Starring Lucille Ball, William Gaxton, Virginia Weidler, and Tommy Dix
Directed by Edward Buzzell
Music and Lyrics by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane
This Veteran's Day, we salute our troops-in-training with the second military school comedy I've reviewed in a little over a month. It also has a lot in common with Meet the People. Once again, Ball plays a glamorous star courted by an average guy in an adaptation of a stage success. We trade the "common man" and steel workers for military cadets in awe of Lucy's sass and her legs...and their dates who wish they'd get their minds off stars and onto them. How well does all this come off on the big screen? Let's start at Winsocki Military School in Philadelphia with the arrival of the dates for their big prom and find out..
The Story: Bud Hooper (Dix) wrote movie star Lucille Ball (herself) a letter inviting her to the prom. Encouraged by her agent Jack O'Reilly (Gaxton), she accepts as a publicity stunt. Her arrival was the last thing Bud expected, or anyone else at the school. He cancels his date with his actual girlfriend Helen Schlesinger (Weidler), who is furious when she finds out, and tells the teachers and chaperones that Ball is Helen.
The prom, with Harry James and His Music Makers (themselves) playing the tunes, goes over smashingly...until Helen and her jealous friends reveal to everyone who Ball really is. Bud may be the one who pays for the ensuing mayhem, unless Ball goes to bat for him and reminds the school board that he's just a normal kid in love.
The Song and Dance: There's energy to spare in this cross between a teen musical and a military show. The kids have a great time with the wild farce; Nancy Walker, Gloria DeHaven, and June Allyson make the most of their limited screen time as Helen's jilted friends. At the very least, Ball seems a little bit more awake fending off the love-besotted cadets and sparring with Gaxton than she did in among the welders in Meet the People. I also appreciate that, unlike our previous military academy comedy About Face, the cast appears to be the right age for military school and their roles. And unlike most Broadway adaptations from this time, almost all of the songs from the original show were retained, with only two additions.
Favorite Number: The girls open things with "Wish I May Wish I Might" with the eager boys as they arrive at the school to an energetic chorus. Disgusted by the performance of the classical piece "The Flight of the Bumblebee" at the prom, Walker, Allyson, and DeHaven explain why "The Three Bs" - the barrelhouse, the blues, and the boogie woogie - are where it's at. The dates make "My First Promise" to the boys as they waltz through arbors so the guys can give them rings. Ball (dubbed by Gloria Grafton) gently admits to Bud "You're Lucky" to still be a kid with few responsibilities. The movie begins and ends with it's major hit and most famous number, the rousing march "Buckle Down, Winsocki," sung by the boys over the credits and as a drill formation at their graduation.
Trivia: Allyson, Walker, and Dix were all in the original cast of the 1941 Broadway version, which ran for almost a year. Another movie star, Rosemary Lane, played the glamor girl who accepted Bud's invitation. It hasn't been on Broadway since, but it was adapted for TV in 1954 and successfully revived off-Broadway in 1963, in a cast that included Liza Minnelli and Christopher Walken.
This was Virginia Weidler's last movie.
What I Don't Like: And no wonder. All she does in this film is pout and whine over her boyfriend abandoning her. Granted, he should have been more honest about Ball and his request, but she acted like a baby. Considering how much fun Allyson, DeHaven, and especially Walker are having, I really wish all three of them had more to do. Walker at least gets to fire off a few good wisecracks about her status as the world's most undesirable blind date. Wish the boys weren't so interchangeable, too. Other than a few wearing glasses, they all look alike. I'm not sure how the girls can tell them apart, let alone complain about them chasing Ball.
Oh, and despite James' presence, other than "Buckle Down" and "Three Bs," the songs just aren't that memorable. Many of them are riddled with dull choreography or go on for way too long.
The Big Finale: Enjoyable enough fluff for fans of the four leading ladies, big band music, or 40's musicals.
Home Media: On streaming and DVD, the latter from the Warner Archives.
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