Starring Betty Grable, Carole Landis, Charlotte Greenwood, and Don Ameche
Directed by Walter Lang
Music by Leo Robin; Lyrics by Ralph Rainger
We kick off the summer season with a movie about a vacation that didn't go quite as planned. Betty Grable and Don Ameche worked out so well in the smash hit Down Argentine Way, they were rushed into this movie the moment Ameche was free. This was Grable's second starring vehicle, and it would turn her into one of the biggest stars of the early 40's. How does this light warm-weather frappe look today? Let's begin in Texas, as two sisters deal with the lunch crowd at a local hash house, and find out...
The Story: Kay (Grable) and Barbara (Landis) Latimer and their Aunt Susan (Greenwood) are thrilled when they inherit money from a deceased uncle. It's just enough for the trio to travel to Miami and find rich husbands. Kay poses as a wealthy heiress, Barbara as her secretary, and Susan as her maid. Hotel bellhop Jack O'Hara (Jack Haley) quickly falls for Susan, while Kay picks up suitors in handsome young rich man's son Jeff Boulton (Robert Cummings) and mining heir Phil O'Neil (Ameche).
Phil's no more what he claims to be than Kay is. He turns her over to Jeff so she can live her dream of instant wealth. Trouble is, Barbara's also fallen for Jeff, and Jack's figured out their secret. Now the ladies have to find a way to get Kay married to the right man, before Jack spills the beans about their lack of cash.
The Song and Dance: Sun-drenched confection set the standard for all of the Grable musicals of the 40's set in an exotic location. She (and maybe a funny friend or two) head to the location, mingle with weird locals, get involved with at least one or two handsome leading men, and sing and dance with big bands between romantic comedy complications. The good cast here helps a lot. Ameche may not be the best singer or dancer, but he's a lot more interesting than most of the men who played opposite Grable. Greenwood and Haley have some funny moments as the servant couple, including a hilarious dance routine. Lots of Technicolor location shooting in the real Florida (including Cypress Gardens) adds authentic Sunshine State flavor.
(I also appreciate that this is yet another Grable musical that ends with the leading men friends instead of coming to blows or leaving over the ladies. Most of her musicals seem to be too amiable for any actual villains.)
Favorite Number: The movie begins at the Texas road house where the girls are singing waitresses in tight short uniforms asking their customers "What Can I Do for You?" "Miami (Oh Me, Oh Mi-Ami)" starts off as a travelogue with a chorus as we see overhead shots of the city and ends with the three ladies dancing and singing into their plush hotel room. The ballad "You've Started Something" turns up several times, including as a big dance routine in the hotel night club for Grable and the Condos Brothers. Haley and Greenwood ask "Is That Good?" as they show off their trademarked high kicks and stiff-legged dancing while preparing dinner. Grable teaches choreographer and dancer Hermes Pan the "Kindergarten Conga," performed to the tune of several nursery rhymes, later on in the night club.
What I Don't Like: If the story sounds familiar, this is a remake of the 1938 non-musical comedy Three Blind Mice. It would turn up twice more at Fox, as the 1946 musical Three Little Girls In Blue and a final non-musical comedy in 1956, How to Marry a Millionaire. Like the other versions, this is about the fluffiest summertime entertainment you can get. Not really much happens, besides Jack's threats to reveal the girls near the end. Cummings has far less personality than Ameche and is mainly there to be handsome, and as lovely as she is, Landis doesn't really have that much to do.
The Big Finale: If you want to introduce someone to Betty Grable's more "exotic" vehicles, the nice cast and enjoyable numbers makes this a great place to start. Recommended for fans of Grable or of big 40's musicals.
Home Media: Originally a Marquee Musical, this is currently DVD only from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.
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