1h 4min | Adventure, Musical | 31 December 1942
Director: John H. Auer
Stars: Jane Withers, Henry Wilcoxon, Jack Boyle Jr, William Demarest, Ruth Donnelly, Etta McDaniel
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034921/
Watched online; mediocre/poor print.
In the Tap! Appendix for JW, and she tapped, but so did many others, including a little girl (10 y.o?) soloing early. JW dances well; unlikely to see her again.
Bobby Breen's last of 9 films; it's been 3 years since his last starring role. His speaking voice sounds like cartoon chipmunk. He doesn't sing, at least not solo.
All the singing/dancing comes from the rehearsal or performance of a Junior Victory Caravan made up of former child "stars". They couldn't get support to put on their show (USO sort of thing) unless the still-working star, played by JW, also appears. But JW left just as her double appeared, and her manager (not the studio) has the double meet with the Jr. Caravaners. Meanwhile, the real JW ends up at the home of a playwright (HW) in Arrowhead, practicing to be adult, doing athletic things, chaperoned by EMD (Hattie's sister).
It's a pleasant bit of fluff, only tangentially related to the war; it could have been made a year earlier, when we were increasing troop strength, but not yet at war. Somehow it doesn't get too sad that some of these young kids are playing themselves as has-beens. Spanky McFarland and Alfalfa Switzer are there, and others I don't recognize (probably because I don't like kid stars).
All the singing/dancing comes from the rehearsal or performance of a Junior Victory Caravan made up of former child "stars". They couldn't get support to put on their show (USO sort of thing) unless the still-working star, played by JW, also appears. But JW left just as her double appeared, and her manager (not the studio) has the double meet with the Jr. Caravaners. Meanwhile, the real JW ends up at the home of a playwright (HW) in Arrowhead, practicing to be adult, doing athletic things, chaperoned by EMD (Hattie's sister).
It's a pleasant bit of fluff, only tangentially related to the war; it could have been made a year earlier, when we were increasing troop strength, but not yet at war. Somehow it doesn't get too sad that some of these young kids are playing themselves as has-beens. Spanky McFarland and Alfalfa Switzer are there, and others I don't recognize (probably because I don't like kid stars).
Republic, dir. Auer; 6-
