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.
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