Hello, Frisco, Hello

20th Century Fox, 1943
Starring Alice Faye, John Payne, June Havoc, and Jack Oakie
Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone
Music by Harry Warren and others; Lyrics by Mack Gordon and others

This was one of Alice Faye's last movies for Fox before she retired to take care of her children, and one of her biggest. It was a huge hit during the later World War II years and introduced the Oscar-winning standard "You'll Never Know." Does the rest of the movie live up to that song's success? Let's head to a saloon on San Francisco's notorious Barbary Coast around 1915 and find out...

The Story: Song and dance quartet Trudy Evans (Faye), Johnny Cornell (Payne), Dan Daley (Oakie), and Beluah Clancy (Havoc) are fired from their job at a Barbary Coast saloon for putting on a new telephone-themed number not approved of by their boss Sharkey (Ward Bond). Angry, Johnny first has them playing in the streets, then opens his own dance hall, The Grizzly Bear. They're a huge success, attracting high society as well as lower-class Coast regulars. Among the Nob Hill residents who attend the Grizzly's opening night is Bernice Croft (Lynn Bari), the daughter of a rich art patron. Johnny loves her art and her lavish mansion, but not how she treats his job. All he thinks about are his show business aspirations, even getting Trudy to sing onstage while she's supposed to be on a date with him.

Trudy is in love with him, but his real interest is in social standing. He marries a now-broke Bernice to get in with her rich society friends and start an opera house. Heartbroken, Trudy accepts a job in London, where she becomes a big success. Johnny, meanwhile, is in trouble. The opera was a flop, Bernice left him after she admitted to loving money and her lavish lifestyle more than him, and now he wants to sell the Grizzly Bear. Dan and Beluah call Trudy back to help him, but they have to figure out how she can do it without offending Johnny's pride.

The Song and Dance: Faye really anchors this colorful tale as the woman who loves Johnny and will stand by him no matter what. Bari is appropriately icy as the spoiled Nob Hill heiress who only cares about money and culture. The color cinematography was nominated for an Oscar. Love the gorgeous, period-accurate costumes with tons of frills and sequins that really bring this show business story to life.

Favorite Number: "You'll Never Know" is sung twice in the movie, both times during the big telephone act that gets the group into so much trouble during the opening. The telephone number really is cute, with Faye and Payne having fun flirting by this newfangled invention. The "It's Tulip Time In Holland" dance number at the Grizzly Bear features some amazing death-defying roller skating, especially from from the couple at the end who swing each other around in time to the music. Faye gets two really fun numbers with the chorus, the Irish-themed "Bedelia/Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" that also featured Oakie, and the lovely and romantic "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" in England. Faye looks like a live-action Disney Cinderella in that number, seven years before that movie came out.

Trivia: This is a historical remake of the modern-set 1936 musical King of Burlesque, which also featured Alice Faye and Jack Oakie.

What I Don't Like: Although John Payne is a good singer, he was never really comfortable in musicals. Johnny is a bit of a jerk, to the point where you wonder why Trudy stands by him. (Dan and Beluah threaten to walk out several times.) Neither he nor the movie can figure out what it is that he's after. He switches from just wanting his own place to being obsessed with ascending Nob Hill way too quickly! His interest in Beatrice - or her money - is pretty sudden as well. And while some of the numbers are fun, a lot of them are just padding, particularly towards the end, and do nothing but draw out the story.

The Big Finale: One of Alice Faye's most famous movies is necessary for her fans and a pleasant watch for lovers of 40's musicals.

Home Media: On DVD as part of Fox's "Marquee Musicals" series. It can also be found in a DVD set of Faye's films and on several streaming platforms.

DVD
DVD - The Alice Faye Collection Vol. 2
Google Play