1h 43min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 24 December 1943 | Color
Director: Busby Berkeley
Stars: Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, Phil Baker, Benny Goodman, Eugene Pallette, Charlotte Greenwood, Edward Everett Horton.
Busby Berkeley ... dance director
Fred Sersen ... special photographic effects [per commentary: especially the finale]
Be sure to observe CM's shoes, rarely visible in her films, but visible often here. Commentary said they are 5" heels, but the soles are at least 2" (so the heel would be 3" above that).
I love the opening number, with BB expressing his love of surrealism/abstraction from the moment the credits end. I love the way Alice Faye is introduced, almost hidden among her "fellow" showgirls, who are all blonde and made to look like her; she has the deep alto voice.
Songs performed (28 custom chapters; my favorites are bolded):
- ch1. Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here!, Sung by a chorus during the opening credits
- ch2. Brazil (Aquarela Do Brasil), Sung by Aloysio de Oliveira, Carmen Miranda and chorus
- ch3. You Discover You're in New York, Performed by Carmen Miranda, Alice Faye, Phil Baker and chorus; (for AF's intro)
- ch6. Minnie's in the Money, Sung by Benny Goodman with his band and a jitterbug chorus
- ch8. The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat, Performed by Carmen Miranda and chorus; don't miss the ending.
- ch9. A Journey to a Star, Sung by Alice Faye (and reprised by cast)
- ch11. The Jitters, Danced by Charlotte Greenwood and Charles Saggau; CG does her rubber-hipped side kicks here.
- ch15. No Love, No Nothin', Sung by Alice Faye (this one kills me every time).
- ch17. 'Valse des rayons' from 'Le Papillon' aka "Valse chaloupée", Music by Jacques Offenbach, The "Apache Dance" referred to and sung by Charlotte Greenwood and Phil Baker
- ch18. No Love, No Nothin', Danced by Tony De Marco and Sheila Ryan
- ch25. Paducah, Played by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, Sung by Benny Goodman and Carmen Miranda, Danced by Carmen Miranda and Tony De Marco
- ch26. A Journey to a Star, Sung by Alice Faye, Danced by Tony De Marco and Sheila Ryan
- ch27. The Polka Dot Polka, Sung by Alice Faye with dancers
- ch27. The Polka Dot Ballet, Performed by Busby Berkeley dancers
- ch28. Kaleidoscope
Good commentary track; Dr. Drew Casper appreciates Busby Berkeley, as do I. He mentions that during the war, 1941-5, H'wood released 400 musicals.
This is one of my favorite musicals; if I had to choose my top 10, this would be in the list. Why not a rating higher than 8? Because I don't like the romantic lead for AF, his "betrothed" subplot, the intrusion of the war in his heroism montage, nor Tony De Marco dancing.
Fox, dir. Berkeley, 8
