1h 22min | Comedy, Music, Sport | 10 August 1949
Director: George Sherman
Stars: Donald O'Connor, Charles Coburn, Gloria DeHaven.
Louis Da Pron ... choreographer
Watched online; ok print for small screen.
In the Tap! Appendix for Donald O'Connor. The scene in the laundromat is good dancing, sometimes badly filmed (chorines blocking our view of DO's taps).
A major twist on the college musical: the babies are literal here, with several GIs in college with families, and both parents taking classes. The focus is on the men who would have been on the football team, but their family obligations prevent it. It's presented as the wives forbid their husbands' sports commitment, but it's only reasonable that a full-time student/parent shouldn't have time for varsity sports. The sexism cuts both ways, as strongly evidenced by the song GD sings: Men Are Little Children.
Of course, the team is dreadful without them, so we see lots of scenes with the men doing domestic chores, in class, and watching football practice longingly.
To add to the conflict, we have 2 late-middle-aged professors who are long-time enemies from a failed romance; 1 is also the football coach, the other is a feminist who is "against football".
4 songs in the Soundtracks, with no identification of who did the performing. Next time document those to submit changes. Those songs are:
- Yes Sir! That's My Baby
- Look at Me
- They've Never Figured Out a Woman, sung/danced by DO with cast and chorines
- Men Are Little Children, sung by GD
Not sure why the rating is so high on IMDb: 7.5 with 57 votes; my 6 has been recorded for some time now. By looking at the ratings breakdown, high scores are coming from people who don't identify their demographics (m/f, U.S./non), because the demo groups are mostly averaging 6.5, which is my score.
Universal, dir. Sherman; 6
