20th Century Fox, 1942
Starring Betty Grable, Victor Mature, John Payne, and Phil Silvers
Directed by Gregory Ratoff
Music by Ralph Raninger; Lyrics by Leo Robin
Betty Grable had just become a major headliner in hits like Moon Over Miami and Song of the Islands when she starred in this movie. Fox backed their newest leading lady with a great cast that included beefy Victor Mature, singer John Payne, wacky burlesque comedian Phil Silvers, and another up-and-coming leading lady, Jane Wyman. How does this unusual blend of boxing and backstage shenanigans look today? Let's head to New York City for a major fight and find out...
The Story: Comedian Slap (Silvers) convinces stage promoter Bruce McKay (James Gleason) to hire charismatic current heavyweight champion Tommy Lundy (Mature) for a Broadway show. Tommy in turn brings along his girlfriend, singer Estelle Evans (Cobina Wright Jr.), for the leading lady. Dancer Pat Lambert (Grable) is hired as her understudy, and Pat manages to get her fiancee Bill Smith (Payne) the role of Tommy's sparring partner in the boxing act.
Tommy's smitten with Pat and tries to court her, but he's given to practical jokes and is immature and obnoxious. Pat's far more interested in level-headed Bill. They do manage to get a quick marriage, but Slap convinces them to hide it so as not to upset Tommy. Estelle, however, figures it out when she sees Bill and Pat together at a hotel and spills the beans. Now Pat has to keep the two men from killing each other in the ring...for real.
The Song and Dance: The gritty black-and-white cinematography and unique boxing backdrop sets this apart from other Grable musicals. This may be her only vehicle where the real focus is on the men. Grable doesn't even appear until almost 20 minutes in. I do like that the film acknowledges that Mature is no song-and-dance man (even though he kept landing in musicals during the 40's and 50's), which is the reason for that big onstage boxing fight to begin with. And how many musicals can you name end in a genuinely suspenseful boxing match? The supporting cast is pretty decent, too, with Gleason and Wyman the stand-outs as the skeptical promoter and Grable's cynical best friend.
There's also the fact that, for all of Tommy's silly and annoying behavior, he's painted as a playboy, not a villain. This is the second Grable movie I know of after Coney Island that ends with the leading men laughing the whole thing off and everyone friends in the end.
Favorite Number: Pat auditions to "Are You Kiddin'" onstage, ending with a sensational tap routine. "I'm Still Crazy For You" is an adorable duet for Pat and Bill as she gives him a rub-down before rehearsal and asks him about the possibility of marriage again. Grable and choreographer Hermes Pan get a great quick dance routine to the instrumental "Land On Your Feet," and she has hilarious routine where she boxes with her shadow to "I Hear the Birdies Sing."
What I Don't Like: The setting may be unique, but the backstage plot with Pat replacing Estelle and Estelle tattling on her and Bill are the same old cliches that have turned up in musicals since the early talkies. There's also the fact that both leading men were never really comfortable in musicals, and that does show here. Silvers is so obnoxious and grating as the comedian with the terrible jokes who pushed for Tommy in the show in the first place, he deserved the beatdown he got from Tommy and Bill in the end.
I'm shocked that this is in black and white. Almost all of Grable's 40's vehicles were in color. Maybe they thought black-and-white would work better for the boxing milieu. Those expecting Grable's typical Technicolor capers set in exotic lands or other times may be more than a little surprised, too. The music also isn't the most memorable in the world, and in fact, is rather dull for one of her films.
The Big Finale: This wound up being a pleasant surprise, an unusual blend of backstage romance and boxing hype that ends up being a fun watch for fans of Grable or 40's musicals.
Home Media: Currently DVD-only from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.
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