Starring Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Arlene Dahl, and Tony Martin
Directed by Claude Binyon
Music by Jay Livingstone; Lyrics by Ray Evans
Red Skelton wasn't the last comedian Dahl played opposite in a Technicolor romp. She made her final appearance in a musical as one of Hope's leading ladies in this comic thriller. Musicals don't often dive into mystery/thriller turf, and it's even rarer to see one played as a fairly typical nostalgic musical comedy. How does that work out nowadays? Let's begin at a theater in Jersey City, just as the show-within-the-show Here Comes the Girls is concluding, and find out...
The Story: Stanley Snodgrass (Hope) claims to have "greasepaint in his veins," but after 20 years of pounding theaters, he's still in the chorus. His girl Daisy Crockett (Clooney) stands by him no matter what, but producer Harry Fraser fires him after he causes leading lady Irene Bailey (Dahl) and Allen Trent (Martin) to take a spill onstage. His mother (Zamah Cunningham) also stands by her song, but his stepfather Albert (Millard Mitchell) is fed up with giving him money and demands he works in his coal business.
Jack "the Slasher" Bennett (Robert Strauss) is obsessed with Irene Bailey and will kill anyone she's in love with. After he attacks and wounds Allen, policeman Dennis Logan (William Demarest) suggests Stanley be used as bait to trap the murderer. Stanley's thrilled to accept a room at the Waldorf and the role as Irene's leading man. Daisy's jealous at first, until she finds out how Stanley really got his big part. She tries to convince him he's in danger, but it's not until knives are flying onstage that he realizes what's really going on. Now he has to dodge that crazed lover, before the curtain comes down on his show for good!
The Song and Dance: While this is hardly the first time Hope was involved with a mystery in one of his movies, it is rare to see a mystery-thriller crossed with comedy and backstage shenanigans. It's even rarer for movie musicals to subvert the "chorus member makes good" trope and not have the promoted extra come back a star. Hope's ever-determined mama's boy Stanley is backed by a great cast and a delightfully lavish production that beautifully recreates New York and Jersey City in the early 20th century. Clooney and Dahl also come off well as the woman who really loves Stanley, and the one who wants to use him to save her lover. Cunningham and Mitchell have a few nice moments as his overbearing mother and frustrated stepfather.
Favorite Number: We kick things off with a spectacular parade of showgirls in huge plumed headgear and gauzy costumes as Martin sings the title song and Hope can't figure out where he's supposed to be. This is the big number Stanley ruins, thanks to a chair landing on his foot. Stanley and Daisy remind each other on the ferry to New York that they may not have the best theatrical training, but "Ya Got Class."
"It's a Torment" for Irene when Stanley makes a hash of their big Spanish-themed number. The chorus boys get so fed up with his bumbling, they literally toss him offstage! Clooney croons the bluesy ballad "When You Love Someone" after Stanely's promoted and she thinks she's lost him to Irene. "Ali Baba (Be My Baby)" is the Arabian Knights satire where Stanley has such a hard time remembering his lines, the stagehands have to walk by him with them written on props to remind him.
Trivia: Millard Mitchell's last film.
Was likely planned for 3-D, given all the knives and other props often thrown at the screen.
What I Don't Like: First of all, if you're not a fan of Hope, forget it. He doesn't dominate it to the extent of some of his vehicles, but he still gets most of the best moments. Second, while some of the musical numbers are well-staged, the songs themselves aren't that memorable. I'm also not sure why this is set in the early 1900's. They don't really do much with the background besides Stanley's father running a coal-delivery business.
The Big Finale: Worth checking out for major fans of Hope, the two leading ladies, or the big musicals of the 1950's if you can find it.
Home Media: To my knowledge, the only place this can currently be found is YouTube.
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