush here by showing BC super-crooning it with a huge (controlled) flame burning onstage behind him. I say super-crooning, because he's even more syrupy and does more trills than his usual delivery. Plus he looks really bored; I wonder if that was Keely Smith's inspiration for her persona (although she's also sarcastic; she's the "owner" of that song in my mind. I actually thought it was a Louis Prima tune, but it's listed on this IMDb Soundtrack as Arlen & Mercer. Lots of major singing stars have recorded this.)

The film ends with a film within it (projected onstage behind the live performers), showing a bevy of jobs that women are filling in the Navy so the men can fight. The singers (large female chorus) even state outright: Join the Navy as the last lyric/line of the film. (No, not In the Navy from The Village People: different generation.)

A solid documentary 10-20 min short would have been as effective, or more so. And we wouldn't have to suffer through ST, double BH and bored BC. Maybe if this had some good comic support: a Eugene Pallette or EEHorton, Franklin Pangborn, Donald Meek, Charles Butterworth, Charles Ruggles, Eric Blore... (A woman would have to be serious with this recruiting theme. Although maybe the twins could have a meddling mother/aunt/agent: Spring Byington, Billy Burke, Helen Broderick, Marjorie Main, Alice Brady, Elisabeth Patterson, Zasu Pitts, Eve Arden...)

Previously rated 6; not horrid enough to downgrade.

Paramount, dir. Sandrich; 6-

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), 9 Color

In the year leading up to the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, the four Smith daughters learn lessons of life and love, even as they prepare for a reluctant move to New York.
1h 53min || 22 November 1944 | Color
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Stars: Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor, Lucille Bremer, Leon Ames, Tom Drake, Marjorie Main, Harry Davenport.
Charles Walters ... dance director
Paul Jones ... choreographer (uncredited)
Gwen Vernon ... assistant choreographer (uncredited)

Genres: Comedy | Drama | Family | Musical | Romance
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037059/

MO all but steals the film, and is a big factor in my upgrading this to a 9. Although I remembered the scenes where she shined from prior viewings (rated 8), they still hit me hard and well. And I usually don't like child-centered stories, but we get plenty of the eldest sisters, so the film is not entirely on the shoulders of the child.

Don't get me wrong: JG is luminous, acts and sings up a storm. But the kid is riveting.

Performances (32 chapters w/ menu):

• ch2. Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis, sung by family members individually
• ch4. The Boy Next Door, Sung by Judy Garland 
• ch6. Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis, Performed by Judy Garland and Lucille Bremer 
• ch10. Skip to My Lou, Sung by Judy Garland, Lucille Bremer, Henry H. Daniels Jr. & Ensemble 
• ch11. I Was Drunk Last Night, Sung a cappella by Margaret O'Brien 
• ch12. Under the Bamboo Tree, Sung and Danced by Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien 
• ch14. Over the Bannister, Sung by Judy Garland 
• ch15. The Trolley Song, Sung by Judy Garland and chorus 
• ch23. You and I, Sung by Mary Astor and Leon Ames (dubbed by Arthur Freed and Denny Markas) 
• ch29. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Sung by Judy Garland

MGM, dir. Minnelli; 9

Hollywood Canteen (1944), 6

Two soldiers on sick leave spend three nights at the Hollywood Canteen before going back to active duty. With a little friendly help from John Garfield, Slim gets to kiss Joan Leslie, whom ... 
2h 4min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 31 December 1944
Director: Delmer Daves
Stars: Bette Davis, John Garfield, The Andrews Sisters, and on and on.

LeRoy Prinz ... musical numbers created and directed by

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036922/

Own on AmazonVideo.

The original Stage Door Canteen ('43) had a romance between a service man and a canteen hostess which paired a couple of unknowns (who remained that way) who could act very well. Lots of longing and loneliness between 2 people who just met. Plus you got a non-stop stream of stars, both H'wood  & B'way. It really took you to the experience of these departing servicemen and the hostesses who might empathize too much.

This one has a familiar-faced soldier who has a crush on Joan Leslie, whom he gets to kiss and date from his visits to the H'wood Canteen. Robert Hutton plays Slim (with the crush) and Dane Clark plays his cynical buddy, Janice Paige his hostess target. Don't get me wrong: RH & JL do an excellent job. But commoner/movieStar versus 2 commoners is not a contest. I don't imagine JL will "wait" for the soldier to come home with any plans for a long-term future. (Nor was it promised in the script.) But Stage Door Canteen got it very right, and arrived first. So I'm actually downgrading this to a 6 from prior 7.

~1:30 We get a dance number which justifies the price of buying (accidentally) the film. The boys are visiting a movie studio, and they witness the filming of a dance number starring Joan McCracken (with at least 20 other dancers). She's splendid, of course. She has only 3 film credits: this, Good News ('47) and Main Street to Broadway ('53) where she's credited as herself, a "first nighter," so she likely doesn't dance. I'm very glad to have this one.

~1:50 Is a good flamenco dance.

Warner, dir. Daves; 6

Alaska (1944), 5+

A man who has been framed on a murder charge is placed in the custody of a crooked U.S. marshal, who is secretly running a murderous claim-jumping gang.
1h 16min | Adventure, Crime, Drama, Musical | 18 November 1944
Director: George Archainbaud
Stars: Kent Taylor, Margaret Lindsay, John Carradine, Dean Jagger, Iris Adrian.
Jack Boyle ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036590/

Watched on AmazonPrime, poor print.

Definitely not something to watch because it's a "musical." The Soundtracks page has no listings, but at least 2 songs were sung by the leading lady (no idea if dubbed), and 2 numbers sung/danced by Iris Adrian and chorus girls; all perf's onstage at the saloon.

Otherwise this just a Yukon gold yarn. The lead has reason to kill the claim jumpers, since they killed his father for the gold strike he filed. I guess I saw him discover one body, so he didn't kill that one.

The + in my rating is for JC, DJ, George Cleveland, and Klondike the dog who provide good performances. The story is set in non-winter weather, so this might as well have been a wet part of California.

The most interesting moment: when ML declares that someday people will understand that alcohol is not a character flaw (not her exact words). AA was founded in 1935 in Akron OH, so it must have been known in H'wood by '44. But the story is set in 1897-ish time (picked that year for when Jack London was in the Yukon, and he gets writer credit for a novel here.)

Monogram, dir. Archainbaud; 5+

Something for the Boys (1944), 7-

The oddly-assorted Hart cousins: revue singer Blossom, con man Harry, and machinist Chiquita (who gets radio through her teeth!), inherit southern plantation Magnolia Manor, which alas ... 
1h 27min | Comedy, Musical | 1 November 1944
Director: Lewis Seiler
Stars: Carmen Miranda, Michael O'Shea, Vivian Blaine, Phil Silvers, Perry Como, Cara Williams.
Nick Castle ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037295/

Bit parts: June Haver as chorine (didn't spot her); Judy Holliday as defense plant welder (she has a full paragraph of exposition). 1st of 4 film credits for Perry Como. 7th of 24 film credits for Cara Williams.

3 cousins inherit a dilapidated mansion. Nearby service men fix it up and rent it for their wives. Enough of them are entertainers that they can put on a show to raise funds for the repairs. But during the show, PS runs a casino upstairs, and the Base declares the mansion off-limits. Then the Army uses the property as part of their maneuvers, and the exposition by JH pays off. When off-limits is lifted, they have a party at the mansion.

9 songs (24 chapters with menu):

ch3. Something for the Boys, performed by VB with chorines in a NY (Brooklyn) show.

ch8. Wouldn't It Be Nice? sung by MO, VB, PS, CM in street clothes in the dilapidated mansion.

ch10. I Wish We Didn't Have to Say Goodnight sung by PC to CW at the mansion (still being renovated)

ch13. Eighty Miles Outside of Atlanta sung by VB with chorines dancing

ch14. Batuca Nega sung by CM with Banda Lua

ch15. In the Middle of Nowhere sung by PC, then VB

ch19. I Wish We Didn't Have to Say Goodnight sung by VB to the soldiers eating dinner at the mansion (on maneuvers)

ch20. Southland sung by PS after dinner at maneuvers

ch21. Climbin' Up Dem Golden Stairs sung by PS & company in the mansion still on maneuvers

ch24. Samba-Boogie sung/danced by CM and large male&female chorus at the party

ch24. brief reprise of Wouldn't It Be Nice? by VB & MO. The End

Cute, but try to ignore the plot during the off-limits segments.

Fox, dir. Seiler; 7-

I'm from Arkansas (1944), 6-

The national spotlight falls on Pitchfork, Arkansas when a local farmer's sow has 18 piglets. How the townspeople relate to city folk and handle fame is the ingredient for laughs.
1h 10min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 31 October 1944
Director: Lew Landers
Stars: Slim Summerville, El Brendel, Iris Adrian, Bruce Bennett

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036941/
Watched on AmazonPrime, also on a megapack.

Pleasant, with some familiar faces and 10 songs (2 of them yodeling). Very strange story, focused on 2 troupes of show people gathering in this hamlet; one because the bandleader (BB) hails from there, the other because the manager wants to do something related to the pig's fame. They all have to stay at the same boarding house (amazing that it has sufficient room for all), and romance blooms between BB and IA, and marriage finally commences between SS and the house mother. The plot gets a twist when the pig's mud turns out to have therapeutic value.

PRC, dir. Landers; 6-

Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944), 6+ Color

A tunefull account of the life of Ernest R. Ball, composer of many popular Irish songs, including the title's.
1h 30min | Musical | 19 October 1944 | Color
Director: Gregory Ratoff
Stars: Monty Woolley, June Haver, Dick Haymes, Anthony Quinn.
Hermes Pan ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036961/

bootleg, good copy.

Nice collection of songs, well staged. I'd never noticed this composer's name, but a lot of these songs are familiar to me. Looking at the Soundtracks, it seems the unfamiliar ones were not his and some were composed for the film.

From Wikipedia: Ernest Roland Ball (July 22, 1878 – May 3, 1927) was an American singer and songwriter, most famous for composing the music for the song "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" in 1912. He was not himself Irish. 

This is JH's 3rd film credit of 16. Sixth film of 19 for DH; he's in very good voice here.

All 4 stars turn in good performances. OK plot, but it keeps the romantic interests apart most of the time. Conflict is necessary, but conflict them together. (I still want to refer the writers back to Astaire&Rogers plots.) 

JH plays a feisty character who, at 5'1"+3" heels, can fend off 6'2" AQ. If anything, her repeated threats and follow-through of violence (also with her love interest) is a little much. I'd caution her sweetie to get to know her better before marriage. 

Fox, dir. Ratoff; 6+

The Conspirators (1944), 5 {nm}

Vincent Van Der Lyn, a Dutch freedom fighter in WWII, is forced to neutral Lisbon to escape the Nazis. There he meets a small band of underground conspirators. The group's leader, Ricardo ...
1h 41min | Drama, Romance, Thriller | 24 October 1944
Director: Jean Negulesco
Stars: Hedy Lamarr, Paul Henreid, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036719/

Watched online; ok print

I knew I shouldn't watch 2 non-musical war movies in a row. But I was intrigued that Warner released 2 so close together (although the Bogart film had a subsequent release date in Jan.)

I stuck through to the end only so I could credibly post the warning rating not to attempt this again.

I did get one thing from it: a deeper sense of "how do you know which of your co-conspirators you can trust?" Being a resistance fighter means trusting with your life, and especially when you enlist a double agent, that must be tough. Is/was the culture so dense in honor and dying for your cause was so noble, that risking your life was glorious? I know Honor and Glory were part of the motivations for the Germans; I suspect that Europe had spent so many generations warring that it was a continental ideal.

There is little suspense or thrill here. Hedy Lamarr doesn't get to do enough (at one point she'd been absent for so long that I asked myself where she was; and then she appeared.) She does convey distress/grief/loss very well. Paul Henreid is not appealing to me; I don't know why he was used as a leading man. It was good to see Greenstreet and Lorre at all, but especially as good guys; they are barely there at all.

Warner, dir. Negulesco; 5

To Have and Have Not (1944), 8 {nm}

During World War II, American expatriate Harry Morgan helps transport a French Resistance leader and his beautiful wife to Martinique while romancing a sensuous lounge singer.
1h 40min || 11 October 1944
Director: Howard Hawks
Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan, Marcel Dalio

Genres: Adventure | Comedy | Romance | Thriller | War
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037382/

The first of 4 pairings of Bogie and Bacall. Their chemistry is the whole point of this film. Audiences are voyeurs, and we're peeping the beginning of their love story. Great stuff.

The synopsis makes this sound like Casablanca 2, which it's not. For understanding resistance fighters, see that film. This one is a self-proclaimed coward, as is his wife. It's very unclear what value they have to whatever fight there was in the Caribbean, where Vichy France governed Martinique. 

Walter Brennan is delightful as the drunk who really needs a regular nip to ward of the DTs. But he is thoroughly loyal to HB, and makes it clear to us that HB has a soft spot for someone even before he falls for LB.

I've been fascinated by Marcel Dalio for a long time. His role in Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game ('39) was so large and deep; also in The Grand Illusion ('37). Then he had to flee France, and his American career was all small parts which he always executed well. This one is larger than most, and I'm always happy to see him.

The songs are terrific too. We get 4 written and performed by Hoagy Carmichael, who plays piano in the bar, plus a bit of Limehouse Blues (one of my faves). The catchiest of HC's tunes is How Little We Know. I hope it doesn't linger in my head too long.

Warner, dir. Hawks; 8

Greenwich Village (1944), 7 Color

In 1922, a would-be classical composer gets involved with people putting on a musical revue.
1h 22min | Musical | 27 September 1944 | Color
Director: Walter Lang
Stars: Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche, William Bendix, Vivian Blaine.
Seymour Felix ... dance stager

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036881/

In the Tap! Appendix for Four Step Brothers in ch17.

Don't get excited to see Judy Holliday and Comden & Green in the cast. I only spotted Green, and then see ch13 below, and per the IMDb trivia, their number was cut prior to release. This is JH's 2nd screen credit. Adam's Rib ('49) and Born Yesterday ('50) are her 5th and 7th of 13.

Note that CM is top billed here, the first time among her American films.

Musical numbers (24 chapters with menu):

• ch2. I'm Just Wild About Harry perf.by CM in a peppermint outfit with some chorus dancers
• ch4. Sally & Tony De Marco dance (still don't like him)
• ch6. VB sings Swingin' Down the Lane 
• ch11. This Is Our Lucky Day sung/danced outside their deli by the De Marcos, then passed through the neighborhood; very brief
• ch13. It's All for Art's Sake production sung/danced by VB, WB et al at the fund-raising ball. If you pause at the right moment, while the chariot is being wheeled off camera, we see the 4 Revuers: Hammer, Comden, Holliday, Green in the center of other revelers. Don't blink; they only get to mouth the song title, it's last line.
• ch14. I Like to Be Loved by You sung/wiggled by CM onstage at the party. Her gown is black (bodice) and white (hat, shoulders, skirt) with gold trim, jewelry and shoes; very Miranda-esque
• ch16. Whispering sung by VB on patio to DA
• ch17. DA plays the concerto (Whispering) for the maestro; transitions to ...
• ch17. jive version It Goes to Your Toes danced by Four Step Brothers. Lots of leaping/tumbling to land in splits. Good.
• ch22. Finale begins: the concerto in performance, conducted by the maestro as part of the big show
• ch23. Give Me a Band and a Bandana sung by CM with her band. Now her outfit is black and magenta (including the palms of her black gloves): gorgeous. She looks very comfortable in her gold platform shoes (now with black/magenta poms over the toes). The number grows to large male and female chorus in red outfits with black trim. 
• ch24. Whispering reprised by VB preceded by a brief top-hatted soft shoe by 4 men.

Plenty of music performed. Plenty of colorful costumes.

The plot is rather sour, since nearly everyone is trying to cheat my fave, DA. But it all seems to work out in the end. When I said (in some past post) that I wanted to see more WB in comedies, this doesn't qualify well. He does some cute takes at the fund-raiser, but otherwise he's part of the sour nature of the film.

Fox, dir. Lang; 7

Murder in the Blue Room (1944), 6-

A party is thrown at a haunted mansion, people start to die, and a man who spent a night in the "blue room" disappears.
1h 1min | Comedy, Mystery, Musical | 27 October 1944
Director: Leslie Goodwins
Stars: Anne Gwynne, Donald Cook, John Litel, Grace McDonald, Regis Toomey.
Carlos Romero ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037100/
Watched online; fuzzy print.

I suppose Universal had or was establishing a tradition of horror/scary movies, and this might overlap that category because it includes ghosts and startling things in the dark.

I only recognize Regis Toomey. I know Grace McDonald's name, but not her face, so I don't know which of the trio of performers she is. The lead's (AG's) singing is dubbed by Martha Tilton. She has 1 song in the Soundtracks, and the trio has the other 2. The trio sings and dances, and the blond does a lot of kicks over the other 2 (that's probably GM; she's in the Tap! Appendix for another film this year.) But it's mostly comedic, and not terrific.

The murder mystery is standard stuff, with hidden passages in a mansion and blackmail. The butler did ... something.

When I saw IAL Diamond as the first writing credit, I got my hopes up. Then I watched the movie. Ah, this is his first film credit. He doesn't team up with Billy Wilder until Love in the Afternoon (1957).

Universal, dir. Goodwins; 6-

Kismet (1944), 7+ {nm} Color

Hafiz, a rascally beggar on the periphery of the court of Baghdad, schemes to marry his daughter to royalty and to win the heart of the queen of the castle himself.
1h 40min | Adventure, Fantasy | October 1944 | Color
Director: William Dieterle
Stars: Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, James Craig, Edward Arnold.
Janett Bate ... assistant dance director (uncredited)
Jack Cole ... dance director (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036984/

Bootleg, pristine copy.

First DD credit for Jack Cole. If someone were to argue for this being classified as a Musical, I wouldn't oppose the suggestion. In addition to the large chorus of harem girls, followed by MD dancing very provocatively (where are the censors?) in her gold-painted legs, we get 2 songs from Marsinah. 

I watched this because it is antecedent to the 1955 musical of which I'm very very fond (also choreographed by JCole). It has 4 antecedents itself: 1914 (short), 1920, 1930, 1931. And then a 1967 TV movie descendant.

I'm not sure of the Fantasy genre; aside from some badly executed special effects during a magic act, there is nothing that stretches beyond reality.

RC is delightful, very well suited for the king of beggars. EA is also apt for the Grand Vizier. MD is also perfect in her role, of course.

The young couple were both disappointing: each without much personality, and with not much to do. In '55, those characters are elevated to a nice plane, still behind the Haj and Lalume, but prominent. And to see that Marsinah's singing was dubbed makes me wonder why she was cast at all. Her mother married Jack Warner, and she appeared as the young wife in Casablanca ('42), but this is an MGM production. 

Also in the cast, always welcome: Hugh Herbert, Florence Bates, and Harry Davenport. Bates is almost unrecognizable as the maid in Haj's house. You wouldn't think she had so much makeup and hair defining her in contemporary roles. But a scarf over her head, some moles on her face, and no closeups make her vanish onscreen. And she had mostly the same line over and over: "Bah!" and often turned her back to the camera. I wonder if that's how the role began, or if this was an editing result.

MGM, dir. Dieterle; 7+

Swing Hostess (1944), 6

Rags-to-riches-to-rags story features Benny Goodman vocalist Martha Tilton as an unemployed big band singer who takes a job as an operator at a jukebox company. After falling in love with a... 
1h 16min | Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance | 8 September 1944
Director: Sam Newfield
Stars: Martha Tilton, Iris Adrian, Charles Collins

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037336/
Watched on AmazonPrime, fuzzy print. Also on a megapack.

Regarding the synopsis above: I didn't see MT as having achieved success before the final scene, and even then "riches" are not assured. MT really does have a lovely voice; Benny Goodman was no fool.

The title refers to a jukebox service where the records reside at a central location, and the jukebox is a telephone device with speaker where the patron actually talks with the Hostess to request the record to be played.

Confusion occurs early when MT's custom recording is thought to belong to the producer's favorite (who really can't sing). Good old Iris Adrian, the brassy blonde with voice to match is the best friend, who tries to help MT as an almost-manager, much like her role in Career Girl ('44). I like her a lot.

It takes the entire movie to straighten out the early mistake, and the journey is fun. The other boarders at MT's showbiz rooming house help in the resolution, so they are justified for more than comic relief. MT sings 6 songs, and the impostor butchers 2 of them. (Wow, the songs are all by Livingston and Evans, famous for Que Sera, Sera, Buttons and Bows, Silver Bells and Mona Lisa. Nothing here is nearly that good.) Romance also blooms, so we get the Happily Ever After feeling at The End.

With a better print, this would probably be a 6+.

indie, distr. PRC, dir. Newfield; 6

Dixie Jamboree (1944), 6-

A medicine man on the last show boat on the Mississippi is mistaken by two gangsters as a bootlegger, and has to evade them.
1h 12min | Comedy, Musical | 15 August 1944
Director: Christy Cabanne
Stars: Frances Langford, Guy Kibbee, Eddie Quillan, Charles Butterworth, Lyle Talbot, Louise Beavers

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036762/
Watched on AmazonPrime; also online elsewhere. Bad print, but audio was better here, video about the same.

I don't feel the synopsis is true. The medicine man (GK) doesn't really know about the gangsters' plan to fleece him of his hooch until FL & EQ overhear them late in the film. So there's no evading by GK.

I fell asleep at least twice and started over or backed up multiple times. I never watched it straight through. I can't decide if it's hard to follow because of that, or because it doesn't have a clear path. For instance, I don't know why GK thinks he's adding water to his medicine formula, but it's really booze. I've forgotten why the gangsters are using the slow, slow riverboat as their lift out of town. I'm pretty sure they discover the booze while already aboard, so that's not it.

I sure don't know why FL is attracted to EQ, given that he disrupted her song with his trumpet playing (although it's good improv playing, he just has no control of when he starts or stops), and then when she tries to romance him, he reaches for his horn instead of responding directly to her. She's clearly frustrated, and tries to make him jealous with LT, but finally gets him in the end - at least for the final frame.

CB provides his usual persona, which is a plus. Everyone that I listed in the cast is welcome. But the print is bad, and I suspect the story is too. The 6 songs in the film help, but not much. Advice to future me: avoid unless you find a decent print. I hate to give this cast a 5, but that's the rating for "avoid." Oh, I previously gave this a 6. So I'll settle on 6-.

indie, distr. PRC, dir. Cabanne; 6-

In Society (1944), 6

Two bumbling plumbers are hired by a socialite to fix a leak. A case of mistaken identity gets the pair an invitation to a fancy party and an entree into high society. As expected, things ... 
1h 15min | Comedy, Musical | 18 August 1944
Directors: Jean Yarbrough, Erle C. Kenton (uncredited)
Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marion Hutton, Arthur Treacher.
George Dobbs ... choreographer

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036953/

With Marion Hutton in the cast, you'd expect some singing, and you'll not be disappointed.  Soundtracks says she had 2 songs; she also sang on the Change in the Weather number. Fortunately, she did not use any of the family comedy expressions (which I've seen her do while singing with Glenn Miller; the family being sis Betty Hutton.) There's a 4th song by another character plus a sister group. Not sure what the choreographer did, unless he worked with the poolside guests bouncing the beach balls in unison.

The lengthy sequence Where's Basil Street (Susquehanna Hats) had no relationship with the rest of the story that I caught, and felt very familiar.

Per the dvd's Production Notes, the fire engine chase was largely footage from Never Give a Sucker an Even Break (1941), a Universal WC Fields film.

This is ok, but not better. I wonder if the "best" A&C movie for me will always be the one where the Condos Brothers dance.

Universal, dir. Yarbrough & Kenton; 6

Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), 7 {nm}

Woodrow is discharged from the military for hay fever, but fabricates receiving a heroic honorable discharge before returning home.
1h 41min | Comedy, War | September 1944
Director: Preston Sturges
Stars: Eddie Bracken, Ella Raines, Raymond Walburn, William Demarest

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036891/
On disc, but also available online.

I had added this movie to my quest to fill in non-musical perspectives on the war; I added lots of titles based on a query, not prejudging whether I wanted to watch them. In this quest, I've been complaining about Betty Hutton, and disliked Eddie Bracken in The Miracle of Morgan's Creek ('43) with her. Seeing that BH was absent, and I generally adore Preston Sturges, I thought I'd give this a try. I liked it.

WD plays a large role, and I like him a lot. I don't want to discuss the plot, which is good, so I can watch this fresh again later. Let's just say it's far-fetched (it's a comedy), but logically consistent. I scratched the verb in the synopsis, because it attributes the fabrication to Woodrow (EB), and that's not who does the fabricating.

The actor who plays Bugsy (the handsome Marine whose earliest plot point is that he holds out 15 cents from his friends) does an excellent job. He has several movie credits, and even has credits in a couple of musicals in this quest. But I never noticed him; now he's featured and shines.

Story, casting, direction, pacing - all good.

Paramount, dir. Sturges; 7

Minstrel Man (1944), 6

The story of a singer in a minstrel show, from his career highs to the tragedies in his personal life.
1h 10min | Musical | 1 August 1944
Directors: Joseph H. Lewis, Edgar G. Ulmer (uncredited)
Stars: Benny Fields, Gladys George, Alan Dinehart, Roscoe Karns.
Jack Boyle ... choreographer (as Johnny Boyle)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037076/

Watched on AmazonPrime, also on a megapack. OK print.

I really need to stop rolling my eyes when I see PRC. Of the 6 of their musicals I watched since Dec 6, I rated 3 of them a 6, with 455 for the others.

This one has 2 Oscar noms: 1 for best original song "Remember Me to Carolina", and 1 for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture to Leo Erdody and Ferde Grofé Sr. And I concur on both counts.

Ferde Grofe, perhaps best known as the composer of Grand Canyon Suite (violins make donkey sounds; if I ever rode down the Canyon on a burro, I'd want his album playing in my headphones), had a sparse H'wood career: 14 Movie Soundtrack credits, active 1929-1979 (7 years posthumous), 5 Movie Composer credits, active '35-'77 and 3 additional Movie Music Dept credits. This is the 5th film in this quest for which he's credited.

This is the last of 3 movie credits for Benny Fields. I've heard of his wife, Blossom Seeley, but I don't know why. In his trivia, it says Bing Crosby called him the original crooner, and I definitely hear that style in the 6 songs he sings here. The 7th, the title song, is only danced by a soloist, Jack Boyle, the choreographer above. In the Tap! Appendix for Judy Clark, Benny Fields; not sure I saw BF tapping, did see JC dancing.

As excuses go for putting blackface onscreen, this one is reasonable: it chronicles the life of a minstrel performer (which BF's bio says he was too). And the fact that modern ('44) producers want to mount a minstrel revival is given extra credence because they're trying to capitalize on the daughter of a (thought dead) former minstrel star. I think they mention that minstrel is now passe. The most recent film where I mention minstrel in these posts is Babes on Broadway (1941).

At one point I wondered if he performed in cork because he's slightly ugly. But then he performed without cork, and it was much better: his face was able to act what he sang. I'll never understand why minstrel was popular, especially in non-slavery regions.

I won't reveal any more plot here, in case I want to watch it again.

PRC, dir. Lewis & Ulmer; 6

Wilson (1944), 6 Color

A chronicle of the political career of US President Woodrow 
2h 34min || July 1944
Director: Henry King
Stars: Alexander Knox, Charles Coburn, Geraldine Fitzgerald

Genres: Biography | Drama | History | Music | Romance

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037465/

Watched online, very good print.

Although tagged with a Music genre, this has no Soundtracks page. The only musical performances are sing-alongs at home, or diegetic music of bands playing at political rallies/parades. There was a scene of Eddie Foy performing at the NY Palace theatre.

Apparently Wilson (president 1913-21) was a Southerner who supported Jim Crow laws. That was not touched in this film. In fact, he is shown revering Lincoln for freeing the slaves.

I found the onscreen convention overly long and pointless. Yes, it was quite amazing that it took 47 ballots to nominate the candidate (apparently no primaries back then?), but to show so many people and placards ... was this the first glimpse '44 audiences would have to nominating conventions? I grew up watching them on TV, back when they got the whole prime-time block+, and this seemed like it could have been a brief montage instead.

While it's interesting that Wilson lost his beloved wife and then successfully courted another all while in office, that seemed to take a lot of footage too.

I got more engaged when he finally felt compelled to enter WWI, which is more than halfway through the film. His role in the peace negotiation, and Wilson's fight for the League of Nations were ideas I might eventually want to study. I liked recognizing Marcel Dalio as the primary French negotiator; his makeup obscured his face completely, only his voice revealed him to me.

Certainly Germany is portrayed as evil back then, especially to reinforce the evil that they were perpetrating in WW2. This was clearly a propaganda film for then modern times.

I had read about this being a pet project of Zanuck. I'm glad to have seen it.

Fox, dir. King; 6

Step Lively (1944), 6+

Gordon Miller is rehearsing a musical comedy in the penthouse suite of Gribble's hotel...on credit. The mounting bill is driving Gribble frantic. Chaos increases when playwright Glen ... 
1h 28min | Musical | 26 July 1944
Director: Tim Whelan
Stars: Frank Sinatra, George Murphy, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria De Haven, Walter Slezak, Eugene Pallette.
Ernst Matray ... choreographer
Maria Matray ... choreographer (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037313/

Pleasant musical remake of Room Service (1938), 6+ {nm}, the only non-musical of the 5 Paramount and 6 MGM Marx Brothers films. GM is the producer (played by Groucho) and FS is the playwright.

First starring credit for FS, first non-self character he plays. He does a serviceable job.

Pay attention to the first production number (a rehearsal). GM does 2 vertical leaps that I like so much: one short hop atop a coffee table, the other a biggy atop a piano. He makes it look so effortless.

6 songs in the Soundtracks, 4 with FS singing (but only 1 solo). Anne Jeffreys gets a solo, and a duet with FS.

GM delivers some very fast-paced dialog and frenetic energy as the producer trying to get his production afloat juggling/dodging lots of obstacles.

RKO, dir. Whelan; 6+

Bathing Beauty (1944), 8+ Color

A contrived misunderstanding leads to the breakup of a songwriter and his fiancée. She returns to work as a gym teacher at an all-girls school, but a legal loophole allows the man to enroll as one of her students.
1h 41min | Comedy, Musical | July 1944 | Color
Director: George Sidney
Stars: Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Basil Rathbone.
Robert Alton ... dance director
John Murray Anderson ... water ballet
Jack Donohue ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036628/
The disc turned up dead for ch13-23, but I found this online. The print is slightly less sharp than on dvd.


Musical performances ([27 custom chapters w/menu]; replacement disc has 14 chapters w/NO menu):

• ch1 [2]. Bim, Bam, Bum, Sung by Lina Romay with Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 
• ch1 [3]. Magic is the Moonlight (Te quiero dijiste), Sung by Carlos Ramírez in Spanish with Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra, swum by EW in ch2.
• ch3 [6]. Trumpet Blues and Cantabile, Instrumental played by Harry James and His Orchestra with Harry James on trumpet 
• ch5 [9]. By the Waters of Minnetonka: an Indian Love Song, Played by Ethel Smith on organ with the MGM Studio Orchestra 
• ch5 [10]. Tico-tico no fubá, Played by Ethel Smith on organ with the MGM Studio Orchestra 
• ch6 [13]. Loch Lomond, Sung by the Co-eds with Ethel Smith on organ 
• ch6 [14]. I'll Take the High Note, Sung and danced by Red Skelton, Jean Porter, Janis Paige, Carlos Ramírez, Helen Forrest, Harry James and Buddy Moreno with Harry James and His Orchestra and Ethel Smith on organ 
• ch8 [18]. Alma Llanera, Sung by Lina Romay and chorus with Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 
• ch9 [19]. Waltz of the Flowers, Danced at the Eurythmics session by the Co-eds and Red Skelton 
• ch10 [21]. Hora Staccato, Played by Harry James on trumpet with Harry James and His Orchestra 
• ch10 [22]. I Cried for You, Sung by Helen Forrest with Harry James and His Orchestra 
• ch12-3 [24-6]. Water ballet finale:
• Boogie Woogie, Played by Harry James and His Orchestra before and during the water ballet sequence 
• The Thrill of a New Romance, Instrumental played by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra at the start of and during the water ballet sequence 
• Die Fledermaus Overture, Played in the score for Caroline's participation in the water ballet sequence 

Margaret Dumont is in a late scene in RS's "dorm" room during the parent visits. The end of that scene is worthy of the Marx Brothers.

This film is packed with music, all of it good. I think I let this run 4 times in a loop while I found and organized the booklets for (mostly Criterion) dvds.

Things preventing a higher rating:

• No real romance here. RS is mad about EW, and they even marry at one moment, but I don't feel much chemistry coming from EW. But she disparaged her own acting in this one. And he's here for the comedy, not because he's a dreamy leading man.
• Only 1 real water ballet. It's fabulous, spectacular, beautiful. I wonder if we get only 1 per film in future.
• Other than the pool-side dancing in the finale, there's not much dancing. There's a little in the Latin numbers with Cugat's Orch & Lina Romay.

Definitely worthwhile to watch the dvd supplement of her TCM interview with Osborne (special features are on original release only). They discuss her Olympic hopes (her year, 1940, the games were canceled due to the war; her events were swimming for speed - no such thing as synchronized swimming until the '84 games in L.A.), her early experiences in show biz, and her marriage to Fernando Lamas among other topics.

MGM, dir. Sidney; 8+

Sensations of 1945 (1944), 6+

Father and son press agents fail to see things eye to eye, in the final screen appearance of comedian W.C. Fields.
1h 26min | Musical | 30 June 1944
Director: Andrew L. Stone
Stars: Eleanor Powell (EP), Dennis O'Keefe, C. Aubrey Smith, Eugene Pallette.
David Lichine ... choreographer
Charles O'Curran ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037258/

Bootleg copy, poor quality, but the dances come through. This is the re-release, without "of 1945" on the title.

In the Tap! Appendix for EP; her last film until a cameo in '50.

Soundtracks lists 9 songs, all Music by Al Sherman, Lyrics by Harry Tobias, but nothing about who performed them.

Performances (16 chapters, about 5.5 min each, no menu):

• ch1. EP and David Lichine dance a pseudo-apache number. DL identified from Google images, esp. this site. Woody Herman and orch play.
• ch4. WH & orch play.
• ch4-5. Circus performance with jugglers, acrobats, unicyclist, rollerskating spinners, a "drunken" tightrope walker, performing bears.
• ch6. Tightrope walker crosses great gulch.
• ch8. Cab Calloway & orch performs 2 numbers, projected on the side of a building in NYC.
• ch9-10. Two pianists perform classical music with swing. The woman is probably Dorothy Donegan. The man might be Gene Rodgers. People dance (jitterbug) in the street.
• ch10. Duet sings a romantic song.
• ch11. WH & orch sing/play, EP dances as a pinball in a human-sized machine. She kicks the pins to light them.
• ch12. WC Fields does a comic skit.
• ch13. Sophie Tucker talk/sings.
• ch14. Finale begins with WH & orch.
• ch15. more WH & women acrobat/tappers on ~3-foot risers, inspired by Nicholas Brothers steep staircase where they did the splits over each other. Very good stuff; lots of dancers & split-stunts. Good use of risers, floor and camera.
• ch16. EP dances with a horse. The horse didn't dub his taps later: only EP's sounds are audible. After the horse is done, EP spins around a bit. The End.

The plot (publicity agents work to get their clients noticed) is a good excuse to trot out so many specialty acts. The production values look good. Too bad this was an indie production, and lost to public domain obscurity. (I suspect the Reel Vault release is no better than this copy; Amazon reviews seem to indicate such.) But I've put this on my wishlist in case someone finds a good source and releases a decent print. I like it.

Andrew L. Stone Productions, distr. UA, dir. Stone; 6+

Song of the Open Road (1944), 6+

Child film star Jane Powell, fed up with her every move being stage managed by her stage mother, runs away and joins the U.S. Crop Corps, a small army of young folks staying at youth ... 
1h 33min | Comedy, Musical | 21 June 1944
Director: S. Sylvan Simon
Stars: Edgar Bergen, Charlie McCarthy, Bonita Granville, WC Fields, Jane Powell.
George Dobbs ... choreographer (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037297/
Downloaded here (can also watch there); faded print.

Feature length film promoting the USDA Crop Corps, volunteers to supplement farm labor, shorted by men working in factories and sent to war. This is oriented toward the Youth Hostels (as contrasted with the Women's Land Army). See a good article about this here. Similar to Harvest Melody (1943), which was aimed at adults.

This is Jane Powell's (b. 1929) first film. She got her professional name from the character she plays here, not the other way around. She's the star of the story, but clearly not a name draw yet, so she's 6th billed.

In the Tap! Appendix for Condos Brothers. Two Condos Brothers dance at about 12 min, not the 3 in IMDb credits. Looks like Nick and Steve to me; listed as Frank, Harry and Steve on IMDb, just as Condos Brothers onscreen. Since I'm used to their dancing, this is not jaw-dropping, but it's still excellent stuff. In a significant way, the setting for their dance is a copy of the bandstand+piano for the Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather ('43). Here CB jump from ledge above the band to drums to dual pianos, back up and down again, tapping on each of those 3 surfaces. I don't think they did the 5-tap wing. (Only 1 more film in '46 with the brothers; only Steve in a few films after that.)

[Edited to add:] Nick already danced atop empty band chairs and piano in To Beat the Band ('35). No idea who might have originated the idea.

Only 1 more film credit for WC Fields, in '45.

Soundtracks lists 7 songs, 4 sung by JP, 1 danced by CB.

Very pleasant, and illustrates history, lightened by professional musical entertainment and comedy.

Charles R. Rogers Productions, distr. UA, dir. Simon; 6+

Meet the People (1944), 6+

A idealistic shipyard worker interests a beautiful Hollywood star in staging a musical tribute to the war industry, but they disagree on some important issues.
1h 40min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 15 March 1945
Director: Charles Reisner (as Charles Riesner)
Stars: Lucille Ball, Dick Powell, Virginia O'Brien, Bert Lahr, June Allyson.
Jack Donohue ... dance director (as Jack Donahue)
Sammy Lee ... dance director
Charles Walters ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037062/

Wow: DP was first-billed in Warner musicals back when LB was still a Goldwyn Girl; now she topped him. And her part is bigger. I wonder how many more times she plays a famous actress who rubs elbows with commoners. This is at least the 3rd one, or maybe in one she was an heiress.

First and last Producer credit for E.Y. Harburg, lyricist of Over the Rainbow and many other gems. He has songwriting credit with 3 composers here.

11 chapters, 10 min each:

• ch1. I Can't Dance (I Got Ants in My Pants), Sung and Danced by Ziggie Talent with Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra 
• ch2. In Times Like These, Sung by Dick Powell and Lucille Ball (dubbed by Gloria Grafton) 
• ch3. Der Fuehrer's Face, Instrumental performed by Spike Jones and His City Slickers 
• ch3. Meet the People, Sung by Dick Powell and chorus in his daydream, Reprised by Lucille Ball (dubbed by Gloria Grafton) and chorus at dress rehearsal 
• ch4. Acrobatic Dance Music, Instrumental danced by Miriam LaVelle 
• ch5. Shicklegruber, Played by Spike Jones and His City Slickers and sung by Beau Lee 
• ch6. Heave Ho, Sung by Bert Lahr and ensemble 
• ch7. In Times Like These, Played also by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra and sung by Vaughn Monroe 
• ch7. I Like to Recognize the Tune, Sung by June Allyson, Virginia O'Brien, Ziggie Talent, Vaughn Monroe, The King Sisters and others, with Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra 
• ch8. Oriental Music, Danced by 'Mata and Hari' (more acrobatics than dance)
• ch10. Say That We're Sweethearts Again, Sung by Virginia O'Brien at the show 
• ch10. It's Smart to Be People, Sung by Lucille Ball (dubbed by Gloria Grafton), Dick Powell, Virginia O'Brien and ensemble 
• ch11. Meet the People, Sung by a chorus at the end 

The comedy acrobatic dance by Mata and Hari was a high point. This is their only film credit; her bio gives a fair amount on them (married). They have several TV credits, and did live theatre.

Overall, I like this film. The big emphasis on what people who strive together can accomplish is uplifting.

MGM, dir. Reisner, 6+

The White Cliffs of Dover (1944), 6+ {nm}

London based American nurse, Susan, Lady Ashwood, is at the hospital awaiting the imminent arrival of injured soldiers. She is hoping that her enlisted son, Sir John Ashwood, who resembles ... 
2h 6min | Drama, Romance, War | June 1944
Director: Clarence Brown
Stars: Irene Dunne, Alan Marshal, Frank Morgan, Roddy McDowall, Elizabeth Taylor, C. Aubrey Smith, Gladys Cooper, Peter Lawford

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037462/

ID plays her character from about 1914 (or perhaps a bit before), when she's not long out of school, to the present day ('44). So the film walks us through WW1, the years after, and WW2, mostly from the perspective of this American woman in Britain.

I like ID in almost everything she does. I don't think she sang at all here, even when they entertained each other at home.

RM (b. 1928) already has a couple dozen movies behind him (started in '38), including Flicka and Lassie, so he really is 3rd billed here although he's a young teen. When they advance the story, his character grows up to be Peter Lawford, which works pretty well facially.

ET (b. 1932) plays a flirty 10 y.o. I don't remember if her grown-up version was in the story, but she was definitely interested in RM. This was her 4th film; she was with Lassie too.

I liked very much the scene between the wars of the 2 German boys entertained by RM at his estate. The younger was a Hitler Youth without stating that, because he was RM's age or younger, and was learning how to fly gliders (where he's the pilot on board, not just toys you fling in the air). That was part of the elite HY training to feed into the Luftwaffe.

It's sorta long, but worthwhile.

MGM, dir. Brown; 6+

Going My Way (1944), 6

Father Charles O'Mailey, a young priest at a financially failing Church in a tough neighborhood, gains support and inspires his superior.
2h 6min | Comedy, Drama, Music, Musical | 3 May 1944
Director: Leo McCarey
Stars: Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Frank McHugh.
Daniel Dare ... dance director (uncredited)
Josephine Earl ... dance director (uncredited)
Al Mann ... assistant dance director (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036872/

It's been several hours since I watched this, and I'm not going to load it again. I have no idea why they needed any dance directors, much less 2 and an assistant. Something at the opera (Carmen), perhaps?

BC (b. 1903) is youngER than BF (b. 1888), but 41 doesn't qualify as "young", especially not mid-20th century. In some scenes, the bags under BC's eyes are quite visible. PLUS, BF is not BC's superior; BC has been sent in as the top man, but he didn't let BF know it.

I never would have bought this outright; it's a 2-picture disc, with Holiday Inn ('42) as the top draw for me. I'd seen this on TV years ago, and knew it was schmaltz. My memory was correct. And for this to be tagged as both Music and Musical is beyond the pale... and the pail. Yes, BC sings; he uses music in his ministry, starting a boy's choir to give the troubled youth something positive to like. But the performances are not so frequent nor so long that it's a musical. We get 3 new songs, the nicest is Swinging on a Star. Rise Stevens sings some Carmen and the title song too, but that's not very catchy.

Unbelievable the Oscar gold this collected: 7 wins and 3 more noms. Here's the link to see what it was up against.

Wins:

1. Best Picture
2. Best Actor in a Leading Role: Bing Crosby 
3. Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Barry Fitzgerald 
4. Best Director: Leo McCarey 
5. Best Writing, Original Story: Leo McCarey 
6. Best Writing, Screenplay: Frank Butler, Frank Cavett 
7. Best Music, Original Song: Jimmy Van Heusen (music) & Johnny Burke (lyrics) For the song "Swinging on a Star".

Nominees: 

1. Best Actor in a Leading Role: Barry Fitzgerald, the only actor to have received Leading and Supporting Actor nominations for the same performance. Voting rules were altered shortly after this occurred to prevent future such instances.
2. Best Cinematography, Black-and-White: Lionel Lindon 
3. Best Film Editing: LeRoy Stone 

So, I said it at the beginning: schmaltz. Nothing here for me to get involved with or excited about.

Paramount, dir. Leo McCarey; 6

Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), 7

A sailor helps two sisters start up a service canteen. The sailor soon becomes taken with gorgeous sister Jean, unaware that her sibling Patsy is also in love with him.
2h 4min | Musical, Comedy, Romance | June 1944
Director: Richard Thorpe
Stars: Van Johnson, June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, Tom Drake, Jimmy Durante.
Sammy Lee ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037408/

First director (out of 49 people) to make my list of people with 100+ sound film credits (1924-67). This is the first in this Musical quest, with at least 8 more to come through '57 (Jailhouse Rock), 4 with Esther Williams.

I do not understand why this movie is so good. Strikes against it:

1. b/w
2. VJ, JA, GDH, especially when the sisters sing together
3. no worthwhile dancing
4. seemingly ordinary plot of sisters hunting for a rich husband

Runs batted in:

• lots of music: swing (Harry James), Latin (Cugat w/Lina Romay, & Carlos Ramirez), classical (Jose Iturbi & sister), but see strike 2
• Gracie Allen's comic piano specialty
• JD (he's my favorite kind of comic: with a sad and vulnerable side. See: Chaplin, but probably not that level of genius.)
• 3 other GIs beyond VJ: a soldier who seems menacing sometimes, handsome TD, and a pudgy Marine.
• charming father and grandfather of VJ
• the plot twist that the sisters aren't just hunting for $$; they put on their own private canteen often, feeding and entertaining GIs they round up on the street in groups of 20+, in their modest but spacious apartment. Then someone fulfills their wish to open their canteen in the vacant warehouse down the street.

The romantic lattice sorts out nicely, with each sis landing the correct man: you know, the sis who doesn't care about $$ gets the rich one, and the sis who was hunting the $$man the hardest realizing she actually loved the handsome but modestly-monied rancher.

Favorite moment in the film: when GDH realized she actually loves TD, and he readily admits he loves her, she asks him "why haven't you tried to kiss me?" He: "you didn't want me to." That's special because she never had to say no, she never had to rebuff him, he wasn't aggressively pursuing her. He wasn't coy or flirty, he just kept coming back, helping out, making her aware of him in the best possible ways, until she finally woke up. Imagine a guy who pays sufficient attention that he knows whether she wants him to smooch her. In a video-clip enhanced dictionary, that moment could define 'gentleman'.

MGM, dir. Thorpe; 7