1h 14min | Musical | 1 October 1943 | Color
Director: Irving Cummings
Stars: Betty Grable, Robert Young, Adolphe Menjou, Reginald Gardiner, Virginia Grey, Phil Regan.
Angela Blue ... assistant choreographer
Hermes Pan ... dance director
Ruth Fanchon ... supervisor of musical sequences (as Fanchon)
bootleg, slightly blurry.
How to avoid the war: set the story in the 1880s. Although the final title card was the ad to buy war bonds. (Did people have those things lying around the house?)
In the Tap! Appendix for Betty Grable, Hermes Pan who partner dance onstage again, HP looking even more like Astaire than usual (facial expressions), and stealing the leg-hurdle dance segment from The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle ('39) where he's credited as dance director. Here, HP puts his foot on a short wall; FA put his on dinner tables in a restaurant. The camera work was better at RKO, and Ginger was dancing exuberantly, not just expertly.
Song/dance (13 chapters of 5-6 min each):
In the Tap! Appendix for Betty Grable, Hermes Pan who partner dance onstage again, HP looking even more like Astaire than usual (facial expressions), and stealing the leg-hurdle dance segment from The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle ('39) where he's credited as dance director. Here, HP puts his foot on a short wall; FA put his on dinner tables in a restaurant. The camera work was better at RKO, and Ginger was dancing exuberantly, not just expertly.
Song/dance (13 chapters of 5-6 min each):
- ch1. Where, Oh, Where Is the Groom? sung/pranced onstage by BG and chorus/ensemble in production.
- ch4. Phil Regan, as a songwriter, sings a new song, My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?), to BG in her living quarters. She sings it a 2nd time. She's in the tub in the next room the whole time.
- ch6. PR sings The Wishing Waltz onstage in production, ensemble dancing, then BG & HP emerge, waltz out to the patio, where eventually they do the leg-hurdle 6 times and waltz back to the dance floor. They do NOT tap, and this is his only appearance. This dress especially looks like a bustier with a skirt, all one color, and the skirt is sheer. 1980's Madonna would be proud.
- ch7. BG sings My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My Heart?) in the burlesque beer hall where she started. (Reporter RY brought her there to take photos.)
- ch10. Newsboys sing Get Your Police Gazette onstage in production, then Sweet Rosie O'Grady. Leads to:
- ch11. Enter BG, bantering with reporters, then sings Sweet Rosie O'Grady with them, strutting the stage. They all tap a little during their dance.
- ch12. BG and chorus onstage: Goin' to the County Fair. She taps a little with a couple of partners.
- ch12. BG sings to man in RY mask onstage: My Sam
I don't like the escalating deceits by RY and BG against each other. And then they seemingly end up together. Not a healthy relationship. How about for conflict a little you-and-me against the world instead of against each other? This may be closer to a 6- than just a 6. The color and BG's gowns help.
Fox, dir. Cummings; 6
