Give My Regards to Broadway (1948), 6 Color

The Norwick family has had a successful run on the vaudeville circuit, but now some of the family wants out. Mom is ready to retire on the family's farm, and daughter June wants to quit now... 
1h 32min | Musical | 8 June 1948
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Stars: Dan Dailey, Charles Winninger, Nancy Guild, Charles Ruggles, Fay Bainter.
Seymour Felix ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040390/

Watched online, mediocre print.

In the Tap! Appendix for Dan Dailey.

Only 1 song in the Soundtrack! Others were in the film, but not many.

They synopsis doesn't do the plot justice. The family is unable to continue in vaudeville because vaudeville ceases while the sisters are still pre-school (brother is older). Dad (CW) gets a steady job in a factory, but they still dream of performing, and train all the children to juggle & dance. First one sister, then the other, escapes by marriage, leaving DD as the only child still interested in performing. But even he gets pulled into the "legit" world, where his employer gets him on the company baseball team, and offers him a scholarship to MIT in engineering.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a fellow former vaudevillian offers the family 16 weeks in Denver, with a possible tour after, and CW wants to take it. But it would be only he and DD, and DD is torn by loyalty to dad/showbiz, and the non-showbiz life he's grown to enjoy. DD has a romantic interest during this part of the film, but I don't know the actress.

DD dances well, and juggles pretty well too. CW and Barbara Lawrence juggle well too, unless the editing made me think CW was juggling when he may not have been.

Fox, dir. Bacon, 6

Melody Time (1948), 5 Color

An anthology of animated vignettes set to contemporary music.
1h 15min | Animation, Family, Music | 27 May 1948 | Color
Stars: Roy Rogers, Trigger, Dennis Day, The Andrews Sisters, Ethel Smith, Frances Langford

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040580/
Watched online, good print.

Not improving my opinion of Disney animation with this one. On IMDb, 3700+ people give this an average rating of 6.5. Of 51 music/al Disney animation features ranked by rating, this ranks 41st.

Some of the humans aren't just voices, they appear onscreen, and some have animation drawn around them too.

Another pastel nightmare with an infinite keyboard chasing a bumble bee, keyboard playing a jazzed-up Flight of the Bumble Bee. Very similar to a prior Disney segment I didn't like, but not re-using the same animation. They're just "borrowing" from themselves.

Disney, distr. RKO; 5

Easter Parade (1948), 8+ Color

A nightclub performer hires a naive chorus girl to become his new dance partner to make his former partner jealous and to prove he can make any partner a star.
1h 47min | Musical, Romance | 30 June 1948 | Color
Director: Charles Walters
Stars: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford, Ann Miller.
Fred Astaire ... choreographer (uncredited)
Charles Walters ... choreographer (uncredited)

Robert Alton ... musical numbers direction by / musical numbers staged by

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040308/

In the Tap! Appendix for Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Ann Miller.




Songs performed (all written by Irving Berlin; 30 chapters with menu):

• ch2. Happy Easter, Performed by Fred Astaire 
• ch3. Drum Crazy, Sung and Danced by Fred Astaire 
• ch4. It Only Happens When I Dance with You, Sung by Fred Astaire 
• ch6. Everybody's Doin' It, Performed by Chorus 
• ch7. I Want to Go Back to Michigan, Sung by Judy Garland 
• ch11. Beautiful Faces Need Beautiful Clothes, Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland 
• ch13. A Fella with an Umbrella, Sung by Peter Lawford and Judy Garland 
• ch14. I Love a Piano, Sung by Judy Garland, Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland 
• ch15. Snooky Ookums, Sung and Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland 
• ch15. Ragtime Violin, Sung by Fred Astaire, Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland 
• ch15. When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam', Sung and Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland 
• ch19. Shakin' the Blues Away, Sung and Danced by Ann Miller 
• ch21. It Only Happens When I Dance with You, Performed also by Judy Garland 
• ch22. Steppin' Out with My Baby, Sung by Fred Astaire, Danced by Fred Astaire and Chorus 
• ch23. A Couple of Swells, Sung and Danced by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland 
• ch25. The Girl on the Magazine Cover, Sung by Richard Beavers, Danced by Ann Miller 
• ch26. It Only Happens When I Dance with You, Danced by Fred Astaire and Ann Miller 
• ch27. Better Luck Next Time, Sung by Judy Garland 
• ch30. Easter Parade, Sung by Judy Garland and Fred Astaire 
• ch?. Happy Easter, Performed also by Fred Astaire and Judy Garland 

These are all full numbers; no medleys here. This is a phenomenal amount of dancing. But I've developed a taste for athletic dancing, which isn't here, otherwise this should be a 9. It's also missing some magic chemistry as we had with Astaire & Rogers, both on the dance floor and in romantic scenes. JG (b. '22) and FA (b. 1899) are not a good romantic couple age-wise; might have been phenomenal with Gene Kelly.

IMDb says filming dates were 25 November 1947 - 9 February 1948; featurette says 6 weeks of rehearsal and pre-recordings were involved before filming began; I assume this was AFTER the month of rehearsals with Gene Kelly (who was slated for this but broke an ankle at home). 

MGM, dir. Walters; 8+

The Time of Your Life (1948), 6 {nm}

A wide variety of persons come into Nick's Pacific Street Saloon, some to ask for work and others just to pass the time.
1h 49min | Comedy, Drama | 26 May 1948
Director: H.C. Potter
Stars: James Cagney, William Bendix, Wayne Morris, Jeanne Cagney, Broderick Crawford, Ward Bond, Paul Draper.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040884/
Available on AmazonPrime; watched on megapack, mediocre copy.

In the Tap! Appendix for Paul Draper. His only other film is Colleen ('36). He plays a struggling dancer here. Interesting that he doesn't have more in IBDb either (5 shows). In the original B'way production, Bendix played the same role, and Gene Kelly played the dancer. The character is pathetic, and although PD dances well, it's not fun to watch.

Wow, a television in the bar; they view a live horse race. Fairly big screen, wonder whether it was a realistic set for the time.

I don't understand why this play won a Pulitzer, but the film might not reflect the play well. "Kit Carson" is a very strange person to show up a NYC (or other urban) bar, cowboy hat and all. Everyone is sad/pathetic in some way. Are we supposed to feel more optimistic after seeing this? Have more empathy? I don't get it.

JC is mesmerizing as always, and his sister can play this kind of part very well.

William Cagney Prod., distr. UA, dir. Potter; 6

Miranda (1948), 6+ {nm}

A young married physician discovers a mermaid, and gives into her request to be taken to see London. Comedy and romantic entanglements ensue soon after.
1h 20min | Fantasy, Comedy, Romance | 24 May 1948 (UK)
Director: Ken Annakin
Stars: Glynis Johns, Googie Withers, Griffith Jones, Margaret Rutherford.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040597/

This is not American nor a musical. But 2 mermaid films were released in '48: this and Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid, and I wanted to view them again. This one also has a sequel, Mad About Men ('54).

Lovely light comedy, with GJ quite credible as the fish-tailed siren so enchanting that she captures 3 men's hearts without their resorting to competition.  Cute ending that could have fueled its own sequel, but reading the synopsis, MAM doesn't appear to pick up that idea.

MR doesn't get enough screen time to run away with the show. She's an amazingly quirky character actress; Marjorie Main crossed with Cuddles Sakall still wouldn't be quirky enough.

Gainsborough Pictures, dir. Annakin; 6+

The Pirate (1948), 8- Color

A girl is engaged to the local richman, but meanwhile she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling singer falls in love with her and to impress her he poses as the pirate.
1h 42min | Adventure, Comedy, Musical | 14 May 1948 (Montréal) | Color
Director: Vincente Minnelli
Stars: Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Walter Slezak, Grace Cooper, Reginald Owen, The Nicholas Brothers.
Robert Alton ... dance director
Gene Kelly ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040694/

Watched online; horrible low dpi, blurry. Will have dvd again someday.

In the Tap! Appendix for Gene Kelly, Nicholas Brothers. But they really did not tap.

Previously rated 7, and I understand the low rating. This is played so tongue-in-cheek that it became off-putting. Especially annoying: some of the overly cute lyrics. Ex: 2 pronunciations of Caribbean repeated over and over and over again in Mack the Black ("on the CaribbEan or CarIbbean sea"), rhyming Niña with "seen ya" repeatedly.

But the dancing is so wonderful, and there's plenty of it. Not so much the number of numbers, but their duration and staging and phenomenal athleticism of GK (b. 1912).

Songs performed, all written by Cole Porter:

• Niña, Sung/danced by Gene Kelly and chorus
• Mack the Black, Sung by Judy Garland 
• Mack the Black, Danced by Gene Kelly 
• You Can Do No Wrong, Performed by Judy Garland 
• Be a Clown, Sung by Gene Kelly, Danced by Gene Kelly and The Nicholas Brothers 
• Be a Clown, Also performed by Gene Kelly and Judy Garland 
• Love of My Life, Performed by Judy Garland 
• Pirate Ballet, danced by GK

If you watch carefully enough, you see one of the players signal when they're going to ramp up the satire. That makes the escalation more tolerable.

Oddly, I don't love JG's songs. Roger Edens is here as composer, but I see no credit for vocal arranger. Am I missing the hand of Kay Thompson? Perhaps because only 1 was a ballad, and I don't remember it?

So watch for the up-shift cues, and revel in the dancing and spectacle, especially GK in pirate short-shorts. It's been bothering me that women dancers regularly expose their legs, but not men. Thanks GK for turning those tables for a few minutes.

MGM, dir. Minnelli; 8-

The Iron Curtain (1948), 6 {nm}

The story of Soviet cypher-clerk Igor Gouzenko who was posted to the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa,Canada in 1943 and defected in 1945 to reveal the extent of Soviet espionage activities directed against Canada.
1h 27min | Biography, Crime, History, Thriller | 12 May 1948
Director: William A. Wellman
Stars: Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, June Havoc

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040478/
Watched online, ok print.

Filming Locations: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Part of my search about movie coverage of the atomic bomb. This doesn't mention anything about the horrific nature of the bomb, only the arms race and espionage about it during the war.

We've seen aspects of this in other films/shows since: the simple "luxuries" of living in the Western world opening the eyes of Soviet operatives stationed here. The laughable part: the "luxury" is pretty shabby. 

This is an ok thriller. It lacks a good cast after DA & GT. JH is mostly wasted here, and the Soviet baddies are only semi-familiar faces.

United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc., 334 U.S. 131 (1948) was decided May 3, just over a week before this release.

Fox, dir. Wellman; 6

On an Island with You (1948), 7+ Color

While shooting on location in the South Pacific, a movie star is pursued by a handsome Naval officer who is convinced she is the girl for him.
1h 47min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 3 May 1948 (USA) | Color
Director: Richard Thorpe
Stars: Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalban, Jimmy Durante, Cyd Charisse, Xavier Cugat.
Jack Donohue ... dances and water ballet creator

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040665/

As a romance, this is shruggable, although 2 more handsome leading men would be hard to find. And 2 women are linked to each, making a love quadrangle, which all sorts out at the end, of course.

As a musical, it's excellent. We get 3 (?) dances with RM & CC (not in the Soundtracks; next time capture that info!), one huge production number where she dances with men in Aztec-ish costumes on a 3'-steps riser/pyramid, some water ballet, Cugat & Orch, & JD sings multiple songs. 

My only "complaint" is that EW's prettiest, most spectacular water ballet is still her first one, in Bathing Beauty ('44).

Songs performed (31 chapters with menu on first dvd release; no menu, n chapters in re-release):

• ch2. On an Island with You (1948), Sung by Ricardo Montalban (dubbed by Bill Lee) during the opening scene 
• ch5. The Dog Song (1948), Performed by Xavier Cugat and Betty Reilly accompanied by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 
• ch7. Tango, danced by RM & CC
• ch9. I Know Darn Well I Can Do Without Broadway (1929), Performed by Jimmy Durante accompanied by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 
• ch9. Takin' Miss Mary to the Ball (1948), Performed by Jimmy Durante accompanied by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra, also by Betty Reilly, Xavier Cugat and the nightclub audience 
• ch10. The Beauty Hula (1935), Performed by the band and dancers when Buckley and Kingslee first arrive at the Hawaiian club 
• ch10. Anapau (1935), Performed by the band and dancers when Buckley and Kingslee get their drinks at the Hawaiian club 
• ch11. swim pretty by RM & EW
• ch12. The Pagan Mask, Danced by Cyd Charisse and ensemble accompanied by orchestra and chorus 
• ch17. The Wedding Samba (1948), Performed by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 
• ch18. I'll Do the Strut-Away (In My Cutaway) (1944), Performed by Jimmy Durante accompanied by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 
• ch19. If I Were You (1948), Performed by the studio orchestra and chorus during the dream sequence 
• ch24. Dark Duet, danced by RM & CC
• ch26. You Gotta Start Off Each Day with a Song (1944), Performed by Jimmy Durante on vocals and piano 
• ch27. All Aboard, Water ballet number with Esther Williams and ensemble 
• ch29. El Cumbanchero (1943), Performed by Betty Reilly accompanied by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 
• ?Não Tenho Lágrimas, (1937) Performed by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 
• ?Nightingale (1942), Performed by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra 

MGM, dir. Thorpe; 7+

The Emperor Waltz (1948), 6+ Color

A brash American gramophone salesman tries to get Emperor Franz Joseph's endorsement in turn-of-the-century Austria.
1h 46min | Comedy, Musical, Romance | 30 April 1948 (London) | Color
Director: Billy Wilder
Writers: Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder
Stars: Bing Crosby, Joan Fontaine, Roland Culver, Lucile Watson, Richard Haydn, Sig Ruman.
Billy Daniel ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040317/

The beautiful "Alpine" scenes were apparently shot in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.

The one and only musical directed by Billy Wilder (6th of 26; although Some Like It Hot ('59) has musical numbers). However, 14 of his 75 writing credits are musicals, 8 before his American career.

Amazing that the Emperor is played by Richard Haydn. I can hear a little of his voice, but the makeup/beard is very thoroughly disguising his face. Of course, he plays old well, as he did in another Wilder script, Ball of Fire (1941).

There's a very cute dance number in ch11, with a chauffeur dancing ballet, then social dancing with a couple of hotel employees.

Bing sings, of course. 5 songs in the Soundtracks, but no performers listed, and I didn't track them to see if the dance number was among them. 

BC falls for aristocrat JF, his dog falls for her dog, the emperor wants her dog to breed with his dog. And BC is trying to sell a phonograph to the emperor, or at least get his endorsement.

The plus is for the extra pacing Wilder brings to some scenes.

Paramount, dir. Wilder; 6+

Casbah (1948), 6

The life, Loves and Adventures of a classic Casbah thief.
1h 34min | Crime, Musical | April 1948
Director: John Berry
Stars: Yvonne De Carlo, Tony Martin, Peter Lorre, Märta Torén, Thomas Gomez, Katherine Dunham.
Katherine Dunham ... choreography: Dunham Group
Bernard Pearce ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040214/

Watched online; mediocre print.

Remake of Pépé le Moko (1937) and Algiers (1938) with Jean Gabin and Charles Boyer as Pepe, respectively. I rated both of those a 6. Having Pepe (TM) sing doesn't add or subtract from that. I don't find the story intriguing, the setting exoticly appealing, nor is the music particularly captivating here. Don't remember the other films well enough to know how close this is; the character names overlap.

The reasons to watch this: Katherine Dunham and her dancers, and Peter Lorre.

KD herself leads the dance troupe in 1.5 dances. Modern dance with an African flavor: good stuff. These are the scenes where I wished the print were much better. If you really focus, at about 1:09 the half a dance starts, and you can really see Eartha Kitt dancing, facing TM, on the lower left side of the screen.

PL is always watchable. Here he's the cop who befriends Pepe, but still wants to capture him.

TG is PL's boss.

I don't remember seeing YD dance in this one. But that could be my inattentiveness.

Marston Prod., distr. Universal, dir. Berry; 6

Bill and Coo (1948), 4 {nm} Color

The feathered residents of Chirpendale are terrorized by an evil black crow by the name of "The Black Menace". But to the citizen's rescue comes a brave young taxi puller named Bill!
1h 1min | Musical, Family, Fantasy | 28 March 1948 | "Trucolor"
Director: Dean Riesner
Stars: Burton's Birds, Jimmy the Crow, George Burton

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039188/
Watched on AmazonPrime, horrible print.

Live-action birds walk through some sets, often in costume, with a narrator telling a story. No idea how this got stuck with the Musical genre; how is it possible for live animals to "perform" songs covered by ASCAP? I don't know who the intended audience was, but the music reminded me of Disney. I think a chorus sang some lyrics for a small portion of time, but I don't think they pretended the chorus was the birds. The birds didn't really talk either; sometimes the narrator would say things as though speaking dialog, but he made little attempt to change his voice when doing the "lady" bird lines.

I almost turned it off when it started. Kinda wish I had.

Ken Murray Prod., distr. Republic, dir. Riesner; 4

April Showers (1948), 6

A married couple who have a song-and-dance act in vaudeville are in trouble. Their struggling act is going nowhere, they're almost broke and they have to do something to get them back on ... 
1h 34min | Musical | 27 March 1948
Director: James V. Kern
Stars: Jack Carson, Ann Sothern, Robert Alda, Robert Ellis.
LeRoy Prinz ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040107/

In the Tap! Appendix for Jack Carson, Ann Sothern, Robert Ellis.

15 songs on the Soundtracks page, but many performed partially.

I'm not a fan of JC. He always strikes me as unhappy with his lot in life: that he wishes he were more handsome, a bigger star, something. His 94 film credits span '37-'61; this is his 72nd film. He sings/dances proficiently. I just wouldn't choose a film because he was in it.

RA is a vaudeville song&dance man/ B'way actor, who did films along the way. So he also sings/dances/acts well enough to play this part.

RE (b. 1933, looks younger) is the best dancer on the screen (perhaps including the stand-ins we see from afar doing acrobatics for JC & AS).

Also very good are the twins who dance acrobatically with RA in his act before he joins AS & RE. I can't find anyone in the credits that might be them.

This film is about a mediocre vaudeville team that gets much better when their son joins the act. But dad misses a performance (got drunk) and is black-balled from performing, so RA takes his place and the act soars to success (although they don't strike me as being all that good). Conflicts ensue, of course.

I like AS, but not enough to bring this to a recommended rating.

Warner, dir, Kern; 6

Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! (1948), 7+ {nm} Color

In 1948 rural America, two stepbrothers compete for the same gal and the younger brother buys two untamed mules for work projects while the older brother tries to sabotage him.
1h 35min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 10 March 1948 | Color
Director: F. Hugh Herbert
Stars: June Haver, Lon McCallister, Walter Brennan, Henry Hull, Anne Revere, Natalie Wood

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040762/
bootleg copy, ok print.

The writer/director F. Hugh Herbert is not the same as actor/writer Hugh Herbert.

2nd and final film pairing of JH with LM, the other being Home in Indiana ('44).

Too bad the mules didn't get screen credit; they deserve at least 2nd billing after Brennan, who is wonderful as always. This gets a high rating today because I was really cheering for the mules in the final scene, and I rarely get that involved with a farm film, much less about dray animals. Also, I think I was at least half way through the film before I thought "is this a musical?" It has no songs; I must have added it to the quest because of JH. Glad I did.

NW (b. '38) is an excellent snoopy, interfering (for good reasons) child here, less than a year after Miracle on 34th Street; this is her 8th of 48 films. I'm not a fan of child stars, but NW is always watchable. Perhaps the fact that she doesn't sing/dance makes her more appealing.

JH plays wholesome easily, and does it well here. Her character is at that stage in life that she doesn't know which she values more: brawn or goodness.

The real star of the film is LM in terms of screen time, character development, plot focus. He was cast well and performed well.

Can't say more without spoilers.

Fox, dir. Herbert; 7+

Summer Holiday (1948), 6- Color

Danville, Connecticut at the turn of the century. Young Richard Miller lives in a middle-class neighborhood with his family. He is in love with the girl next-door, Muriel, but her father ... 
1h 33min | Musical | 16 April 1948 | Color
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Stars: Mickey Rooney, Gloria DeHaven, Walter Huston, Frank Morgan, Marilyn Maxwell, Agnes Moorehead.
Charles Walters ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040848/

Watched online; good print.

Well, now I know that I don't need to be a completist about owning all Mamoulian-directed films or musicals.

Musical version of Ah, Wilderness! ('35) (based on the play by Eugene O'Neill). Mickey Rooney played the younger brother in the antecedent film, plays the lead here.

At first it seemed like this would be an Integrated Musical, but the songs devolved into trivial subjects, like The Stanley Steamer. Perhaps they thought this would be another Trolley Song, or Atchison-Topeka, but those had Judy Garland to put them over. Warren & Blaine wrote the songs, and some of the Freed "unit" (Hayton & Salinger) produced this.

Agnes Moorehead is the love interest for Frank Morgan, the ne'er do well uncle who has an alcohol problem; she has little to do. MR has a drunken night to help him come of age.

I don't like MR, and GD doesn't impress me, so WH and AM would have needed bigger roles to make me like this. I don't remember dancing, so CW as choreographer didn't help either.

MGM, dir. Mamoulian; 6-

Three Daring Daughters (1948), 7+ Color

It's Tess' graduation day from "Miss Drakes School for Girls". During the choir's performance at the ceremony, Tess notices that her beautiful, divorcee mother, Louise Rayton Morgan isn't ... 
1h 55min | Musical, Romance | 5 March 1948 | Color
Director: Fred M. Wilcox
Stars: Jeanette MacDonald, José Iturbi, Jane Powell, Edward Arnold, Elinor Donahue.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040875/

Penultimate film for JM; the last is next year.

The pairing of JM/JP as mother/daughter is incredibly logical and perfect. They do have a duet; the vocal arrangement could have been better in some parts, I think.

With JM, JP and JI, we have an embarrassment of musical talent, but we don't have the addition of other bands or performers, so it's a nice grouping. 18 songs in the Soundtracks, although not all are full productions.

The whole thing is charming, and I'll not reveal the plot in case I might be able to view it fresh again. There is a bit of mystery involved, and in some sense I'm disappointed/frustrated by it, which is why this a 7 not 8. Next time just ignore the "big mystery" and just cheer on the good guys.

MGM, dir. Wilcox; 7+

On Our Merry Way (1948), 6

Three short stories revolving around the topic of the daily question posed by the roving reporter to the readers of a daily newspaper.
1h 47min | Comedy, Music, Romance | June 1948
Directors: Leslie Fenton, King Vidor, John Huston, George Stevens
Stars: see below

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040664/

Intro segment: Paulette Goddard, Burgess Meredith.

Band audition segment:  James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Harry James, Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer, Eduardo Ciannelli, Dorothy Ford.

Film actress segment: Dorothy Lamour, Victor Moore, Eilene Janssen.

Kid with goldmine segment: Fred MacMurray, William Demarest, Hugh Herbert. Dir. Fenton.

Deleted sequence (watched here): Charles Laughton, Henry Hull, John Qualen.

I find it bizarre that the Laughton segment is what was cut; it's by far the best of the 4. But the movie was heavily male-oriented without the DL segment, which was created to replace it. Apparently they wanted a secular film, and CL played a preacher who experiences a miracle.

It's very uneven stuff. Don't know who directed what, except the alternate title credits on the dvd tell us which segment Fenton helmed. I wouldn't blame the direction necessarily. The stories with DL and FM as leads just weren't very interesting, and both included a domineering child.

The appeal of this film is the pairing of Fonda/Stewart. They were friends in real life (I think they roomed together in early days), and worked together too seldom (4 films). Fonda (b. 1905) was really good at comedy, and didn't do enough of them in total, and especially not when he was young (20 of 93 films; this is the 10th one, the next is in '55). The other one that really shows his comedic talent is The Lady Eve ('41).

I'll stick with my prior 6. Especially since I cannot count the CL segment as part of this film.

Benedict Bogeaus Prod., distr. UA, dir. Fenton, Vidor, Huston, Stevens; 6

You Were Meant for Me (1948), 6

1920's bandleader Chuck Arnold meets hometown girl Peggy at one of the band's dances and next day weds her. Though she loves him, life on the road becomes increasingly difficult for her, ... 
1h 32min | Musical | 1 February 1948
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Stars: Jeanne Crain, Dan Dailey, Oscar Levant.
Les Clark ... choreographer
Dan Dailey ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040983/

bootleg; ok copy.

In the Tap! Appendix for Dan Dailey.

The beginning of this film borrows plot, characterization and perhaps even dialog from Orchestra Wives ('42). But JC is the only wife, so the similarity ends once she marries DD.

The highlight of the film is OL playing Gershwin's Concerto in F in ch6. Other tunes performed (9+ chapters (14 is false, with lots of blank space at the end), no menu):
ch1. Crazy Rhythm, sung/danced by DD
ch1. You Were Meant for Me, sung by DD
ch4. I'll Get By, sung/danced by DD with 2 bandmembers
ch5. Ain't Misbehavin', sung by DD in rehearsal
ch6. Concerto in F 
ch7. Ain't She Sweet, sung/danced by DD in drugstore w/ JC & friends

I'm not thrilled by any of DD's dancing so far. It may be a choreography problem. Or it may be that he's a simple hoofer: no ballet or other dance training is evident, and I've seen no specialties within his dancing. The one trick he performed in this film was a very nice bell kick with good height. But he did only 1 that I saw. I have at least half of his remaining musicals, so he'll get a chance to impress me.

JC moves pretty well in the drugstore dance, but not much was required of her. Dennis the Menace's dad (Herbert Anderson) was there and danced a bit too.

Fox, dir. Bacon; 6

Reet, Petite, and Gone (1947), 5-

Old-time musical star Schyler Jarvis, now wealthy, is dying; his last act is a visionary plan for the future happiness of his son, swing bandleader Louis Jarvis, and Honey Carter, daughter ... 
1h 7min | Musical
Director: William Forest Crouch
Stars: Louis Jordan, June Richmond, Milton Woods

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039759/
Available to rent on AmazonPrime; watched my megapack copy; decent print.

14 songs in the Soundtracks, all but 1 mentions Louis Jordan as performer.

Unlike most race films I've watched, scenes without music do not sound scratchy.

Characters are shown taking an airplane to NYC; trains are the usual transport in any film these days.

I can't tell if the plot is horrible.The acting is flat and the music is monotonous (almost all LJ's proto-rock songs sound the same to me), so I'm not following the story very well. Dancing is mostly wiggling, and at one point I looked at the chorus line and thought they had brought in some children. Nope, they were adults in childish-looking costumes. Because the print is good, I can see that the sets look ok; not lavish, but not so very cheap as usual.

Not super annoying, but really really dull.

Louis Jordan Productions, distr. Astor Pictures, dir. Crouch; 5-

Hooray for Hollywood (1982), 7-

Compilation of clips, primarily from musicals of the 1930's, revering prior Hollywood productions.
Director: Michael J. Sheridan (uncredited)
Stars: Mickey Rooney (narrator) and nearly 100 named actors, actresses, directors, songwriters.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073122/

Release date??
In the book: Cary Grant: A Biography, by Marc Eliot, Crown/Archetype, Feb 4, 2009 - Biography & Autobiography - 448 pages

on page 418, under Television Appearances, it lists 

Hooray for Hollywood (1975) Archive footage.

Also, the Hooray for Hollywood (1975) Soundtrack has songs from this film and shows this cover.

Watched this because Condos Brothers (Frank and Harry) are credited. Here's the problem: when the narrator says these are the Condos Brothers, he's completely mis-identifying the dancers onscreen. What's showing is the Lullaby of Broadway number from Gold Diggers of 1935, and we're watching a trio of very good tappers, but none of them is a Condos Brother. He does NOT mention individual names.

If I could have watched it just for the pleasure of the clips, it would have been pretty good. However, this print is widescreen, not letterboxed, which created a problem on the first clip from Something to Sing About ('37). Jimmy Cagney goes flying through the air and punches his fist through a tamborine someone throws at him. His head and fist is out of frame at the moment of impact. That's not how the original film looks.

If there's any coherence to the narrative, I missed it. I find it strange to call this a documentary, because it illuminates nothing. And it certainly doesn't meet my current standards for naming names and dates and getting them right. Most films included remain unnamed. Other than the Condos calamity, the narrator makes it sound as though Busby Berkeley created the enormous production numbers Shadow Waltz and By a Waterfall for the 1942 compilation short Calling All Girls. Nope. 

But it has lots of good numbers, and the prints used are good quality.

Cinamo Inc., dir. Sheridan; 7-

Verdi: Luisa Miller, The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2018), 8

fathomevents.com

A young woman and her beloved have other marital obligations arranged by their fathers.
Bertrand de Billy ... Himself - Conductor
Plácido Domingo ... Miller
Sonya Yoncheva ... Luisa Miller
Rihab Chaieb ... Laura
Piotr Beczala ... Rodolfo Walter
Dmitri Belosselsky ... Wurm (as Dmitry Belosselskiy)
Alexander Vinogradov ... Count Walter
Olesya Petrova ... Federica (intended for Rodolfo)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6898924/

First performance: 1849

Time: Early 17th Century
Place: The Tyrol

This was my first Live at the Met in a theatre (AMC 14 The District, Tustin). Because I love cinema more than theatre, this is a very nice blend for me: lots of closeups and change cameras/angles. We even got to watch the set changes behind the curtain.

It was great to see the orchestra during the overture, with old and young musicians, and plenty of women. (However, when we saw one of a pair of musicians reach to turn the page of the score, it was the woman who stopped playing to perform that duty. Only happened twice, but still.)

The host interviewed the top 5 in the cast: Luisa, Rodolfo, Miller separately, and Wurm + the Count together (both basses who had just done a duet). IMDb has the host as a woman, I'll submit a correction.

The sets were awful: dark and dreary. We're in the home of a Count with a 7x12' fireplace, but he has no art whatsoever? All dark wood paneling? The clothing was all dreary too, although I liked the men's top hats (I think of them as Dickensian. No wonder: the sheet we got says this takes place in 1850's England, with surprisingly Italian-sounding first names).

We got 2 intermissions, and I was home by the time the 4-hour projected runtime was over.

I was surprised that Rodolfo didn't get a more thunderous reception at the curtain call; I thought he was the superstar. But they were all excellent. Placido Domingo was the draw for me, and he (age 77) held his own and it was no small part. However, I formed the idea that he was looking for his lyrics on the floor (or perhaps monitors they didn't reveal.)

I'd say the house at the Met was about 80% occupied. My movie theatre was about 5% full.

I'm seriously thinking of going to the last performance of the season: Massenet's Cendrillon in 2 weeks. I'm super-thrifty these days, but that was worth $22 to me, and their preview of Cinderella looked fun (except the lead looks about 50.)

Metropolitan Opera, The (presents), cond. de Billy; 8

Road to Rio (1947), 6+

Two inept vaudevillians stow away on a Brazilian-bound ocean liner and foil a plot by a sinister hypnotist to marry off her niece to a greedy fortune hunter.
1h 40min | Adventure, Comedy, Musical, Romance | 25 December 1947
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Stars: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Gale Sondergaard, The Wiere Brothers, The Andrews Sisters.
Billy Daniel ... dances staged by
Bernard Pearce ... dances staged by

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039776/

5 songs written by Johnny Burke & Jimmy Van Heusen, and 5 songs with a Latin flavor. Seems really late for the Good Neighbor Policy. But 4 of the Latin (hopefully Brazilian) songs have no performer listed; I'm not sure they aren't just background. There was some dancing by Bob & Bing at least twice, by the WB, and also a pair of Latin couples. My overall impression is that there wasn't enough music performed. Enough to qualify as a Musical, but not enough for me.

The Wiere Brothers not only get a song in the spotlight, but do their physical comedy for a few scenes. They're supposed to not speak English, but learn to each recite a slang sentence on cue. They're good with dancing/tumbling together. Sort of a non-glib Ritz brothers.

The plot reinforces the idea that some people can be hypnotized into doing things against their will. DL is the victim; GS is the perfect villain, as always.

Prior rating of 6 gets some garnish.

Paramount, dir. McLeod; 6+

Junction 88 (1947), 5

Small town lovers are aided by a visiting showman.
1h | Comedy, Music
Director: George P. Quigley
Stars: Bob Howard, Dewey 'Pigmeat' Markham, Noble Sissle, Augustus Smith.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039522/
Watched online; horribly blurry print.

I think all but the closeups were blurry, and that it wasn't solely the quality of the print. I got the definite impression that they didn't pull focus properly and didn't look at dailies.

Music played during this film was almost all composed by Augustus Smith, who plays Pop.

To be honest, this didn't capture my attention at all. I couldn't describe anything other than it had lots of music performed by various artists. And it had that characteristic scratchy silence of early sound films, as many race films do.

I probably shouldn't even rate it, but since even the music didn't really draw my attention, I will. If I had really watched it, with the horrid blurring, the number might be lower. Wow, just saw the average rating of 7 from 13 people.

Century Theatrical Prod. Distrib. Sack Amusement, dir. Quigley; 5

Night Song (1947), 7

When a beautiful socialite falls in love with an embittered composer who is blind, she feigns blindness herself in order to get closer to him.
1h 42min | Drama, Romance, Music | 10 November 1947
Director: John Cromwell
Stars: Dana Andrews, Merle Oberon, Ethel Barrymore, Hoagy Carmichael, Artur Rubinstein.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039659/
Watched online, good print.

As you would expect from DA & MO, this is high romantic drama. I can't say much more without spoiling the plot.

EB is only around for maybe 20% of the screen time. HC gets much more visibility.

The star of the show, and it's not obvious from the start, is the composer of DA's Piano Concerto, Leith Stevens. From his IMDb Trivia:

As a film composer he was nothing if not versatile. His work ranged from the classical, Sergei Rachmaninoff-inspired "Piano Concerto in C Minor" (performed by Artur Rubinstein with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra) for Night Song (1947) to the swinging jazz scores he created for The Wild One (1953) and Private Hell 36 (1954).

In a recent post about Carnegie Hall (1947), 6+, I wrote:

I have sympathy for any composer who has to create something that follows all the true classical music in this film, and that composition is supposed to be worthy of a Carnegie Hall debut. 

The situation was similar here (although this concerto didn't have to follow virtuoso performances of true classics), but here the composition measures up. I'm not saying it became a standard played by orchestras ever after, but as a first work, it fits. 

Of course, another difference between the films: here Artur Rubinstein played the concerto; he could probably play Chop Sticks and make it sound brilliant. In the other film, Harry James was the soloist. No comparison in the classical realm.

So what about Leith Stevens (1909-70)? This was his 2nd of 57 credits as Movie Composer ('42-'68); including all job type, he had 127 film credits (same time span, with 2 posthumous). Very different film credentials than the composers of the concerto in the prior film.

RKO & John Cromwell Prod, dir. Cromwell; 7

Good News (1947), 8- Color

At fictitious Tait University in the Roaring 20's, co-ed and school librarian Connie Lane falls for football hero Tommy Marlowe. Unfortunately, he has his eye on gold-digging vamp Pat ... 
93min | Comedy, Musical, Romance, Sport | 4 December 1947 | Color
Director: Charles Walters
Stars: June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Patricia Marshall, Joan McCracken, Ray McDonald, Mel Tormé.
Robert Alton ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039431/

In the Tap! Appendix for Joan McCracken, Ray McDonald. They're terrific, but they ain't tapping.

Remake of Good News (1930, MGM)

College musicals were all the rage in the 30s. This is the college musical to top them all. Exuberant singing and dancing mostly by large groups with some superb featured dancers, and glorious technicolor.

Songs performed (32 chapters with menu). All are Music by Ray Henderson, Lyrics by Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva except as noted. Songs that were also in the original are noted with ('30, 1927), where '27 is the publication date listed on the prior film Soundtracks.

• ch2. Tait Song ('30, 1927), Performed by Joan McCracken and chorus 
• ch2. Good News ('30, 1927), Sung by Joan McCracken and chorus 
• ch4. Be a Ladies' Man, Performed by Peter Lawford, Ray McDonald, Mel Tormé, Tom Dugan and Lon Tindal; in the ('30) movie, there's a song called He's a Ladies' Man (1927) by the same team; this dvd menu has chapter title He's a Ladies' Man, but they sing BE, not HE.
• ch9. Lucky in Love, Performed by Patricia Marshall, Joan McCracken, Mel Tormé, June Allyson and Peter Lawford 
• ch11. The French Lesson,Written by Roger Edens, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Performed by June Allyson and Peter Lawford 
• ch12. The Best Things in Life Are Free ('30, 1927), Performed by June Allyson in American and Peter Lawford in French 
• ch16. Pass That Peace Pipe, Written by Roger Edens, Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, Performed by Joan McCracken, Ray McDonald and chorus 
• ch21. Just Imagine, Sung by June Allyson 
• ch23. The Best Things in Life Are Free, Reprised by Mel Tormé 
• ch31. Varsity Drag ('30, 1927), Performed by June Allyson, Peter Lawford and chorus 

Joan McCracken was the first wife of Bob Fosse. This is her 2nd of 3 movies (1st was Hollywood Canteen ('44), the last is Main Street to Broadway ('53), which looks unpromising for her to perform, but I did find it online today.) Although JA is the star here, the reason to watch this film is JM's song performances.

You can see the distribution of songs is uneven; far too much plot (football, romance of various pairs) is the focus in the second half. But the finale is a strong finish. Previously rated 7 on 2006-01-02, I'm bumping this up due to the experience of this quest.

DVD contains 2 excerpts from the 1930 film: Good News and Varsity Drag, both featuring Penny Singleton also doing some exuberant dancing, with lots of handsprings. Who knew Blondie was so skilled this way?

MGM, dir. Walters; 8-

This Time for Keeps (1947), 6 Color

Expected to follow his opera star father into the business, but discontent with his life; a young man pursues a career in popular music and romances the aquatic-ballet dancer he met during his time in the service.
1h 45min | Musical, Romance | 17 October 1947
Director: Richard Thorpe
Stars: Esther Williams, Lauritz Melchior, Jimmy Durante, Xavier Cugat, May Whitty.
Stanley Donen ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039898/

The young man in question, played by Johnny Johnston, has 9 film acting credits ('42-'56); this is the 6th. 7 of his films are music/als; I didn't notice him before, but he sang That Old Black Magic in Star Spangled Rhythm ('42).

For music, we get lots of opera, lots of Cugat, lots of Durante, plus 1 Cole Porter tune, Easy to Love, sung at least 3 times in the film, at least once while EW swims pretty but alone in ch4; she's in the pool with her niece in ch24 when she gets the second serenade.

We get a bit of dancing in ch8, but nothing to get excited about.

We get an aquacade in ch11, shown on the poster above. 

I should start a list of musicals where the offspring doesn't want to follow the family business and/or the parent/guardian's wishes, and wants to sing/dance instead. Entry 1: The Jazz Singer ('27). What would be a nice brief title for that list? Maybe "I Gotta Singa!"? But will I really go through all these musicals again to capture such a list? Maybe when I'm deciding which musicals to re-watch in round 2. Other list(s) should be Musical Comedies of Deception, Musical Comedies of Misunderstanding.

This film has too much plot, not enough aquacade.

MGM, dir. Thorpe; 6

Fun & Fancy Free (1947), 5- Color

Jiminy Cricket hosts two Disney animated shorts: "Bongo," about a circus bear escaping to the wild, and "Mickey and the Beanstalk," a take on the famous fairy tale.
1h 13min || 27 September 1947 | Color
Stars: Edgar Bergen, Dinah Shore, Charlie McCarthy.

Genres: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039404/
Watched online; deliberately distorted to avoid copyright infringement.

Disney drivel. Who is the audience for this? 

After Jiminy Cricket's lengthy pointless song, we get a romance between a circus-runaway boy bear and a wild girl bear, with a jealous rival wild boy bear. I mean, does the romantic nature of this mean boys get fidgety? Surely adults don't find this fun/interesting. Dinah Shore narrates and sings.

I've previously seen the second half with Mickey et al doing Jack and the Beanstalk. Edgar Bergen and his dummies narrate (and heckle), and that aspect is unfamiliar.

I never could understand Donald Duck's words; no different today.

This is torture. Not sure why it's worth a 5 instead of a 4; because Jack & Beanstalk is a classic tale? Each of these stories merits about 7 minutes, not 37.

Warner animation had layers that appealed to many ages. This doesn't appeal to me now. Maybe when I was 5?

Disney, dir?; 5-

The Unfinished Dance (1947), 6+ Color

Meg, a young ballet student, idolizes the school's top ballerina, the shallow Ariane Bouchet. Meg is distressed when she learns visiting prima ballerina Darina rather than Bouchet will play...
1h 41min | Comedy, Drama, Musical* | 19 September 1947 | Color
Director: Henry Koster
Stars: Margaret O'Brien, Cyd Charisse, Karin Booth, Danny Thomas.
David Lichine ... dance director

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039938/

Watched online, good print.

Just noticed that this is not tagged music/al. That is crazy. I'll submit an addition.

First of 9 films for Danny Thomas ('47-'79); 5 are music/als. He plays MO's ersatz guardian while her aunt (a chorus girl?) works out of town for the entire film.

Karin Booth has been in 11 music/als in this quest already; I never noticed her. This is her 34th of 52 films ('41-'59); 16 are music/als. She is quite beautiful and acts well. I can't imagine why she didn't become more prominent. (I thought she was dancing herself, perhaps not; nice form, good leaps. The Soundtracks page lists no performers.)

CC gets to dance a lot of ballet, as does MO (b. '37), though she is still an amateur, and looks younger than 11-12.

Elinor Donahue (b. '37), the future Betty Anderson on Father Knows Best ('54-'60), is MO's friend/betrayer.

MO plays a troubled child here, so she's not as moving as in her best films.

The plot's ok. The in-performance costumes are colorful. I'm not a huge fan of ballet, but this is enjoyable.

MGM, dir. Koster; 6+

Variety Girl (1947), 7

Dozens of star and character-actor cameos and a message about the Variety Club (show-business charity) are woven into a framework about two hopeful young ladies who come to Hollywood, ... 
1h 33min | Comedy, Musical | 29 August 1947 (USA)
Director: George Marshall
Stars: Mary Hatcher, Olga San Juan, DeForest Kelley.
Billy Daniel ... choreographer
Bernard Pearce ... choreographer
Daniel Dare ... producer (former choreographer)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039951/

Watched online, good print.

Somehow Paramount seems to do these things better than other studios. They keep each appearance short and sweet, so if you don't like this one, there'll be another along in a minute. Plus we have Hope & Crosby more than once (together twice).

I must get an official release and watch it again. Supposedly Johnny Coy is here. I also missed Sonny Tufts (except the curtain call) and Robert Preston.

The new-girl, Mary Hatcher, has a voice like Kathryn Grayson, but with more personality and less snooty beauty, but from some angles they could be sisters. This is the 4th of her 8 films ('44-'51); 3 are music/als. As promising as she was here, we may not see her again in this quest (Holiday in Havana (1949) is not online today.)

This is the 6th of 12 films for Olga San Juan, and the 4th music/al seen in this quest; I've never noticed her before. She's a singer/dancer, but played Not one here. I have 2 more of her films in my collection.

If I didn't know DeForest Kelley from ST:TOS, I wouldn't have noticed him here, unless to say "that was the 3rd billed role?". It's a nondescript role, and he plays it accordingly.

Paramount, dir. Marshall; 7

Lost Horizon (1937), 8+ {nm}

A plane crash delivers a group of people to the secluded land of Shangri-La - but is it the miraculous utopia it appears to be?
1h 37min  132 min | | 18 February 1937
Director: Frank Capra
Stars: Ronald Colman, Jane Wyatt, Edward Everett Horton, Thomas Mitchell, H.B. Warner, Sam Jaffe.

Genres: Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029162/

I just received the latest (10'2017) copy on blu-ray, with the extra 1 minute restored, and 4K scan. I don't think any of the extra features are new, and the commentary track is actually from 1999, when the restored-length edition was first released.

I remember this film fondly, and was surprised to see my prior rating was only 8 (on 2009-07-13).

Although the restoration is clearly a labor of love, I think part of my dislike is the sections where they added the original audio track with still photos. I'm listening to the commentary now, and the restorer is asked which version he prefers, and he says he likes the version without those still-frame sections. I wish someone had thought to provide such a version on the disc. (Really, the dialog in those sections adds little to the story.)

I also don't like having seen the alternate ending, because I remembered it as the official ending, and it is much weaker. (The official ending does NOT have JW waiting/watching for RC at the entrance to Shangri La.)

And the film drags a bit in some places. However, ...

Ronald Coleman es muy, muy guapo aquí. When he does that infinity stare, he looks dreamy in a dual sense.

John Howard as the belligerent brother is well done. Both EEH and TM find they can ply their trades within this society. But JH is young and jealous of his brother, still wants to find a way to make his own stamp on the world, and doesn't appreciate the serenity of Shangri La at all.

I, of course, being a fan of Galt's Gulch, and putting my money where my mouth is by retiring at age 60, love the idea of Shangri La, although I do wonder about the economics/racism of the place. There is a definite hierarchy, where the privileged few seem to do no labor, and the indigenous folk provide the goods and services locally produced. The Gulch was more egalitarian, home only to refugees, with everyone needing to provide something of value; that's the good potential of capitalism. Not sure what to call the Shangri La philosophy, where everything is based on kindness and moderation in all things, even moderation, which is a logical falacy.

Columbia; dir. Capra; 8+

Song of the Thin Man (1947), 6+

Nick and Nora investigate the murder of a bandleader in New York.
1h 26min || 28 August 1947
Director: Edward Buzzell
Stars: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn, Dean Stockwell, Patricia Morison, Leon Ames, Gloria Grahame, Jayne Meadows, Asta Jr.

Genres: Comedy | Crime | Music | Musical | Mystery | Romance
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039853/

OK, so it's a good cast, including the dog (apparently not the original, but the original The Thin Man ('34) was 13 years earlier!) And the relationship between Nick and Nora is fun.

Although Anchors Aweigh ('45) was 2 years ago, DS doesn't look much older; maybe it's the lack of color.

No, Patricia Morison does not sing. I have no idea why they didn't capitalize on that skill in the movies. She's the highest class of the 3 steely dames, followed by JM, then GG.

This is not, not, not a Musical. I might even argue against it being Music genre. Only 2 songs in the Soundtracks, but one was performed onscreen in multiple scenes. So I won't even exclude this from my private list of musicals. But I'm tempted.

I wasn't really in the mood for this kind of film. Unfortunately, I hadn't rated it before. Oh well, someday I'll do a different quest where this will be a more appropriate entry, and maybe the rating will rise.

MGM, dir. Buzzell; 6+

Down to Earth (1947), 7+ Color

Upset about a new Broadway musical's mockery of Greek mythology, the goddess Terpsichore comes down to earth and lands a part in the show. She works her charms on the show's producer and he... 
1h 41min | Comedy, Fantasy, Musical, Romance | 21 August 1947 | Color
Director: Alexander Hall
Stars: Rita Hayworth, Larry Parks, Marc Platt, James Gleason, Edward Everett Horton.
Jack Cole ... dances stager

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039337/

In the Tap! Appendix for Marc Platt. He made too few (10) films, and only 6 are music/als. His other '47 musical is not available, so his next entry is Seven Brides... ('54). <sigh>

Performances (12 chapters with menu):

• ch2. Kiss of the Muse, Sung and Danced by Adele Jergens (dubbed by Kay Starr) and the muses, danced by Marc Platt 
• ch3. dance by RH & chorus
• ch4. Let's Stay Young Forever, Sung by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Anita Ellis) 
• ch5. They Can't Convince Me, Sung by Larry Parks (dubbed by Hal Derwin) & RH
• ch6. This Can't Be Legal, Sung and Danced by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Anita Ellis), Marc Platt and Larry Parks (dubbed by Hal Derwin) 
• ch7. Let's Stay Young Forever, Sung by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Anita Ellis) 
• ch8. Greek Ballet, Danced by Marc Platt, Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Anita Ellis) and company 
• ch10. People Have More Fun Than Anyone, Sung by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Anita Ellis), danced by RH, MP and one other woman, joined by LP

7+ or an 8-? Somehow it falls a little short of 8: it doesn't give me much joy after RH's dance in ch3. MP doesn't dance enough. The Greek Ballet in ch8 is deliberately bad, although the movements are good; it's bad because it's stuffy/artistic without being particularly beautiful. The final number is fun, but all those autumn leaves look like slip/fall hazards, so I'm distracted, and it's more running than dancing.

I'll stick with my prior 7, adding a +.

Columbia, dir. Hall; 7+

Mother Wore Tights (1947), 6 Color

In this chronicle of a vaudeville family, Myrtle McKinley (class of 1900) goes to San Francisco to attend business school, but ends up in a chorus line. Soon, star Frank Burt notices her ... 
1h 47min | Musical | 20 August 1947 | Color
Director: Walter Lang
Stars: Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, Mona Freeman.
Seymour Felix ... choreographer
Kenny Williams ... choreographer
Angela Blue ... assistant choreographer (uncredited)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039634/

In the Tap! Appendix for Dan Dailey, Betty Grable. This is the first film viewed in this quest where DD dances.

Yes, it's Anne Baxter narrating the story.



Performances (6 chapters, no menu):

• ch1. Burlington Bertie from Bow, Sung and Danced by Dan Dailey
• ch1. At a Georgia Camp Meeting, Danced to by Betty Grable, Stephen Kirchner and chorus in the School Musical scene 
• ch1. You Do, Sung and Danced by Dan Dailey with chorus
• ch2. Burlington Bertie from Bow, Sung and Danced by Betty Grable 
• ch2. This Is My Favorite City, Sung and Danced by Betty Grable and Dan Dailey 
• ch3. You Do, Sung and Danced by Betty Grable with quartet
• ch3. We're a Couple of Broadway Brothers, Sung and Danced by Dan Dailey and Betty Grable 
• ch3. Kokomo, Indiana, Sung and Danced by Betty Grable and Dan Dailey 
• ch4. The Mountain, Written and Performed by Señor Wences 
• ch4. Silent Night, Holy Night, Performed by Mona Freeman (voice dubbed by Imogene Lynn) 
• ch4. Tra-La-La-La, Sung by Betty Grable, Dan Dailey and Connie Marshall 
• ch5. Lily of the Valley, Sung by cast and chorus 
• ch5. Swinging Down the Lane, Sung by Mona Freeman (dubbed by Imogene Lynn), 'Robert Arthur (I)' and chorus 
• ch5. Stumbling, Sung by Lee Patrick and Chick Chandler 
• ch6. There's Nothing Like a Song, Performed by Betty Grable and Dan Dailey 
• ch6. Kokomo, Indiana, Sung and Danced by Betty Grable and Dan Dailey 
• ch6. (Rolling Down Bowling Green) On a Little Two-Seat Tandem, Sung and Danced by Betty Grable and Dan Dailey 
• ch6. Fare-Thee-Well, Dear Alma Mater, Sung by chorus 
• ch6. You Do, Sung and Danced by Mona Freeman (dubbed by Imogene Lynn) 

It's nearly 2 years since VJ-day, and we're still doing old-timey musicals (the young romantic interest is in a WW1 uniform in the final scene), but perhaps now the reason is not to avoid the war?

It's very different to have BG with a tall male partner who dances with her step-for-step and is also the romantic lead. Of her 11 remaining films, 8 are musicals, and 3 have DD as costar. (Of her 62 total film credits, 44 are music/als.)

Previously rated 6, and I'll stay with that. Although this looks like a lot of musical performance, most songs listed are very short/partial. Nothing about the staging is particularly interesting, and nothing about the dancing is very thrilling. (Contrast that with Gene Nelson's first dancing in I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now ('47), which was far more brief than DD's screen time here.) It's all just pleasant, with a little bit of conflict in the plot to make it more than a revue.

Fox, dir. Lang; 6

I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1947), 6 Color

A biopic of the career of Joe Howard (12 Feb.,1878 - 19 May, 1961), famous songwriter of the early 20th Century. Howard wrote the title song, Goodbye, My Lady Love; and Hello, My Baby among... 
1h 44min | Musical | 23 July 1947 | Color
Director: Lloyd Bacon
Stars: June Haver, Mark Stevens, Martha Stewart, Reginald Gardiner, William Frawley, Gene Nelson.
Hermes Pan ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039483/

bootleg, poor quality: blurry, bad color.

In the Tap! Appendix for Gene Nelson; I don't think he actually taps, but he does show off his leaping talents in Glow Worm. 4th of 25 film acting credits for him, first credited role.

13th of 43 film credits for Mark Stevens, 3rd in this quest, but nothing major until now.

Performances (8 chapters, no menu; [jh] means written by Joe Howard):
ch1. In the Sweet Bye and Bye, Performed by Almira Sessions and Mark Stevens during the organ demonstration
ch1. [jh] Hello! Ma Baby, Performed by Martha Stewart (yes, the Michigan J. Frog song)
ch2. [jh] I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now?, played on piano by Mark Stevens
ch2. [jh] Be Sweet to Me Kid, Performed by Martha Stewart and Mark Stevens
ch3. [jh] Good Bye, My Lady Love, Performed by Martha Stewart
ch3. [jh] Honeymoon, Performed by Mark Stevens and June Haver
ch4. [jh] Good Bye, My Lady Love, Also performed by Mark Stevens and June Haver
ch5. [jh] What's the Use of Dreaming, Performed by Lenore Aubert, June Haver and others
ch5. The Glow-Worm, Danced by June Haver, Gene Nelson and mixed chorus (where he does some great leaps and a triple in-air spin (axel?))
ch7. [jh] What's the Use of Dreaming, sample performed by Mark Stevens in montage with other songs
ch7. [jh] I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now?, Sung by June Haver and others, danced by JH & GN

ch7. The Sentry Song, Sung by June Haver and a male chorus, danced by JH, GN and chorus

Really not enjoyable with the poor print. And JH lies a lot to get what she wants, but isn't terribly successful at it until the end.

But it's Gene Nelson's first really visible role, and he does some gorgeous dancing. So I'll be waiting for a good price to buy the official release. Hopefully my rating will go up after seeing that.

Fox, dir. Bacon; 6

Sepia Cinderella (1947), 6-

... a struggling band leader's rise to fame after overcoming many obstacles, including a bad-girl vs. good-girl situation. For reasons unknown, Freddie Bartholomew makes a guest-cameo appearence at the night club ... Tondaleyo (the "bad girl") dances, and musical numbers feature Deek Watson and his Brown Dots, Walter Fuller's orchestra, John Kirby's band and Ruble Blakey, former soloist with Lionel Hampton. 
1h 10min | Musical | 25 July 1947
Director: Arthur H. Leonard (as Arthur Leonard)
Stars: Billy Daniels, Sheila Guyse, Tondaleyo.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039812/
Watched online; mediocre copy.

Race film, complete with scratchy audio during silence, and there's no score during non-performance time.

Previously rated 6; didn't attract or hold my attention today; watched on small screen (laptop). There was 1 dance duo, male and female, undulating to prepare for his eating fire. Dull.

I could not have generated the synopsis above. I remember a woman boss wanting bandleader X and someone else wanting bandleader Y, and she started romancing X although she was already engaged. And a bunch of musical performances.

Freddie Bartholomew did grab my attention, because he was reciting Scottish story/jokes, and I wondered what a Scottish accent was doing in a race film. He's a young adult here (b. 1924); another child star with no real career once he matures. He has 1 more film credit in '51 and 3 TV credits between this and that. But his mini-bios say he worked in TV as producer/director. At least in the prior film from this company, the white guest made some sense: Gene Krupa sat in with the band at the rent party. Freddie here is very random, but he tells the jokes pretty well.

Since I gave it a 6 before, I'll just append a minus; I really wasn't paying good enough attention to downgrade the rating.

Herald Pictures, dir. Leonard; 6-

Something in the Wind (1947), 7+

A grandson of a recently deceased millionaire mistakes a beautiful female disc jockey for her aunt, who once dated the grandfather.
1h 34min | Comedy, Musical | 21 July 1947
Director: Irving Pichel
Stars: Deanna Durbin, Donald O'Connor, John Dall, Charles Winninger.
Eugene Loring ... choreographer

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039847/

In the Tap! Appendix for Donald O'Connor. Not sure that he actually taps.

2nd of 8 films for John Dall; I own 5 of them, and rate all highly (7 or higher).

19th of 21 films for DD; the last 2 are released in '48.

Per the vintage featurette (10 min trailer), 1st film since returning from WW2 service for DO; 28th of 57 films for him. In his previous film, he was paired with Peggy Ryan. Here he's more adult, at least until the ballet in the finale.

For the Williams Brothers: 2nd of 2 film credits for them; they sound terrific. I don't understand how I know they existed; only Andy has a substantial filmography (180 Self:TV credits, and that's without episodes (427!).) The other 3 have only a handful of credits. I thought they guested on Andy's show at least every Christmas; perhaps the data hasn't been captured on IMDb (yet).

Songs performed (18 chapters with menu):

• ch1. The Turntable Song, Sung by Deanna Durbin
• ch5. Happy Go Lucky and Free, Sung by Deanna Durbin
• ch7. I Love a Mystery, Sung and danced by Donald O'Connor, all over a private library
• ch10. You Wanna Keep Your Baby Looking Right, Sung by Deanna Durbin
• ch12. The Turntable Song, sung by Donald O'Connor and the The Williams Brothers, who are hidden in the shadows! 
• ch12. Something in the Wind, Sung by Deanna Durbin
• ch14. It's Only Love, Sung by Deanna Durbin
• ch16. Miserere from "Il Trovatore", Sung by Deanna Durbin and Jan Peercec
• ch18. ballet, then DO dances comic ballet, followed by reprise of Happy Go Lucky and Free, Sung by Donald O'Connor and Deanna Durbin

This would be an 8, but I don't like the plot. DD starts out strong (refusing the settlement of rich guy JD because she wasn't who he sought), but then decides to fleece the rich folks, then decides she loves JD... I don't get it. Of course, I find JD better suited to roles like his in Rope ('48) and the aristocrat in Spartacus ('60), which is more how his character begins here. But then he melts into DD's arms, changing personality altogether. 

But musically this is a treat. DD ventures outside of the lyric soprano realm, and sings in a more popular style, but comes back to opera a couple of times too. The title song is very catchy.

The big highlight comes early, with DO dancing all around a lavishly furnished room, the mansion library. He does some pratfalls that look like a rehearsal for his Make 'Em Laugh number in Singin' in the Rain ('52), especially when he throws himself around behind the couch. I remember the number from however many years ago I watched this (bought the set in 2004).

Universal, dir. Pichel; 7+

The Road to Hollywood (1947), 5-

Film director Bud Pollard appears on screen to tell us of Bing Crosby's rise to fame, using scenes from four early Crosby shorts to illustrate his fictional biography.
56min | Biography, Comedy, Musical | 4 July 1947
Directors: Bud Pollard, Del Lord, Leslie Pearce, Mack Sennett
Stars: Bing Crosby, Luis Alberni, Ann Christy

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0174168/
Watched on AmazonPrime; also on a megapack.

This would have been better if they'd just concatenated the 4 source shorts together, complete with credits footage. They are (about 20 min each); see Connections for links:
I Surrender Dear (1931)
One More Chance (1931)
Dream House (1932)
Billboard Girl (1932)

I don't begrudge Sennett trying to capitalize on BC's popularity with archive footage. But the joining footage of director Pollard claiming any biographical content of the old shorts is silly while non-funny/boring. Each short might make more sense if shown complete.

Mack Sennett Comedies, dir. Pollard et al; 5-