Cult Flops - The Great Waltz (1938)

MGM, 1938

Starring Fernand Gravet, Luise Rainer, Miliza Korjus, and Hugh Herbert

Directed by Julien Duvivier

Music by Johann Strauss Sr.; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy were far from MGM's only operetta stars during the 1930's. Gravet, known as Gravey in his native Belgium, had been a star in Europe since the early 30's. He came over to try Hollywood in 1937 and initially landed at Warner Brothers before moving to MGM. They promoted him hard for this lavish film, giving them their Oscar-winning star actress Rainer as his leading lady and an enormous cast with . Producer and studio head Irving Thalberg had heard Korjus, a Polish-Estonian soprano who was then the toast of the Berlin State Opera, on recordings and hired her sight unseen. How does one of the studio's most prestigious productions of the late 30's look nowadays? We begin at a bank in Vienna, Austria in 1844, where Johann Strauss II (Gravet) is writing waltzes instead of bank books, and find out...

The Story: Despite his father's wishes that he go into banking, Strauss is glad they fired him. He brings together a group of unemployed musicians to play his waltzes. At first, the gig they manage to wrangle at Donmeyer's Cafe doesn't go well, until opera star Carla Donner (Korjus) and her retinue stop in to hear them while their carriage is being repaired. That brings in other people, and they bring people, until Donmeyer (Herman Bing) has a cafe full of people waltzing. 

Strauss is now on his way, his music very popular. He's even able to marry his sweetheart Poldi Vogelhuber (Rainer). He hasn't given up his more rebellious tendencies, though. He writes a march for the student revolutions of 1848, and even gets arrested. He also accidentally gets Carla arrested when she's caught up in them, too. A ride through the woods after they escape leads Strauss to write one of his most enduring hits, "Tales of the Vienna Woods." 

After Carla sings his songs at a party for aristocracy, he manages to get a publisher for his work. They grow closer while he writes an operetta for her...much to Poldi's consternation. Strauss thinks he knows who he wants, but Carla knows better. Strauss, however, will always have his music, and the love of the people of Austria, who adore his work and the sweeping dance created with it in mind.

The Song and Dance: The word "sumptuous" was created for lavish productions like this. Everyone is decked out in acres of sequins, ruffles, puffs, bows, and lace, even the men. Vienna, with its sun-dappled woods and charming cafes, is recreated in all its lilting glory. Gravet makes an intense and likeable Strauss, especially early-on, when he's still pushing his music and marching with revolutionaries. Korjus was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for this film, and she simply sparkles as the opera diva who becomes Strauss' muse and one of his biggest supporters. Duvivier manages a few good touches, including two well-done montages.

Favorite Number: Our first number is the first big chorus routine. The customers descending on Donmeyer's sing of how "I'm In Love With Vienna" and in love with dancing the waltz. She gets a comic rendition in before the tenor Schiller (George Houston) takes over. It's a thrilling moment, with all the dancers whirling around the stage. Strauss also gets "Artists Life, Op 316" as a goofy song with his orchestra. The "Revolutionary March" is even more thrilling, as students take to the streets to protest the monarchy and the Emperor's behavior. Korjus also gets to sing several excerpts from Strauss' biggest hit operetta, Die Fleidermous. 

The big one her is the absurd-but-adorable "Tales of the Vienna Woods." Riding together after being arrested and released at the student march, Strauss notes the clip-clopping of the horses' hooves, and how even the birds chirping sounds like a waltz. This somehow encourages him to make up his most famous composition right then and there, with Korjus getting in on it, too. It's ridiculous songwriting, but thrilling movie-making.

Trivia: Remade under the same title in 1972. 

Not related to a 1934 stage operetta called The Great Waltz.

Despite making money overseas, especially in Australia, the high cost and lack of stars made this one of MGM's bigger flops of 1938.

What I Don't Like: First of all, even MGM admits in the opening that this has nothing to do with Strauss' real life. He had an ongoing feud with his equally famous composer father until the latter's death that isn't even mentioned here. He was, apparently, stuck working in a bank per his father's wishes before he went into composing, he cobbled together his first orchestra from a group of out of work musicians, and his first orchestra job was with a restaurant called Donmyer's. Poldi and Carla totally fictional. Considering she gets top billing, Ranier doesn't get much to do until late in the movie, when she confronts Carla backstage.

The Big Finale: The elegant numbers alone make this worth checking out for fans of operetta, Ranier, or Strauss' music.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, the former in a remastered edition from the Warner Archives.

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Amazon Prime

Happy Memorial Day! - Jumping Jacks

Paramount, 1952

Starring Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Mona Freeman, and Don DeFore

Directed by Norman Taurog

Music by Jerry Livingston; Lyrics by Mack David

At War With the Army was such a hit, Martin and Lewis did two more musicals set around the Armed Services in 1952. Jumping Jacks throws them back into the Army for what I suspect is the only musical revolving around paratroopers. This was originally written for either Danny Kaye or Bob Hope during World War II, but they already made military comedies and turned it down. It was eventually reworked and updated for Martin and Lewis and the Korean War era. How does this tale of a performer who is reluctantly recruited into the Army ranks when his buddy wants him to appear in a show look now? Let's begin with comedian Hap Smith (Lewis) and his act with his current partner Betsy Carter (Freeman) and find out...

The Story: Hap convinced to help out his former stage partner Chick Allen (Martin), who is now putting on shows with his fellow soldiers to boost morale. Chick and his paratrooper crew need to impress General Timmons (Ray Teal), who doesn't think much of their shows. They pass Hap off as a soldier and sneak him onstage. He goes over so well, the general convinces them to keep him with the show. T

rouble is, he thinks Hap's an actual soldier. Chick doesn't want his men to get into trouble, so he passes Hap off as Private "Dogface" Dolan (Richard Erdman) to keep him around. Hap does everything he can to get away, but Chick keeps dragging him back. It's not until he gets caught in war maneuvers that he manages to get away...but even then, he manages to save the day.

The Song and Dance: Once again, this is mostly Lewis' show. He's having a ball, jumping on beds, mugging to the officers in charge, and trying everything he can to get out of the Army. Big, craggy Robert Strauss also does well as Sargent McClusky, who can't understand why Hap keeps trying to flee. Filming at the actual Airborne Department of the Infantry School (now the United States Army Airborne School) adds verisimilitude to the war scenes. 

Favorite Number: The film literally puts its best foot forward right away with Betsy singing about how "I Can't Resist a Boy In Uniform" in her and Hap's stage number, even he tears apart said uniform. "The Parachute Jump" and "The Big Blue Sky Is the Place for Me" are the big chorus numbers in the Army show. The first has Lewis dancing with a mop, then playing the parachute rope like harp strings. Martin's romantic solo, sung to Betsy as they dance together, is "I Know a Dream When I See One." He and Lewis insist that they need to "Keep a Little Dream Handy" at the show.

What I Don't Like: Not only does Martin not have much to do, he really comes off as a major jerk here. The plot simply makes no sense at all, even by the standards of their films. Hap said he didn't want to be in the show, and he really shouldn't have been forced into staying. Freeman has even less to do. She disappears for the final third of the film without explanation. Lewis can overdo it occasionally, especially when he's excited and his little-boy voice gets grating. 

The Big Finale: Not one of Martin and Lewis' better films as a team. For major fans of either star only. Casual viewers will want to start with one of their later non-military comedies or Lewis' solo vehicles. 

Home Media: Available on streaming and as part of an 8 movie DVD collection.

DVD - Martin & Lewis Collection

Amazon Prime

You're Never Too Young

Paramount, 1955

Starring Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Diana Lynn, and Raymond Burr

Directed by Norman Taurog

Music by Arthur Schwartz; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

You're Never Too Young is the last of three Martin-Lewis movies that were remakes of earlier Paramount comedies, and their second filmed in Paramount's wide-screen VistaVision. By this point, it was mostly Lewis' show. He's the main character here, a man who dresses as a child to get a cheap train ticket. How does this remake of the Ginger Rogers World War II comedy The Major and the Minor look nowadays? Let's begin with the theft of a valuable diamond and the murder of its guard by thief Noonan (Burr) and find out...

The Story: Desperate to hide the loot, Noonan first drops it in the pocket of girls' school teacher Bob Miles (Martin), then the man who is attempting to give him a shave and a haircut, Wilbur Hoolick (Lewis). Spooked by the police, Wilbur tries to get home to Bitzen, Washington, but he can't afford the ticket. He dresses as an eleven-year-old boy to get one at half-price. Noonan tries to get it back there, but Wilbur thinks he's a jealous husband and hides in the compartment of teacher Nancy Collins (Lynn). She really thinks he's an eleven-year-old and lets him stay in her compartment for the rest of the trip.

Nancy's good intentions cause trouble when the daughter of her school's principal Gretchen (Nina Foch) claims she saw her with a man on the train. Wilbur continues the charade of being eleven to keep Nancy from losing her job. Trouble is, not only does Bob work at the school, too, but he's Nancy's fiancee. Noonan is on Wilbur's trail, too...and it'll take nothing less than a wacky speedboat chase across the school's lake to bring the police in and sort out this mess!

The Song and Dance: Lewis' antics and his attempts to look and sound like a child are the only real selling points here. He has some hilarious moments, whether he's trying to give Martin a haircut and a manicure in the beginning (complete with terrible French accent), jumping into Martin's arms during a drill with the girls, or dodging the advances of the amorous school girl Skeets (Mitzi McCall). Some of his later interactions with Nancy and the school teachers seem almost like a preview of his timid Nutty Professor from a decade later. Burr's an excellent heavy, too, and sounds great intimidating Wilbur. 

Favorite Number: We don't get a number until almost 15 minutes in, and it's Martin's ballad "Love Is All That Matters" as he tries to apologize to his fiancee. Lewis insists that Martin thinks "Relax-ay-Voo," but Lewis' idea of barbering is anything but relaxing! Martin's second ballad is "I Know Your Mother Loves You." The girls march to "Every Day Is a Happy Day," and Wilbur insists on marching right alongside them. They're a lot better at staying in step than Wilbur! The number ends with Wilbur jumping right into Bob's arms. "Simpatico" is Martin's big song at the school dance. Wilbur's attempt to conduct the school choir turns into "I Like to Hike." 

Trivia: First movie for Mitzi McCall.

Diana Lynn and Emory Parnell were also in The Major and the Minor. Lynn was the science-loving teen nemesis of Ginger Rogers' phony schoolgirl. Parnell was the train conductor there as well. 

What I Don't Like: Nothing else registers. Neither Martin nor Lynn really have all that much to do besides play along with Lewis. Lewis' mugging and annoying little-boy voice gets so grating as the movie wears on, it's almost a relief when he more-or-less drops it by the half-way mark. Other than the idea of someone dressing as a child to get a half-fare train ticket, this has very little to do with the original movie or the play and short story it was based on. The girls' school, diamond theft, and speedboat finale were all tossed in to give Lewis more opportunities for slapstick and likely to add some action to the second half. 

The Big Finale: For major fans of Martin and/or Lewis only. Everyone else will probably want to check out their earlier films or Lewis' solo vehicles before coming here. 

Home Media: Only avalible on disc in North America as part of a very expensive Martin/Lewis DVD collection. You're better off streaming this one. It's currently on Paramount Plus with a subscription.

DVD - Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection Vol. 2

Paramount Plus

The Caddy

Paramount, 1953

Starring Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Donna Reed, and Barbara Bates

Directed by Norman Taurog

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Jack Brooks

We're joining up with Hollywood's favorite comic duo of the 1950's this week. Martin and Lewis started out in nightclubs after World War II, usually doing a routine with Martin singing and Lewis heckling him, ending with the two of them chasing each other. They had their own radio show, and were two of the headliners on the first episode of The Ed Sullivan Show. By 1953, they were two of the top stars in the world, and among Paramount's biggest money-makers. 

This wound up being not only one of their most popular films, but it produced one of the standards Martin is most associated with as well. How does the story of a golf teacher and the man he's determined to make into a champion look today? Let's begin on the golf course with Harvey Miller, Jr (Lewis) and his fiancee Lisa (Barbara Bates) and find out....

The Story: Harvey is the son of one of the most famous champion golfers in the world. He did inherit his talent, but he's terrified of playing in front of crowds. After he loses his job in a department store, Lisa suggests he become a golf instructor instead. She encourages her layabout brother Joe (Martin) to become his first client. 

With Harvey's help, Joe starts winning tournament after tournament. He even attracts the attention of lovely socialite Kathy Taylor (Reed). All the attention gives Joe a big head, and he starts to push Harvey away and ignore his orders to go to bed early and meet him for practice. Harvey even follows him to Kathy's house and passes himself off as rich, but ends up being a waiter. Joe's reluctant to get into the last tournament, but it turns out his father bet his Italian restaurant on it. It takes a riot at the tournament to show the guys where their talents truly lay...

The Song and Dance: Martin and Lewis are really the thing here, whether they're chasing each other around a nightclub or a golf course. Their nightclub routine comes up in the sequence where Joe tries to sing "You're the Right One" and Harvey keeps disrupting him, trying to get him back home and to bed. Lewis has some nice solo bits, too, including the opening sequence when he stumbles around the department store, breaking every conceivable breakable object within a mile's distance and infuriating his boss (Fred Clark). The Anthony parents can be pretty funny too, especially Joseph Calleia as excitable Papa. Look for cameos by real champion golfers of the time, including Sam Snead and Julius Boros. 

Favorite Number: We open and close with the boys' nightclub act to "What Wouldcha Do Without Me?" They also get "(It Takes a Lot of Little Likes to Make) One Big Love)" together. The crowd at the nightclub eats up the ballad Joe tries to sing that Harvey disrupts, "You're the Right One," thinking Harvey's attempts to get him off the stage are part of the act. Joe thinks "It's a Whistlin' Kind of Mornin'" when he's on the course. Harvey's big solos is "The Gay Continental," as he sports a smoking jacket while spoofing wealthy dilettantes around the pool. 

"That's Amore" became one of Martin's biggest hits, and by far the biggest hit song to come from any of the Martin-Lewis movies. Not only does it have a number worthy of it, it's the sole chorus number. Joe starts the number as they serve dinner at the family restaurant, Everyone else eventually joins in, including Harvey, to sing a tribute to romance and pizza. 

What I Don't Like: No wonder Martin in particular had started to become a wee bit disinterested by this point. The story is of so little consequence, the boys don't even finish that big tournament or stay with golf in the end. Sports angle aside, it's not that much different from either their other movies or the films of their comic duo predecessors Abbot and Costello. None of the other songs get close to "That's Amore" in the charm or ear worm department, either. Reed and Bates are there as love interests and have little to do other than Lisa being the one who suggests Harvey become a golf instructor to begin with. 

The Big Finale: If you love Martin and/or Lewis, this is recommended as one of their better films. Not a bad place to start for newcomers to their nutty, ballad-filled world, too.

Home Media: Can be found solo on streaming. Paramount Plus currently has it with a subscription. In the US, it's only on disc bundled with other Martin-Lewis films.

DVD - Martin & Lewis 8 Movie Collection

Paramount Plus

Musicals on TV - Pinocchio (1976)

CBS, 1976

Starring Sandy Duncan, Danny Kaye, Clive Revill, and Flip Wilson

Directed by Ron Field and Sid Smith

Music and Lyrics by Billy Barnes

Women playing young men or boys in male drag go way back on the stage. It was common as late as the 19th century for a young woman to play a boy or young man. This became less frequent as more roles were written with women in mind by the early 20th century, but it still occasionally happens to this day. Stage and TV versions of Peter Pan usually have a young woman in the title role. Duncan, who would later play Peter onstage in the 80's, plays both the wooden boy here and the daughter of an Italian actor (Danny Kaye) who wants to spread her wings and leave his troupe. How well does she do? Let's begin with that father and daughter pair as they quarrel about her leaving, just before the performance of Pinocchio begins, and find out...

The Story: Lonely Geppetto (Kaye) is delighted when his life-sized wooden puppet Pinocchio (Duncan) comes to life right before his eyes. He tries to send the boy to school, but he's easily led astray by anything even mildly tempting that comes across his path. First, he accidentally gets into a puppet show, only for the mean puppeteer Stromboli to try to lock him in a trunk and force him to remain. Pinocchio manages to escape that, only to run into a wily fox (Wilson) and cat (Liz Torres) who convinces him that if he plants the coins he got from his work with Stromboli, he can grow a money tree. 

After Geppetto gets his money back and scolds him for lying, Pinocchio is sure he'll make it to school now. This time, however, he's tempted by Candlewick (Gary Morgan), who insists there's a place he can go where he'll never have to attend school and can have nothing but fun. Not only is he away for three months, but it turned out that the "fun" the Coachman (Revill) who brought them there touted has far more sinister intentions. Even after Pinocchio manages to get away from that, he still has to rescue himself and his father from the belly of a whale.

The Song and Dance: Somehow, Duncan and Kaye manage to make this work. Duncan is wholly believable both as the daughter who wants to find a life outside their little troupe and the wooden boy who wants to learn more about everything. Kaye's almost as fun playing the kindly old woodworker who suddenly finds himself with the family he always wanted and the concerned father who wants to hang on to his daughter. Wilson and Torres have some good moments as the scheming fox and cat duo, too. The rainbow costumes, with huge skirts and tight jackets in bold primaries, makes the colorful world of seaside Italy pop off the screen.

Favorite Number: Geppetto opens by admitting he's "Talking to Myself" when he wishes for a real family and someone to talk to. Pinocchio asking "What's That?" leads into a huge ensemble number as Geppetto introduces him to his home, the townspeople, and the world around them. Pinocchio claims "I Like It" when he dances with the marionettes onstage and hears the applause and laughter of the audience as he dances with the real puppets. The fox and the cat encourage Pinocchio to plant his "Money Tree" to get "M-O-R-E," including enough money to buy his father anything he wants. 

Geppetto joins the townspeople again as he crows "Look at Me Now" that he's so happy to have a son. The kids going to Pleasure Island sing about all the "Fun, Fun, Fun," they're having, but Pinocchio wonders what would happen "If I Could Start Over." Geppetto tries to encourage him to make the best of life in the whale, but his son wails "I Want to Go Home."

What I Don't Like: While this is a more accurate adaptation of the book than some other versions, it does eliminate the roles of the Blue Fairy and Jiminy Cricket. They likely couldn't pull off a moving cricket and a fairy on a TV budget, and I suspect they wanted to put the focus on Pinocchio and Geppetto's relationship. Pinocchio has no animal conscience, and the magic that allows him to move is insinuated, rather than seen physically. Also, though the costumes are fairly elaborate, the cheap sets and obvious aquarium background when Pinocchio "swims" are dead giveaways to its small-screen origins. 

The Big Finale: Sweet and charming, this is well worth checking out if you have younger children who will enjoy the puppet's antics or are fans of Duncan or Kaye.

Home Media: The DVD is out of print in the US. Check streaming for this one - you can currently find it on Tubi for free with commercials.

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Reveille With Beverly

Columbia Pictures, 1943

Starring Ann Miller, William Wright, Dick Purcell, and Franklin Pangborn

Directed by Charles Barton

Music and Lyrics by various

During World War II, Miller starred in a series of inexpensive B musicals featuring her dancing and the music of various big bands and singers. Reveille With Beverly was unique among those films, and even among musical films period. It was an adaptation of a hit music show that became an enormous favorite with soldiers during the war years hoping to hear a friendly voice and familiar music from home. How does this somehow translate into the story of a young woman who finally gets her chance to break into radio when she becomes the soldiers' favorite DJ? Let's start at that radio station with our first act and find out...

The Story: Beverly Ross (Miller) is supposed to be the switchboard operator at KFEL, but she would give anything to be on the radio. Her boss Mr. Kennedy (Tim Ryan) won't listen to her many ideas about getting a show focusing on swing and jive on the air. He prefers classical music. He fires her after she abandons the switchboard to do a commercial on the air, but then lets her take over for the dull early morning host Vernon Lewis (Pangborn) while he's on vacation. She turns his sleepy early-morning classical show into a showcase of the latest swing music and becomes wildly popular with the GIs just getting up for reveille. 

Her brother Eddie (Larry Parks) introduces her to two of his fellow soldiers, Barry Lang (Wright) and Andy Adams (Purcell). Andy used to be the wealthy Barry's chauffeur, but them getting into the same unit puts them on far more equal footing. Barry makes a bet with Andy that he can't get a girl with his millions and tells Beverly he's Andy. He even suggests the name for her show, Reveille With Beverly, and ponies up the cash to sponsor her when Lewis returns and wants his job back. The guys think she'll never know...until she announces a tour of camps to boost morale and wants to see both of them...

The Song and Dance: With a story that slim, the real highlights are Miller as the determined Beverly and the musical numbers. They're more like early music videos or musical shorts of the time, with the real singers on Beverly's records performing the actual songs they made famous. We even get a cameo from Frank Sinatra. It's almost like a black-and-white version of early MTV with a thin plot tying it together. Miller gets to show off her comedic side as she dashes from job to job and throws out comic patter between numbers for the boys in Europe and Asia. Pangborn and Ryan have a few good moments as the snobbish classical DJ and her blow-hard boss, who doesn't get her music, but does understand the bottom line.

Favorite Number: In fact, the film opens with one of those "illustrated" numbers, the Mills Brothers singing the Latin "Cielito Lindo." Once Beverly starts her show, the music really kicks in. Bob Crosby and His Orchestra give us a nice "Big Noise From Winnekta," while Duke Ellington and his folks, along with singer Betty Roche, give us a really swinging version of "Take the 'A' Train." Beverly plays Sinatra's heartfelt version of the Cole Porter standard "Night and Day" after she loses her show to Lewis; when she gets it back, she gives the boys "Cow Cow Boogie," sung by Ella Mae Morse with Freddie Slack and His Orchestra. 

A trio called "The Radio Rogues" do imitations of popular radio singers then on the air during the show at the military camp, including Kate Smith singing "When the Moon Comes Over the Mountain" and Irish tenor Morton Downey Sr. doing "Wabash Moon." The Mills Brothers return, this time with the more traditional "Sweet Lucy Brown." The movie puts its best foot forward for its big finale and only large-scale production number. Miller taps up a storm for the boys with "Thumbs Up and V for Victory."

Trivia: Look fast for Irene Ryan as Mr. Kennedy's whiny switchboard operator and secretary.

Beverly's former boss Mr. Smith (Andrew Tombes) claims that clumsy record store clerk Elmer has "broken more records than Whirlaway," the horse who won the Triple Crown in 1941. 

Reveille With Beverly was indeed a real-life early-morning radio program on KFEL from Denver that ran from 1941 to 1944 and was broadcast by the Armed Forces Radio. Jean Ruth was the actual hostess and creator of the show.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention how thin the plot is? It's so thin, and Wright and Purcell are so interchangeable, no wonder they go to war before Beverly has to choose between them. It's barely of consequence which guy she ends up with, or really who sponsored her show. Miller, for all her screen time, doesn't get a chance to dance or sing beyond her big number in the finale. Like Carolina Blues, many, many references to the World War II home front - from rationing to the Radio Rogues' spoofs of then-popular radio performers - may baffle people today who aren't familiar with the era. And the gag with Miller running back and forth from the record job to the station and back again when she gets her radio gig back runs on for way too long and may annoy viewers as much as Mr. Smith. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Miller or the big band, swing, and jazz music of the World War II era, this movie is worth tracking down for the numbers alone. 

Home Media: This rare musical can only be found on YouTube at the moment and occasionally on TCM. 

YouTube 

Carolina Blues

Columbia Pictures, 1944

Starring Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore, and Jeff Donnell

Directed by Leigh Jason

Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn and Dudley Brooks

No big band leader made more of his association with films (and radio, too) than the enterprising Kay Kyser. He started out as a musician in Chicago in the late 20's, but his real metier was as a bandleader and announcer. By the 1940's, his Kollege of Musical Knowledge game show was a major hit on radio and his records sold in the thousands. Unlike most big bands in movies, who played a few numbers and didn't figure much into the action, Kyser and his band were entertaining enough to be front and center. This is the last in a series of movies revolving around his wacky adventures with and without his orchestra. How does Kay's trip to his home state of North Carolina look nowadays? Let's start with Kyser and the band as they arrive at the airport after a long USO tour and find out...

The Story: Kay and his band are supposed to be resting after their big show. Instead, they end up playing gigs at a local shipyard to boost plant workers' morale. This proves to be a bit of a problem for Kay, as his vocalist Georgia Carroll (herself) just left to get married. The owner of the shipyard, Phineas Carver (Moore), offers his talented daughter Julie (Miller), as a replacement. Kay's not too keen on the idea, until he sees what Julie can really do. Meanwhile, his publicist Charlotte (Donnell) is quite happily chasing his dour coronet player Ish Kabibble (M.A Bogue). 

The Song and Dance: It's all about the music and dance here. They rounded up some terrific performers, including a rare solo routine by Harold Nicholas without his brother. Miller's charming and funny as ever as the ambitious singer and dancer, and Moore has a few funny bits as her father who wants to push her hard into the spotlight. Check out the scene at the concert where he plays every member of the Carver family - including the women! Donnell and Ish Kabbible have a few amusing moments too, especially when he gives her a grenade and she throws it away, only for it to make their first kiss more explosive than he planned. 

Favorite Number: Our first number is Kyser's lament about the tiniest state in the US, "Poor Little Rhode Island," with singers Sully Mason, Harold Babbitt, and a vocal quartet. Carroll gets the lovely ballad "You Make Me Dream Too Much" early-on, before she's due to leave the band. Miller's big tap solo is the lively "Thanks a Lot" as she shows everyone, including her family, what she can do. "Mr. Beebe" is the number for Harold Nicholas, the Four Step Brothers, and dancer and choreographer Marie Bryant. Nicholas gets a rare but enjoyable chance to show off his solo moves. Carroll joins Julie for "Thinkin' About the Wabash" as she finally goes on officially as band singer.

Trivia: Carroll's last movie; Kyser's last full-length film. He'd make one more appearance in a short discussing his radio show before putting more focus on his band and his business opportunities elsewhere. 

Carroll did eventually get married...to Kyser. Their union lasted until his death in 1985.

What I Don't Like: This is very much a movie of its time. Miller's name is the only one most people will recognize unless they're big fans of big band music, tap, or old-time radio. Ish Kabbible, for instance, was a popular comedian with Kyser's band and elsewhere on radio, but most people nowadays probably won't remember his name nowadays, or even get his sarcastic shtick with his goofy poems. There's a lot of references to the time period, from workers in defense plants to the need for big bands to tour constantly in order to boost morale, that those who don't know anything about the time period probably won't get. 

The Big Finale: It's all cheerful fun if you're a fan of Kyser, big band music, or the small-scale big band musicals of the 1940's. 

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, including as part of a 20-musical film collection from Mill Creek.

DVD

DVD - Musical 20 Movie Collection

Amazon Prime

Happy Mother's Day! - The Little Colonel

20th Century Fox, 1935

Starring Shirley Temple, Lionel Barrymore, Evelyn Venable, and Hattie McDaniel

Directed by David Butler

Music and Lyrics by various

This year, we celebrate a day for mothers with the story of a little girl who brings together her beloved mother and the grandfather she never knew. This was originally a popular children's book that debuted in 1895. It became the first of two southern-set vehicles for Shirley during the height of her own fame as the number one star - of any age - in the world. Nowadays, it's one of her best-known vehicles for the famous sequence with her and tap king Bill Robinson dancing on the stairs together, but in other ways, it hasn't dated well. Let's begin before Shirley's birth, at the home of Colonel Lloyd Sherman (Barrymore) and his daughter Elizabeth (Venable), and find out what caused that rift between father and daughter...

The Story: Elizabeth defies her father by marrying northerner Jack Sherman (John Lodge). Her father detests the north after the south lost the Civil War. The stubborn duo refuses to speak to each other or acknowledge each other again. Despite that, Elizabeth eventually names her only daughter, the pride of her husband's Calvary regiment, after her father (Temple). The officers dub Lloyd their "little colonel," a title she takes seriously.

Elizabeth and Lloyd are forced to move into a run-down cottage on her father's property after Jack goes west in search of gold. Her father doesn't even know about Lloyd until he catches her playing with two black children near his home and taking his flowers. He's not happy with her temper and dirty clothes at first, but the two gradually become friends. Lloyd's delighted when her father finally returns, but not that he's sick and was cheated out of his rightful share of fake gold by two swindlers. Lloyd knows it's up to her to get help when those two swindlers come after her father...and to bring her parents and grandfather together when he's the only one who can save them.

The Song and Dance: If nothing else, I do appreciate that this may be the only Shirley Temple vehicle where she has both parents and isn't adopted or an orphan. Her father is gone for a good chunk of the movie, but he does survive his ordeals. The real drama here is between father, daughter, and granddaughter. Barrymore is hilarious and adorable with Temple and perfectly stern with Venable. Hattie MacDaniel is hilarious as Elizabeth's housekeeper Rebecca, who knows how to keep an eye on mother and daughter, and Bill Robinson almost as much fun as the elder Lloyd's long-suffering valet Walker. Watch out for the last five minutes or so - it's filmed in absolutely gorgeous Technicolor. 

Favorite Number: We open at the party with a dubbed Venable singing the old favorite "Love's Young Dream." Temple reprises this later, wearing the same frilly dress and huge feathered bonnet her mother did as a child. Young Lloyd gets a view of African-American ritual in the south when Rebecca and Walker take her to see workers perform "Wade In the Water" as they baptize those who have sinned. 

Of course, the most famous routines from this one are Robinson and Temple dancing together. Everyone remembers them on the stairs, but they actually dance together twice. Robinson starts off on the stairs, showing Temple how to dance. She's so impressed, she wants to learn, and they tap up and down the stairs until Barrymore shows up and ends the number. Later, after her father's home, she comes to the stable to show Walker her fancy new clothes, and he teaches her more steps. They're so funny together and such scene-stealers, no wonder they'd dance together in at least two more films. (Not to mention, are pioneers in other ways - this was the first interracial dance couple in films.)

Trivia: Temple's habit of memorizing everyone's lines did not endear her to Barrymore at first, until she asked for his autograph and said he was one of her favorite actors. They really did become good friends after that and remained so until Barrymore's death in 1954. She also remained good friends with Robinson for years.

What I Don't Like: Though this movie is set after the Civil War, among free African-Americans, it portrays the black characters as perfectly happy to be servants and to take the abuse given by the whites (especially the elder male Lloyd). Temple gives orders to the two black kids who play with her and can be condescending to them as well. Venable and Lodge do well enough, and while it is refreshing to see both parents survive to the end of one of Temple's films, they're no match for Temple's cuteness, Barrymore's fire, or Robinson and MacDaniel getting some of the best lines.

The Big Finale: If you and your mother can handle the dated attitudes towards minorities and treatment of the post-Civil War south, this is one of Temple's best movies and is highly recommended. 

Home Media: As one of Temple's most popular vehicles, this is easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

DVD - The Shirley Temple Collection Volume Three

Amazon Prime

That Night In Rio

20th Century Fox, 1941

Starring Don Ameche, Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, and SZ Sakall

Directed by Irving Cummings

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

That Night In Rio debuted a month before Great American Broadcast, and really, this may be one of the definitive 20th Century Fox musicals of the 1940's. It's certainly one of the most familiar - an oft-told story, filmed in glowing Technicolor, with stunning costumes and amazing sets. All this, and one of Carmen Miranda's earliest American roles, too. How does this version differ from the 1950 remake On the Rivera with Danny Kaye? Well, for starters, we kick off with Carmen (Miranda), the performer at a club in Rio De Janiero doing "Chica Chica Boom Chic" as her current flame, Larry Martin (Ameche), arrives onstage by car...

The Story: Danny is not only a dead ringer for aristocratic businessman Baron Manuel Duarte (Ameche), he even impersonates him during a lavish number in the club. The Baron has far more problems than being imitated. His airline may go under if he can't go to Buenos Ares to renew a contract he's bought more than 50 percent of the stock from, so he heads to Buenos Ares to figure things out. His partners Arthur Penna (Sakall) and Felicio Salles (Curt Bois) hire Martin to play the Baron and fool his rival Machado (J. Carrol Naish), and then his wife Cecilia (Faye) at a party. But first Larry inadvertantly buys the rest of the stock, then he falls for Cecelia...just as Carmen shows up at the party and the Baron comes home...

The Song and Dance: No wonder Ameche later called this his favorite role. He's really having a ball playing both the wisecracking comedian and the stuffy Baron. Miranda has almost as much fun doing her tropical numbers and mangling the English language. The Technicolor here is stunning, some of the best in any 20th Century Fox movie. Miranda's tutti-frutti hats and sparkling gowns really pop against the lavish nightclub and the Baron's stately home. There's also the great supporting cast, including Sakall and the twitchy Bois as the Baron's nervous partners. 

Favorite Number: The movie starts off showcasing its two biggest assets, Ameche and Miranda, in "Chica Chica Boom Chic." The chorus in rainbow feather gowns dance as Miranda and her band sway to the catchy number. Ameche, as a Naval soldier, arrives in a fancy car for the last part. "The Baron Is In Conference" is Larry's imitation of the Baron as a lecherous playboy who spends his "meetings" surrounded by gorgeous ladies...when the truth is far less glamorous. First Ameche, then Faye performs "They Met In Rio (A Midnight Serenade)," and then the ballad "Boa Noite (Good Night)." 

The big ones here are two of Miranda's most famous songs at the party. She first does "Cai Cai" with her band when called on to perform. That moves straight into the hit "I Yi Yi Yi Like You Very Much," complete with dancers.

What I Don't Like: The story is just as silly and cliched this time around. For all the fun Ameche's having, he lacks Kaye's flamboyance in the role...and his ability to really be two people. Faye apparently had the flu during filming, and it shows in her lackluster performance. She's a lot warmer and more interesting than Gene Tierney was as the wife in On the Rivera, but she still comes off as a little dull compared to the craziness around her. 

The Big Finale: On the Rivera had the better leading man...but That Night In Rio is the better film. Highly recommended for fans of Miranda, Ameche, Faye, or the 20th Century Fox's tropical Technicolor extravaganzas of the 1940's. 

Home Media: DVD only as part of the Marquis Musicals series, 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives series, and an Alice Faye set. 

DVD - Marquis Musicals

DVD - 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives

DVD - The Alice Faye Collection

The Great American Broadcast

20th Century Fox, 1941

Starring Alice Faye, Jack Oakie, John Payne, and Caesar Romero

Directed by Archie Mayo

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

Singer Alice Faye takes the spotlight this week, starting with one of her lesser-known vehicles. By the time this movie came out, radio was a multi-million dollar industry, with three major networks and many smaller ones linking coast to coast. Radio, however, had much humbler origins. Although Italian inventor Marconi had patented his radio in 1896, by the time this film begins in 1919, it was only just allowed to be owned by the general public in the US. The invention of amplification tubes in the mid-20's that allowed the sounds to be heard more clearly revolutionized radio and made it a wide-open field. Suddenly, everyone was racing to start their own networks...including an enterprising technician (Oakie) and former World War I captain (Payne)...

The Story: Chuck Hadley is obsessed with the new technology of radio, and even more with the entertainment it can provide. He manages to convince his roommate, former Air Corps captain Rix Martin, to listen to a broadcast. Unfortunately, he does so in the room of Chuck's friend, singer Vicki Adams (Faye). Vicki's embarrassed by the intrusion, but it turns out she's in on this radio business with Chuck. Their attempt to start a station of their own ends up all wet, until they hit on broadcasting the big Jack Dempsey-Jess Willard heavyweight fight. Now they're a sensation, and even have their own comics in the cabaret stars The Wiere Brothers (themselves).  

Chuck's not happy when Vicki and Rix fall in love and get married. Neither is Bruce. He steps in, offering to finance their station. Vicki's happy with her husband at first, until the station needs money and she accepts Bruce's offer. Suddenly, Rix is furious, and Bruce pulls out, creating his own station. The two stations are rivals, but Vicki's tired of Rix's behavior and insists on a divorce. Chuck, however, knows how to get them back together again - a coast-to-coast broadcast combining both stations!

The Song and Dance: This wound up being a pleasant surprise. It's pretty small-scale for 20th Century Fox in the 40's, filmed in black-and-white and with only one chorus number. It even uses real footage from the Dempsey-Willard boxing match in 1919. Unlike most of Faye's leading men, Payne can actually sing and works well with her as the air man who becomes so driven to make his radio networks, he neglects his wife. Even Oakie is a bit calmer and easier to take, especially in the second half when he's on the outs with Rix. Romero also does well as the scheming businessman whose interest in radio is less creative and more commercial. 

Favorite Number: We open with the title song over the credits; it's heard later after the radio station gets going. Chuck reveals to Rix what radio's capable of when he broadcasts his energetic take on "Give My Regards to Broadway" from his room to Vicki's. "I Take to You" is Faye and Payne's big number in their first broadcast, performed in New Jersey during a thunderstorm. It turns up later during the big coast-to-coast show in the finale for the three leads and Bruce's secretary (Mary Beth Hughes), who has fallen for Chuck. Chuck attempts to sing the Sextet from Lucia DiLammour at the rained-out show with the opera troupe Rix hired, but let's say that, while he's not a bad singer, he's also not opera material. The heavy rain and thunder doesn't exactly help, either. The Nicholas Brothers have more luck with their dance routine as a trio of tapping porters. 

Faye also gets "It's All In a Lifetime" with the chorus during that washed-out broadcast. She does better later in the sole large-scale chorus number, the lovely lament "Long Ago Last Night." Real-life radio and record favorites The Ink Spots claim "I've Got a Bone to Pick With You" in their comic ballad. Faye and Payne join them later with "Where You Are." German cabaret comics the Wiere Brothers spoof "It's All In a Lifetime" and get their own slapstick-filled commercial for "Chapman's Cheerful Cheese."

What I Don't Like: First of all, you never get any sense of time passing. Like most "historical" musicals from this time, it looks like 1941 for the entire movie. There isn't a dollop of 20's or early 30's anywhere. Not even the songs are authentic to the era. Speaking of, the songs are pleasant enough, but are really nothing special. 

And yes, as you can probably guess, this has about as much to do with the real history of radio broadcasting in the US as it does with real history, period. Yes, crystal sets did become popular after the US government allowed their sales to civilians, stations popped up literally everywhere in the early 20's, and they often were done in tents or other unusual outdoor locations. Everything else, from the two networks and their battle to the people involved, are fictional. Radio as depicted in this film would continue for another two decades, but the arrival of television siphoned off their audience. 

The Big Finale: If you don't mind the wonky history and are looking for a lower-key Fox musical or are a fan of Faye, this one is highly recommended and very charming.

Home Media: DVD only as part of the 20th Century Fox Marquee Musicals series and an Alice Faye collection.

DVD

DVD - The Alice Faye Collection Vol 2

Animation Celebration Saturday - Dot and the Bunny

Yoram Gross Films/Warner Bros, 1983

Voices of Barbara Frawley, Robyn Moore, Drew Forsythe, and Ron Haddrick

Directed by Yoram Gross

Music by Bob Young; Lyrics by AB "Banjo" Paterson and John Palmer

Dot and the Kangaroo was such a sensation in 1977, particularly in its native Australia, Gross would eventually make no less than six sequels. This is the third, and a return to form after Dot went around the world with Santa Claus in her second film. Once again, an animated Dot searches the real Outback, searching for a joey with the help of a native animal. How well does it work when the animal is a bunny who wants to be a kangaroo? Let's start in live-action as a little girl (Anna Quin) reads about Dot's previous adventure and find out...

The Story: Dot (Frawley) once again ventures into the outback to find the mother kangaroo and her lost joey. After encountering a grouchy koala (Forsythe) who doesn't understand why she doesn't like eucalyptus leaves, she runs across a lost bunny (Moore) who claims he's a joey. He really just wants attention and someone to look after him, since he lost his family. They go off in search of the mother kangaroo and the joey, once again encountering many different animals native to Australia on the way...including a pack of hungry crocodiles!

The Animation: Same deal as the last one. It's often stiff and awkward (Dot sometimes looks like her eyes are on the side of her head when she turns), and not terribly well integrated with the live-action backgrounds. You still don't believe Dot or any of the animals really inhabit the world they're in. On the other hand, they all more relatively well, and the animals at least somewhat resemble their real-life counterparts.

The Song and Dance: After varying the format a bit in Dot's around the world Christmas story, she's back in Australia here. Her interaction with the animals are just as funny this time around; the crocodiles who try to take a bite out of Funny Bunny and the grouchy koala who sets Dot off in the beginning rate special mention. The music remains catchy, too. There's even a bit of Australian military history when Dot and Funnybunny come across debris from what I suspect was the Anzac campaign in World War I and Dot tries to explain war to her friend. 

Favorite Number: We kick off with Dot and Funny Bunny "Roaming Free" as they sing about traveling in a nifty, very 80's four-screen neon number. "Benjamin Bandicoot" reveals why he's a shy fellow, while the echinda and wombats sing about their love for "Termites." Funny Bunny claims he's "The Kangaroo That Never Grew," but neither Dot nor the real kangaroos believe him for a second. "The Crocodile Song" explains why they love their lives eating and catching animals. With his red crest, Dot thinks the woodpecker resembles "The Postman of the Birds."

What I Don't Like: Dot's touching relationship with Mother Kangaroo really made the first movie, and it's sorely missed here. Funny Bunny is nowhere near an adequate substitute. He spends most of the movie being annoying and silly and trying to pass himself off as a kangaroo, and his tragic backstory comes too late to make anyone feel sympathy for him. And we never do find out what happened to the girl dreaming of Dot in the opening sequence. 

The Big Finale: While not quite as good as the first movie, there's still a lot to like here if you enjoyed the first one or are interested in animation from down under.

Home Media: All of the Dot films are easy to find just about anywhere, thanks to their uncertain copyright situation. (That's probably why they ran so much on cable in the 80's and 90's, too.) This one can currently be found for free on Tubi. 

DVD

Tubi

A Day at the Races

MGM, 1937

Starring The Marx Brothers, Alan Jones, Margret Dumont, and Maureen O'Sullivan

Directed by Sam Wood

Music by Broislau Kaper and Walter Jurmann; Lyrics by Gus Kahn

We join the Marx Brothers to celebrate the other major event this weekend, the Kentucky Derby. This is the second movie the Brothers made at MGM after their big comeback hit A Night at the Opera. While the Brothers went on a vaudeville tour to hone their gags for this film, MGM went through eighteen different scripts before they hit on the right combination of music and madness. Was it worth it, or should this be put out to pasture? Let's begin as Tony (Chico Marx) tries to pick up customers for the Standish Sanitarium and find out...

The Story: The Standish Sanitarium is in danger of going under. Local banker and owner of a race track, hotel, and nightclub J.D Morgan (Douglass Dumbrille) wants to foreclose on it and tear it down to build a casino. Its current owner Judy Standish (O'Sullivan) owes way more money on it than she can ever repay. When Tony hears that their best client, the hypochondriac Mrs. Upjohn (Dumont), will only stay if she's given treatment by Dr. Hugo Z. Hackenbush (Groucho Marx), he writes Hackenbush in Florida. Hackenbush comes for the money, but he's really a horse doctor. Judy's manager Mr. Whitmore (Leonard Ceeley) is suspicious, but Hackenbush is able to evade his attempts to figure out his medical background at first.

Meanwhile, Judy's boyfriend Gil (Jones) just bought a race horse, Hi-Hat. Judy's angry at him for throwing away his money, especially when Hi-Hat doesn't seem to be much of a racer. He does, however, rear up and run faster whenever he sees Morgan or hears his voice. Between Mrs. Upjohn nearly catching Hackenbush with a blonde floozy (Esther Muir) after the local Water Carnival and her disastrous examination, Gil and the Brothers finally decide to enter jockey Stuffy (Harpo Marx) and Hi-Hat in the race and make sure that Morgan doesn't interfere.

The Song and Dance: Whatever the Marxes did on that vaudeville tour worked. Some of their funniest gags can be found in this film. Most people mention Groucho and Chico's word play in the "Tootsie Fruitsi Ice Cream" skit, which has Chico selling Groucho more and more and more books in order to figure out which horse to bet on at the track, but Dumont's examination and the sequence with Chico and Harpo trying to hide Muir in Groucho's hotel room are hysterical, too. Jones has a bit less to play than in Night at the Opera with one of his songs deleted, but he still works well with the Marxes and even gets a line or two of his own. Then there's the entire last twenty minutes of the film. Everything from them sneaking Hi-Hat onto the field to the surprise finale is surreal lunacy at its absolute finest.

Favorite Number: Our first song isn't until nearly 20 minutes in, but it's the enormous "On Blue Venetian Waters" at the Sepia-toned Water Carnival. In fact, I suspect this number is the only reason this sequence was set at a Water Carnival to begin with. Gil sings the number with splashing fountains behind him before we fade in on ballerinas in long dark skirts. swirling around the lavish watery set dripping with waving trees. Vivan Fay takes over as the soloist after them, pirouetting daintily in the blue-tinted number. Fay and the dancers do well enough, but the number goes on for way too long and stops the movie cold. Even Chico's piano solo and Harpo turning Chico's piano into a harp doesn't pick things up again.

The other big chorus routine works far better with the movie and the Marxes. After Mrs. Upjohn's examination goes haywire, the Marxes end up in the stables with Hi-Hat and a group of poor working black kids. Gil starts by singing the ballad "Tomorrow Is Another Day" to cheer up Judy about possibly losing the Sanitarium. Harpo and singer Ivie Anderson go even further, turning "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" into a wild melee of some of the craziest, most energetic jitterbugging ever captured on film. Like "Blue Venetian Waters," it also goes on for too long, but the dancing is so much fun, you almost don't mind.

Trivia: There were originally two more songs. Groucho tried out "I'm Dr. Hackenbush" on the vaudeville tour, but it never made it into the film. Jones' other ballad, "A Message From the Man In the Moon," was cut at the last minute. The film portion is lost, but the audio survives and can be heard as an extra on the DVD. Groucho sings a little bit of it for Dumont in the finale. 

Originally, Groucho's character was to be Quackenbush, but it turns out there were at least three doctors with that name. Groucho ended up liking Hackenbush so much, he'd answer to that name later in life.

What I Don't Like: First of all, let's discuss that "All God's Chillun" number. On one hand, the dancing really is amazing, and it does fit the film and the Marxes better than the endless stuffy "Blue Venetian Waters." It also perpetuates more than a few stereotypes, including the Marxes briefly ending up in blackface to avoid the sheriff near the end. Both numbers stop the film cold and are really there more to show off the music than the Marxes. O'Sullivan doesn't fit in terribly well, either, and seems a bit at sea with the Marxes' shenanigans. 

The Big Finale: One of the Marx Brothers' best films. Grab your sibling and your big hat and check it out this Derby Weekend.

Home Media: On DVD and streaming in the US; the most recent DVD is from the Warner Archives.

DVD

DVD - TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Marx Brothers

Amazon Prime

Fiesta (1941)

Hal Roach/United Artists, 1941

Starring Ann Ayers, Jorge Negrete, Armida, and George Givot

Directed by LeRoy Prinz

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's celebrate Cinco De Mayo, the day of Mexico's great victory against France in the Franco-Mexican War of 1862. While it's no longer a major holiday in most of Mexico, in the US it's still considered a day to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture. Hal Roach gathered many of the Mexican and Mexican-American actors working in Los Angeles in the early 40's for this feature length "Streamliner." How does the story of a Mexican lass whose boyfriend tries to win her love when she falls for a gold-digging radio star look now? Let's begin in town, right as Cholita (Ayres) is to return and wed her childhood sweetheart Jose (Negrete) and find out...

The Story: Cholita shocks everyone when she arrives with radio star Fernando (Givot) in tow and claims he's her fiance. Jose is crushed, but her uncle Don Hernandez (Antonio Moreno) suggests he and two friends of his pose as bandits to reveal how cowardly Fernando really is. Meanwhile. Cholita's friend wealthy friend Cuca (Armida) has her own heart set on Fernando...and he's not exactly saying no to her riches...

The Song and Dance: Colorful and charming for a low-budget comedy. Ayers was a star at the time with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, and she gets to show off her luminous soprano in several numbers. Armida, who had been playing fiery senoritas since the early talkie era, steals the show as the rich lady who knows what she likes and doesn't care how much of a coward Fernando is or isn't. The Technicolor sets and costumes are gorgeous for a B-musical, with brightly patterned or pastel dresses for the ladies and fancy embroidered suits, sombreros, and woven ponchos for the men.

I also like the relatively accurate casting. With the exception of Jose's two friends (played by Italian-American actors), Givot (who was Russian-born), Ayres (American), and the narrator, most of the cast are actual Mexicans and Spaniards. They add a layer of authenticity to the simple story. Several of the songs are even in untranslated Spanish.

Favorite Number: In fact, we open with one of those untranslated numbers, "El Ralajo," which Jose sings as he arrives to prepare for his wedding. Jose also gets "Ride Mi Caballeros" with his buddies when they pretend to turn bandits. His buddies Pedro (Nick Moro) and Pablo (Frank Yaconelli) claim to be "The Two Bravest Hombres In All Mexico"...when in reality, they're even bigger cowards than Fernando. 

Cholita claims "I'll Never Forget Fiesta" after she's arrived home, despite her father's disapproval of her new sweetheart. The Guadalarja Trio join Cholita and the chorus for the gentle ballad "La Golondria" as Cholita's uncle claims Jose has turned bandit. Cuca's "Never Trust a Jumping Bean" has goofy lyrics, but she's obviously enjoying it, wiggling her hips and having a great time with the catchy tune. "Quien Sabe" is is heard three times, as a number for Jose and the Trio, as a duet for Jose and Cholita, and as a chorus number for a group of lively gypsy dancers.

Trivia: Ann Ayers never made a big splash in films, but she eventually became a major soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and would sing in the opera-based film Tales of Hoffman.  

What I Don't Like: The story is pretty silly, and maybe even a little on the stereotypical side. It's fine for the 45-minute run time, but this isn't the place for you if you like your musicals on the darker or meatier side. Most of the "stereotypes" are ironically perpetuated by Jose's buddies Pedro and Pablo, the ones played by Italian-Americans. They were probably harmless in the 40's, but may mildly offend some folks today. Ayers is blank and dull when she isn't singing, and despite being seven years younger than Armida, looks at least a decade older. 

The Big Finale: Cute enough way to pass an hour when you're bored online if you can get past some of the more overt stereotypes. 

Home Media: Beware - several free sites have this instead of the 1947 Fiesta with Esther Williams, even if they have the 1947 version listed. (Among those with this under the wrong title are Flex and YouTube.) Amazon Prime currently has it for free under the correct listing.

DVD

Amazon Prime