Starring Robert Young, Eleanor Powell, George Burns, and Gracie Allen
Directed by Edward Buzzell
Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Gus Kahn
This week, we take a tropical vacation to romantic Hawaii for two classic musicals. This one came out right as war broke out in Europe and wealthy Americans turned from the South Rivera to other fabulous beaches to get some fun in the sun. At this point, Hawaii was a protectorate of the US, and not nearly the exotic haven of fruity cocktail drinks and Elvis songs it would be after the war. Bing Crosby visited Hawaii a few years before this, but how does MGM's more polished tropical tale fare? Let's start with the latest film from renown movie star Brooks Mason (Young) and find out...
The Story: Mason is tired of being mobbed and torn to shreds at every premiere and needs a rest. He trades places with George Smith (Young), the co-owner of a pineapple company who looks exactly like him. While Smith goes to New York with Mason's agent Joe Duffy (Burns), Mason takes a boat to Hawaii to meet Smith's fiancee Cecilia Grayson (Rita Johnson). On the boat, he encounters dancer Dorothy March (Powell) and her best friend, daffy Millie DeGrasse (Allen), and is immediately smitten by March. He tries to tell her what's going on, but she doesn't believe him.
As it turns out, not only does Smith's fiancee want to marry him right away, but he may have embezzled up to $50,000. Meanwhile, Smith is discovering that being a movie star isn't all glamour and plush hotel rooms, either. He's expected to deliver, every day. The two men have to finally convince everyone they're whom they claim to be, before the wrong man gets dragged to the altar.
The Song and Dance: Not as authentic as Crosby's 1937 jaunt to Hawaii, but even funnier, thanks to Burns and Allen's antics and some decent musical numbers. Young is so delightfully debonair, he certainly makes you believe he could be a bored movie star on a lark. Allen walks off with the movie as Powell's crazy best friend who first chases Mason, then encourages him to chase Dorothy. She has most of the film's best sequences, including her nutty number with party goers dressed like the Marx Brothers.
Favorite Number: It takes us nearly 20 minutes to get to the first song, but when we do, it's Allen plucking away at the title number on a ukulele while doing a really cute tap routine with Powell. Powell continues on with the lengthy number, including tapping while jump roping and twirling and jumping over a moving rope. Allen, dressed as Mae West, joins The King's Men in Marx Brothers costumes to show why "The Leader Doesn't Like Music." Powell dons blackface to imitate her idol Bill Robinson tapping to a medley of mostly folk numbers associated with Robinson and African-Americans. Powell even manages to tap while doing a graceful hula with the chorus to "Hola E Pae" and a medley of Hawaiian tunes.
Trivia: George Burns and Gracie Allen's last movie together, and George's last movie until the 1975 comedy The Sunshine Boys.
The big "Hola E Pae" hula number would later be edited into the Powell/Red Skelton vehicle I Dood It.
What I Don't Like: The fluffy story is way too confusing for its own good. They don't really do enough to make the duo look a little different from one another...or make their stories different, either. Powell doesn't really have enough to do beyond her numbers, and not only is George barely seen, but he only has a few lines with Gracie towards the end and barely interacts with her. Eddie "Rochester" Anderson as Mason's valet and Willie Fung as Smith's are annoying stereotypes. Fung's sing-song delivery and tendency to cheerfully backstab his employer doesn't help matters. There's also Powell's blackface routine. She admired Robinson, but while her dance remains good, the blackface may make more than one person uncomfortable.
The Big Finale: Adorable "B" Musical if you're a fan of Powell, Young, or Burns and Allen or want to try a smaller-scale MGM extravaganza.
Home Media: Easily found on DVD from the Warner Archives and streaming.
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