Hit the Ice

Universal, 1943

Starring Lou Costello, Bud Abbott, Ginny Simms, and Patric Knowels

Directed by Charles Lamont

Music by Harry Revel; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

Our last winter musical of the month does have some skating and skiing, but really focuses more on comedy. Abbott and Costello were the top draws at Universal by the early 40's, over even their horror and action films. Their comedies raked in the cash during the darkest days of World War II and directly afterwards, when all people wanted was a good laugh. How does their comedy work in the story of two photographers who get mixed up with bank robbers, a doctor, and a nurse at a ski resort? Let's head to a hospital in LA, where Dr. Bill Barnes (Knowels) is tending to his latest patient, and find out...

The Story: Photographers Tubby McCoy (Costello) and Flash Fulton (Abbott) are friends with Barnes. Barnes knows they're trying to work for the local newspaper and call them on a building fire. When Tubby gets injured, they end up in the hospital where he works. Gangster Silky Fellowsby (Sheldon Leonard) mistakes them for two hit men from Detroit who are supposed to be helping him with a bank robbery he's planning. He's in the hospital to give him an alibi, but his nurse Peggy Osbourne (Elyse Knox) is suspicious. Fellowsby hires Peggy and Barnes to be his nurse and doctor while he "recuperates" at Sun Valley, Idaho. Tubby and Flash flee there too after they're accused of the crime.

Barnes gets the duo jobs as waiters in the resort. They claim to the gangsters that they'll trade photos of the crime for the stolen loot. Fellowsby first sends his ex-girlfriend, singer Marcia Manning (Simms), to seduce Tubby into giving up the photos. When that doesn't work, they kidnap Peggy and lure the guys to a remote cabin. Turns out Flash and Tubby are better at bluffing than they think...

The Song and Dance: Not much song or dance here. The accent is purely on comedy, and Abbott and especially Costello run with it. The first half kicks off with some nice gags involving the duo trying to get photos of that burning building, including how Tubby gets his injury. Things really pick up when they all get to Sun Valley. Tubby thinks Marcia wants to marry him; she's really interested in bandleader Johnny Long (himself). Watching Marcia try to get the photos from him is hysterical, especially since neither really wants to do it. There's also the adorable routine with Costello's attempt to skate with a little girl (Cordelia Campbell), but she's doing rings around him. 

Favorite Number: We don't get our first number until nearly a half-hour into the movie, but it's the jaunty "I'm Like a Fish Out of Water," performed by Long, his orchestra, Simms, and the vocal group the Four Teens...which is a perfect description of how Tubby and Flash feel when they get to Sun Valley. "I'd Like to Set You to Music" is the Orchestra's number by the pool. Tubby claims he can play the piano for Marcia, but his attempts to get his pal to make it look like he's playing only ends with Marcia figuring out the deception. "The Slap Polka" is the big chorus routine, with everyone skating and slapping as the Orchestra performs the lively tune. The movie ends with the entire cast in two sleds, on their way to get married, because it's "Happiness Ahead."

What I Don't Like: This is barely a musical, or an ice skating film, either. The songs and the Sun Valley setting are shoehorned in awkwardly. The gangsters could have kept their loot at any remote location, or even in the city. Though the gangsters do come off as fairly menacing, the doctor is a bore (and how he became friends with these two idiots is beyond me). Knox doesn't do much more than be suspicious. Simms comes off a little bit better as the sharp singer. 

The Big Finale: Mainly for huge fans of Abbott and Costello. For anyone else, it's a harmless hour and a half's worth of amusement if you run into it on DVD or on TCM.

Home Media: Can be found on two Abbott and Costello collections (one of which is on Blu-Ray). 

DVD - The Best of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello: Vol. 2

DVD - Abbott & Costello: Universal Pictures Collection

Blu-Ray - Abbott & Costello: Universal Pictures Collection

Family Fun Saturday - Breaking the Ice

RKO, 1938

Starring Bobby Breen, Dolores Costello, Charlie Ruggles, and Robert Barrat

Directed by Edward F. Cline

Music by Frank Churchill and Victor Young; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

Bobby Breen was another RKO response to Shirley Temple, as well as Deanna Durbin at Universal. Like Durbin, he was a child soprano who could pull off opera and pop songs; like Temple, he was an ultra-cute kid whose vehicles tended towards cheer-up ditties and melodrama. You get a little of both here, along with another cute kid, the child figure skating star Irene Dare. We met Irene earlier this month in Everything's On Ice; how does this story of another child being exploited for their talent compare to hers? Let's begin among the Mennoites religious sect in rural Pennsylvania and find out...

The Story: Tommy (Breen) and Martha (Costello) Martin are hoping to return to Kansas to work on their farm after recovering from her husband's death at the home of her brother William (Barrat) and Annie (Dorothy Peterson) Decker. They'll need $92 to get home. William writes Martha's suitor Henry (John "Dusty" King) against her wishes, but Tommy tears up the letter. He sells old newspapers to Mr. Terwilliger (Ruggles) the antique dealer, but loses 20 dollars in one of the newspapers.

After his uncle punishes him for singing non-religious songs on the farm, Tommy runs away with Mr. Terwilliger to Philadelphia. There, he first gets a job clearing the ice for figure skating marvel Irene Dare's (herself) ice shows. After the owners hear him singing, they promote  him to performing before Irene's shows. Tommy, however, just wants to go home...and he's not thrilled when he figures out what Terwillger's doing with the money. Not to mention, his uncle now believes him to be a thief and thinks he stole the money. Tommy has to corral Terwilliger and figure out what happened to that missing 20 dollars in order to clear his name.

The Song and Dance: I can see why Breen was popular. He was a sweet boy, and he did have charm. Irene's just as adorable here as she was in Everything's On Ice the next year. Her two numbers are highpoints of the film. Ruggles gets some good moments as the old con-man who sees Tommy as his ticket to untold riches. And this is pretty much the only movie I know of to be set among the Mennonite religious sect. That alone makes it a little different.

Favorite Number: The song that gets Tommy into trouble with his uncle is the most innocuous you can imagine - the cheery "Put Your Heart Into a Song." He's "Tellin' My Troubles to a Mule" when he and Terwilliger are on the road. "The Sunny Side of Things" gets him the job at the ice rink when he's cleaning up the ice. He open and closes the movie with the lilting "Happy as a Lark," the finale version done in a montage of him happy on the farm. 

Irene gets two big numbers. She has a simple solo shortly after Tommy starts working at the rink, all spins and leaps. Tommy's "Goodbye, My Dreams, Goodbye" leads into Irene's number with a chorus of clowns. She leaps easily over them, then skates with one who spins and twirls her around. 

What I Don't Like: Almost every adult in this movie is a complete jerk or lets the other adults run over them and the kids. Tommy's uncle jumps way too hard to conclusions about him being a thief without hearing his side of the story, and his mother does nothing to stop or contradict him. Terwilliger only cares about exploiting the boy, much like Irene's uncle did in Everything's On Ice. The sugary songs frankly sound all alike and are pretty dull. Irene's solo isn't bad, but her clown routine is absurd and a little creepy. Not to mention, the Mennonites aren't exactly shown in the best light. 

The Big Finale: Only for major fans of Breen or figure skating. 

Home Media: Not currently on disc, but it can be found for free on Tubi with commercials. 

Tubi

Cult Flops - Iceland

20th Century Fox, 1942

Starring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Jack Oakie, and Felix Bressart

Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

After the success of Sun Valley Serenade in 1941, 20th Century Fox ordered more of the same with Henie, Payne, Humberstone, and Glenn Miller. They got three out of four. Miller had joined the army by this point and was replaced by Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra. Like Sun Valley Serenade, this one also plays on real-life events during World War II, in this case the occupation of Iceland by American Marines earlier in 1941. How does this tie into the story of a local girl who thinks a Marine wants to marry her? Let's begin with the Marines landing and their eager reception by the locals and find out...

The Story: Captain James Murfin (Payne) thinks he's just flirting with pretty Katina Jonsdottir (Henie) when the Marines land in Iceland. She, however, takes it as a proposal. She's been telling her family that she has a man in Switzerland, and let's them assume Murfin's him. Murfin, however,  has no desire to marry anyone, but he has no idea how to let sweet Katina off the hook without offending her and her family...and then, after he sees her skate in a local show, he's not sure he wants to.

The Song and Dance: Obviously, with a story that slim, song and dance are the operative words here. Some of Henie's most spectacular numbers were created for this movie, including the only hula ice skating routine I've ever seen. The music's good, too, and while Kaye's not Glenn Miller, he and his band still put them over with relish. Love the spectacular costumes and backdrops, including some nifty native costumes for the Icelandic locals. The supporting cast does the best here, especially Sterling Holloway as Katina's wishy-washy suitor Sverdrup and Felix Bressart as her resolutely old-fashioned father. 

Favorite Number: Our first number comes after the arrival of the Marines, with many of them settling in to listen to Sammy Kaye and His Orchestra at a local club. Their singer Joan Merrill praises how "You Can't Say No to a Soldier." A male quartet insists "Let's Bring New Glory to Old Glory." The standard here is the charming ballad "They'll Never Be Another You." Merrill starts it, but Payne picks it up as he dances with Katina in the club.

Henie gets two huge ice skating routines, one towards the middle of the film at a local carnival, and one near the end. The first one manages to incorporate everything from a Chinese ballet to a Hawaiian hula, complete with Henie tip-toeing on dusty "ice" sand and wearing a skating costume that looks like a hula skirt as she does the hand movements. The second, "I Like a Military Tune," salutes the Armed Services with Henie spinning around men in uniform and dancing to music from all of the Services theme songs in a spectacular beaded uniform of her own.

What I Don't Like: No wonder this ended up being Henie's first flop. The whole film is annoying as heck. Frankly, neither Katina nor James are especially pleasant, and her jumping on him and his trying to back out of his lies is dragged on for way too long. Her family is even more ridiculous, with her sister (Osa Massen) whining about not being able to marry her suitor because Katina won't get married, and her parents jumping on every guy who even looks Katina's way. You start to wish the two would just be honest and admit all the trouble they caused way before the drawn-out ending. They could have been kinder to real-life Icelanders, too. Some Iceland residents protested the plot about an American man stealing away one of their women. 

The Big Finale: Nice big band music aside, this is only for the most ardent fans of Henie, figure skating, or the musicals of the World War II era. 

Home Media: DVD only from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives. 

DVD

My Lucky Star

20th Century Fox, 1938

Starring Sonja Henie, Richard Greene, Joan Davis, and Cesar Romero

Directed by Roy Del Ruth

Music by Harry Revel; Lyrics by Mack Gordon

We go back to school with Sonja Henie and return to her vehicles with this hit from late 1938. Henie's settings to this point were mostly in her native Norway or typical resorts. Fox at least tries to vary things slightly by first tossing her into a department store, then higher education. How do the two settings fit into one story about a clerk who becomes the belle of a northern college? Let's start at the department store with George Cabot Sr. (George Barbier) as he wonders where his son George Jr. (Romero) is and find out...

The Story: George Junior is a playboy who gets married every other week. His current wife Marcelle (Gypsy Rose Lee) is suing him for divorce. Hoping to make his father's department store more profitable, he suggests they send women out to college campuses as living models and encourage the co-eds to buy their clothes. He suggests sports clerk Krista Nielsen (Henie), who helped him home when he was drunk. They send her to Plymouth College to model winter sportswear.

The girls think she's being stuck-up at first, with her constant changes of clothes, but she wins over handsome student Larry Taylor (Greene). He convinces her to stay when the boys make fun of her clothes horse tendencies at the tryouts for their Winter Carnival, and her amazing performance there does the rest. She doesn't want to leave when George Junior wants her to move to Florida to model swimwear, but ends up being suspended after she's implicated in Marcelle and George Jr.'s divorce. Larry goes with her to convince Marcelle to give up her suit...and then to find a way to make everyone happy, including George Sr. 

The Song and Dance: The college and department store settings at least makes this one stand out slightly, along with a nice supporting cast. Fox borrowed Buddy Ebsen from MGM to play off sarcastic Joan Davis. She's a teacher who wishes the school's sleigh driver would pay less attention to his pregnant horse and more to her. I'm actually glad they don't play Gypsy Rose Lee's role as the villain. She doesn't mean Krista any harm. She just wants her husband to pay attention to her. They really get creative with the ice ballets here, too, especially the nifty Alice In Wonderland Ballet in the finale. Bringing in Roy Del Ruth from Warners, where he did many of their best musicals, helped too. He gives the film a fair pace and a nicely playful tone. 

Favorite Number: The first song in the movie doesn't come until nearly 15 minutes in, but it's our introduction to the Plymouth University students, their "Marching Along." "This May Be the Night," everyone declares as they're driven in Buddy's sleigh to the big skating rally. The boys make fun of Krista's constant clothes changing, dressing in drag to show how "Classy Clothes Chris" looks rather silly to them. Krista's offended, until Larry convinces her to ignore them and give a great performance. She does, wowing them all over with her simple polished solo. The University chorus kicks in again when she leaves with the "Plymouth Farewell Song," performed in the background as Krista's forced to leave the college.

The big one is the Winter Carnival in the finale, held at the remodeled department store. Arthur Jarrett performs the hit "I've Got a Date With a Dream" with the ladies of the chorus and Ebsen and Davis. Henie picks it up with the male chorus on the ice. Ebsen and Davis do some clowning in fancy dress to "Could You Pass In Love?" which is also picked up by Henie and the chorus. "The Alice In Wonderland Ballet" lets Henie in fairy-tale ruffles and bonnet cavort with skaters dressed something like the characters from the famous book. 

What I Don't Like: The setting may be novel, but the story's just plain silly. It's supposed to be college, but you never once see anyone in a classroom or even studying. George Junior's model idea is so ridiculous and unrealistic, no wonder the student body made fun of Krista. Larry has a point that the kids are more likely to be struggling to pay their tuition than buying her fancy clothes. Greene has a charming English accent, but he's mostly dull alongside the adorable Henie, and Ebsen and Gypsy Rose Lee could have more to do. 

The Big Finale: Worth checking out for the skating sequences alone if you're a fan of Henie, ice shows, or Alice In Wonderland adaptations. 

Home Media: DVD only from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives. 

DVD

Honoring Chinese New Year - The Secret of Mulan

UAV Corporation, 1998

Voices of Abigail Revasch, Leo Burmester, Tom Clifford, and George Bettinger

Directed by Chad Nigeringston

Music and Lyrics by Megan Calaveri 

The major studios weren't the only ones who tried to cash in on the popularity of Disney's films in the 90's. Everyone wanted a piece of that epic animated musical pie, even the lowliest direct-to-video chop shops. Several studios existed primarily to make animated films based on Disney's blockbusters and other films of the time. UAV actually began as video distributors in the 1980's. They entered film production in 1996, churning out B movies and cheap imitations of the latest animated hit like the "Secret of" series. Does this...unique...take on the Chinese legend deserve to fly, or should it be left in a cocoon? Let's begin with the opening number in China, as the towering Mongol beetle Mala Khan and his bug army invades an all-animal China, and find out...

The Story: After Khan's army manages to breach the river, the Prince of China puts out the call for more soldiers. Mulan, a female caterpillar, runs away to take her father's place. She dresses as a male bug and joins the Army, becoming their top captain. Mala Khan would do anything to get rid of this new intruder, and he's helped by a jealous bug general who wishes the prince would lavish praise on his efforts. Only two creatures know Mulan's secret, the female courier Zhing Zhing and her family's loyal mouse retainer Yi Wu. Zhing Zhing is tricked by the traitorous general into bringing Mulan to him. He thinks he's gotten rid of her, but Mulan's only getting ready for her biggest transformation yet.

The Animation: Not great. The backgrounds are actually pretty detailed, and the story is certainly colorful enough. Those colors, however, seem to be thrown together without rhyme or reason and often don't compliment each other. Some of the bugs look so much alike that it's hard to tell what a lot of them are. The characters move stiffly and there's a lot of awkward cuts and transitions in the battle scenes. 

The Song and Dance: Well, at least they tried for a slightly different approach to retelling the legend. I've certainly never seen Chinese folklore done with talking insects before. I suspect it may also be an imitation of Pixar's A Bug's Life and Dreamworks' Antz, which also came out that year and involved crawly critters going to war. Zhing Zhing and Mulan have a rather sweet relationship in the second half, and Yi Wu is a far less annoying sidekick than Mushu in Mulan. Mulan's no clumsy tomboy, either. She's a tough cookie who knows martial arts from the start and won't back down to anyone, including the Mongol Army. The score by Nathan Wang is surprisingly lush for such a cheap production, giving the battle scenes and the finale more feeling than they warrant. 

Favorite Number: The movie opens with the Mongols invading, leveling villages as they sing the praises of "Mula Khan." Mulan's "Reflection" equivalent is "For Honor, For Country," which she sings to the moon as she tries to figure out what to do about her father leaving. Khan's much-abused fly assistant Bowtie finally gets a moment away from his boss as he celebrates his part in getting rid of Mulan with "They Call Him Bowtie." Mulan and the Prince soar in the stirring finale, as they glide over China and Mulan declares "My Heart Is My Kingdom."

What I Don't Like: There's some decent ideas here. I wish they had the budget to expand on them or go further into them. Mulan has a more feminine sister in the opening sequences who chastises her for being a tomboy. She vanishes after Mulan goes to war and is never seen or mentioned again, even after her parents turn up briefly in the finale. Yi Wu isn't a bad sidekick, but Bowtie's whiny Brooklyn accent and weird vaudeville jazz number are totally out of place, and the mouse and rabbit who take the emperor to safety and turn up occasionally thereafter are just annoying. There's that terrible animation, too. And though I did like the majestic "My Heart Is My Kingdom," the other songs are just dull or even more out of place than the ones in the Disney film. 

Not to mention, there's historical inaccuracies going out the wazoo, from the strange mix of clothes styles, to the fact that the Mongols wear Japanese samurai armor. 

The Big Finale: You get what you pay for. There's worse animated movie imitations out there...but there's also better ones. Unless your kids are really bored while wandering around streaming or are huge fans of Mulan or A Bug's Life, I'd fly on by this one. 

Home Media: The DVD is out of print and expensive nowadays. If you must see this, it can be found on several streaming sites for free with commercials, including Tubi. 

DVD

Tubi

Murder at the Music Hall

Republic Pictures, 1946

Starring Vera Hruba Ralston, William Marshall, Ann Rutherford, and Helen Walker

Directed by John English

Music and Lyrics by various

Ralston was Republic's answer to Belita at rival B studio Monogram. In fact, her career somewhat paralleled Belita's. She also came over to the US from Europe, in this case what's now the Czech Republic, and had skated in major championships. She also turned up as a Poverty Row studio's version of Sonja Henie, and also spent the majority of her career in action movies. Republic also had a lot in common with Monogram. They too started as a merger between independent studios. In fact, Monogram was one of their units before breaking off on their own. Herbert Yates, the head of Republic, was smitten with Ralston and tried to show her off to best advantage in big-for-Republic films like this relatively lavish thriller. How does the story of love gone wrong at an ice show look today? Let's put our best skate forward and begin with the big show itself and find out...

The Story: Figure skating star Lila Laughton (Ralston) is so shocked when she sees her former producer lover Carl Lang (Edward Norris) in a box, she stops right as she makes her entrance. She does manage to finish the number, but immediately goes to the apartment he's sharing with a friend afterwards. He tries to blackmail her with letters that could tie her to an accidental death at the theater he took the rap for, but she's not buying it. 

She and her conductor boyfriend Don Jordan (Marshall) come back up to get her purse...only to find Lang dead over his piano with a knife in his back. Turns out half the women in the Music Hall worked for him during his producing days...and none of them appreciated his chasing them or his implications in the death of beloved male performer Douglas. There's also the women's glove left in Lang's room that wasn't there when Lila went the first time, and the mysterious blind man selling pencils and shoelaces at the door who is far from what he seems. 

The Song and Dance: This is an entertaining little mystery, and one time where the story is more than just a stop between the numbers. There's enough twists and turns that you really do find yourself trying to figure out whodunnit along with the cast by the end. Great supporting cast here, especially Ann Rutherford as ever-hopeful Grace, the understudy who wishes that just once, she'd get a chance to go on, and William Gargan as tough-guy cop Inspector Wilson. Surprisingly decent costumes and sets for one of Republic's musicals, too, with extravagant chorus numbers with some amazing outfits for Ralston and the skaters. 

Favorite Number: We open as the chorus in flowing ruffles declares Ralston to be "My Wonderful One." She's not feeling so wonderful after she catches sight of Lang in the audience, even as the chorus tosses her around! Our next number is an instrumental baton-twirling routine for the chorus and an unidentified skater, her fingers moving faster than the eye can catch. Ralston returns for "Lead, Kindly Light," a peculiar routine with one skater in a strange silver costume with an electric-like headpiece and Ralston in a brief Greek-style dress. 

The earlier skater returns with a partner for another instrumental routine with the chorus and some impressive spins and lifts. Rutherford finally gets to go for the big finale. She and Ralston, wearing sparkly black outfits with a big heart on the front and surrounded by women carrying torches, hold a figure-skating, choreographed fencing match. Yes, it's strange as it sounds, but the ladies do have some nice moves, especially when they spin with their swords still out!

What I Don't Like: This is a rare time there should have been more story and less musical. The numbers just intrude on the mystery, and they don't really tie into it in any way. I wish they could have done more with them, maybe made them the reason for Lang's death or part of why the women are all so angry at him. Despite Yates' intentions, they don't really show off Ralston to best advantage, either. Two of them don't even feature her. There's also the fact that, no matter what Yates believed, Ralston never did become the best actress and is a bit stiff in the dramatic scenes. 

The Big Finale: Never judge a film by its budget. I ended up enjoying the "imitation" skating vehicles by the B-studios far more than most of the standard romantic comedies 20th Century Fox dumped Sonja Henie into. At least they tried something different. This also makes me wish there were more musical mystery stories, and certainly ones as entertaining as this. For mystery lovers, skating and film noir fans, and fans of Ralston and Rutherford.

Home Media: YouTube seems to be the only place you can find this rare tuner at the moment.

YouTube

Lady, Let's Dance!

Monogram Pictures, 1944

Starring Belita, James Ellison, Walter Catlett, and Lucien Littlefield

Directed by Frank Woodruff

Music and Lyrics by various

Lower-budget studios seemed to have more luck finding their own European ice queens. Monogram started out as three B-studios in the late 20's and early 30's, Sono Art-World Wide, Allied, and Rayart. These merged in 1933 to form one of the busiest "minor" studios in Hollywood. They became part of Republic for a while in 1935, but broke off again in 1937. By 1944, they were one of the top "B" studios in Hollywood, mostly specializing in action and comedy series and moody but inexpensive film noir. Belita was a British figure skater who came over to appear in their 1941 Ice Capades musical. By 1944, they were ready to build her up as a major musical star and their answer to Henie. How well does her multi-faceted showcase come off today? Let's begin at a hot springs resort in California and find out...

The Story: Jerry Gibson (Ellison) needs a new dancer for the resort's theater after one of them left to get married. Stuffy manager Mr. Snodgrass (Littlefield) and the resort's robust cowboy-loving owner Timber Applegate (Catlett) find her in Belita (Belita), a refugee waitress who literally stumbles into their office. After learning she was once a champion skater and dancer in Holland, they sign her up as the new partner for dancer Manuelo (Maurice St. Clair). 

She goes over so well there, two producers of an ice show in Chicago spot her and want her to appear in their show. She's not willing to go at first, as she's fallen for Jerry, but he pushes her into going. Her skating routines are such a hit, she's even able to bring over the two chefs from the resort kitchen to fill in as a comic ice skating pair. Snodgrass is angry at Jerry for letting her go and fires him. He looks for work at other resorts, but ends up getting drafted. Belita just wants him back...but it takes intervention from Timber to bring the two together again.

The Song and Dance: This is surprisingly good for a B-level ice skating musical. Belita does have charm, and even pulls off the dramatic moments later in the film well enough. She's also a wonderful skater - check out her big Liberty number in the end, with its impressive jumps and spins. She's so good, it's the one time a figure skating film ended on a solo perfomer, no chorus routines or pageantry, and it really works. European comic ice skating duo Frick and Frack have some decent moments in their numbers towards the end. Catlett and Littlefield also come off fairly well as the western-loving resort owner and snobbish hotel manager. The music's also pretty decent for a B film. "Silver Shadows and Golden Dreams" got nominated for an Oscar.

Favorite Number: Oddly, the movie doesn't open with Belita at all, but a series of bathing beauties doing a Busby Berkeley-esque water ballet in the hotel swimming pool. They're actually not bad, a foreshadowing of what Berkeley and others would do with Esther Williams' swimming vehicles starting later in 1944. 

Our first instrumental dance number comes via Henry Busse and His Orchestra. Belita and Manuelo perform a lively rhumba in their street clothes. It goes over so well, it gets her the job. That leads to "Salamente una Vez," the ballroom routine where Belita makes her debut. She and Manuelo do even better here, especially with her swirling floral skirts and his death defying lifts and swinging her around in the end. Once she makes it into the big show, her first number is "The Snow Queen Ballet." She and the dancers perform their leaps and pirouettes in brief ruffly costumes that admittedly say "snow" less than "off-rack at a strip joint costume closet." 

The skating routines are surprisingly lavish for a Poverty Row film. The lovely "Silver Shadows and Golden Dreams" is a pair routine for her and a male skater. It's elegant and flowing as the song itself. "Days of the Beau Brummel" is the Currier and Ives 1890's skating routine, with everyone in period dress and Frick and Frack wowing the crowds as an elderly man and a skating instructor. The duo return for an instrumental Swiss-themed number with the chorus, this time playing drunks. The title song is the men-in-tuxes chorus routine, with Belita not only skating with them, but tap-dancing on ice skates, too. As mentioned, the film ends with her genuinely stirring "Victory" solo routine in front of a massive cardboard Statue of Liberty.

What I Don't Like: First of all, Ellison may be handsome, but he lacks Belvita's charm and can often come off as a jerk rather than a well-meaning promoter. The two have absolutely no chemistry, making her search for him feel more like an afterthought. Yeah, the melodramatic plot isn't always the best, either. They're not helped by dialogue that's stiffer than the ice Belita skates on. There's also times when this being a Poverty Row quickie comes to the fore, like that finale with the cardboard Lady Liberty and just Belita skating. Her skating is great, but the set's slightly chintzy. 

The Big Finale: This wound up being a major surprise. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did! Highly recommended for figure skating fans, fans of Belita or Catlett, or those looking for a somewhat lower-key skating fest.

Home Media: DVD only via the Warner Archives.

DVD

Musical Documentaries - Soul Power

Sony Pictures, 2008

Starring James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B King, and Miriam Makeba

Directed by Jeff Levy-Hinte

Music and Lyrics by various

Having enjoyed the two documentaries on major black concerts I watched last year, I thought I'd dig up another one for Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend. This one had originally been intended as a lead-in to the big Mohammad Ali-George Foreman Rumble In the Jungle boxing match in what was then known as Zaire during September 1974. While the match ended up being delayed until October due to injury, the show went on...and what a show! Let's join James Brown on-stage and see how well this "rumble in the jungle" worked...

The Story: The people of Zaire join James Brown and some of the biggest names in rock and soul for this concert, representing the best of African music - in the US and the continent - at the time. Meanwhile, Mohammed Ali spends the documentary discussing the black experience in America and building up his own importance to the fight and to breaking the dominance of imperialism in Africa. He's encouraged by promoter Don King, who created the fight and helped develop the festival with music producers Hugh Masekela and Stewart Levine. 

The Song and Dance: The real fun here is the footage from the first half of the show. We get to see how the concert worked, and how hospitable the citizens of Zaire were to their guests. Some of their numbers are just darn fun; there's some amazing dancers in the Congo. The backstage footage is equally fascinating and even more fun - check out that kickline half-way through! We also get rare and wonderful footage of James Brown and Mohammad Ali in their prime. 

Favorite Number:  We open with Brown's searing performance of the title song, and end with three jams, his "Cold Sweat," the dynamic "I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me)," and "Say It Loud (I'm Black and Proud)." He shows off his "Same Beat" during the credits. The Spinners croon their way through their big hit "One of a Kind Love Affair." African singers and dancers Lita Bembo and Les Stukaas really jam with her "Bakobosana" with the crowd before the show. Bill Withers insists that he'll "Hope She'll Be Happier" in his one number. B.B King also gives us a touching performances of one of his signature tunes. "The Thrill Is Gone." Mixed race group Sister Sledge really jam with their "On and On." The Crusaders insist that the crowd will "Put It Where You Want It." 

But the show really belongs to the Africans. Miriam Makeba has an absolutely blast with "The Click Song" as she shimmies around the stage. Likewise, samba legend Ceila Cruz joins African favorites Fania All Stars for "Quimbara." Her wild, colorful gown alone is worth seeing. OK Jazz were one of the biggest successes in Africa during the 60's and 70's, and they show why with their girl in leopard skins gyrating to "Simba Nkoni." Likewise, we get two very intense dancers who are so into the music, they're literally writhing on the floor at one point during "Ponte Duro."

What I Don't Like: This really should have been longer. I know most of the footage for Ali went into the Oscar-winning documentary on the fight When We Were Kings, but did they have anything else left for this? There are more musical numbers - they're on the DVD. The footage is pretty rough, too, more than on the comparable Soul to Soul and Summer of Soul, both of which are older than this. 

The Big Finale: Would actually make a nice companion to When We Were Kings or Soul to Soul for fans of Brown, Ali, or the soul, rock, and samba music of the 1970's. 

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming, often for under $10. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Winter A-Go-Go

Columbia Pictures, 1965

Starring James Stacy, William Wellman Jr, Beverly Adams, and John Anthony Hayes

Directed by Richard Benedict

Music and Lyrics by various

With the Beach Party movies huge hits for American International, Columbia and Universal must have thought Ski Party would be equally popular. Their winter sports-themed teen musicals came out within six months of Ski Party's June 1965 release. Winter-A-Go-Go came out first in October, a little closer to the actual ski season. How does Columbia's snow shenanigans measure up to the ones at American International? Let's begin, not with snow, but with three would-be receptionists on their way to interview for a job at a new ski lodge, and find out...

The Story: Jeff Forrester (Wellman) just inherited a ski lodge at Heavenly Valley in Lake Tahoe, California. He and promoter Danny Frazer (Stacy) hire young, beautiful women to work at the lodge, despite not having even seen it yet. To everyone's disappointment, the lodge is an old-fashioned wooden resort that's dusty and in disrepair. After they clean it, Danny and Jeff opt to put the emphasis on music and recruit dancers and a band (The Nooney Rickett Four). 

Danny's not happy when Jeff makes the female staff off-limits to the men and keeps trying to chase them. Their bartender Frankie (Tom Nardini) keeps trying to get every girl at the lodge to go out with him but the one who actually likes him, Dori (Judy Parker). Jeff is interested in sophisticated older woman Gloria Jones (Nancy Czar), ignoring his own girlfriend Janine (Jill Donahue). And then, there's the two men who arrive as guests, but are seemingly determined to cause trouble...

The Song and Dance: What I like about this one is, for all the light story, it's actually a tad darker than most sixties teen musicals. Jeff and Danny are a bit tougher and older than Frankie Avalon and his buddies, and the two goons they deal with are a lot more menacing than Harry Von Zipper. There's even a brawl at the lodge's club that ends with the guys getting battered, and someone ends up with a broken leg after the goons' sabotage. There's also a wedding in the end, which I doubt is something that ever crossed the minds of anyone in the Beach Party films! 

The other standout is the gorgeous scenery. Like Ski Party, this was filmed on location (in the real Heavenly Valley and Lake Tahoe), and it looks stunning. The ski sequences in particular are beautifully shot.

Favorite Number: We open with the title song, played over the credits as the hopeful receptionists drive to Danny and Jeff's offices and show off their legs on their way through the building. Danny declares it to be a "Hip Square Dance" as he encourages the kids to clean up the resort. "King of the Mountain" is the snow-themed ballad performed by Joni Lyman with the Nooney Rickett Four. They also get the more upbeat dance numbers "Ski City" before the brawl and "Do the Ski With Me" earlier. The four-many harmony group The Reflections perform the charming "I'm Sweet On You" at the club while the dancers hand around giant lollipops to the crowd.

Trivia: There was supposed to be a follow-up, Hot Bikini...but while this one didn't do badly, it didn't do as well as Columbia had hoped, and the sequel was canceled. 

What I Don't Like: The emphasis here is on action and romance. It's not nearly as funny as the Beach Party movies. When it does try to go for laughs, the slapstick stands out like a sore thumb and doesn't really work. For all their ruggedness, Stacy, Wellman, and the two goons are completely interchangeable. I can barely tell them apart during the brawl; I have no idea how the ladies can. The songs are dull, the dialogue even moreso, and the only woman who really has anything to do is Jones. There's also the stereotypical Japanese cook they hire when they find him reading girlie magazines. Thankfully, he's not in much of the movie. 

The Big Finale: If you enjoyed Ski Party and the Beach Party films, you'll want to give this slightly less fluffy take on winter shindigs a look as well. 

Home Media: DVD only from Sony Pictures' Screen Classics By Request made-to-order DVD line.

DVD

Cult Flops - Ski Party

American International Pictures, 1965

Starring Frankie Avalon, Dwayne Hickman, Deborah Valley, and Yvonne Craig

Directed by Alan Rafkin

Music and Lyrics by various

The Beach Party movies were so popular in the mid-60's, American International tried replicating their success in a more wintry location. Avalon stayed on, and they brought in Walley and TV favorites Hickman, two years after The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, and Yvonne Craig, two years before she became Batgirl on the original Batman. Does the formula of dancing, romancing, and gags work on the slopes, or should this party be sent back to the beach? We start at college, where a very attractive - and familiar - sex education professor (Funicello) is teaching her rapt audience of young men the basics about love, to find out...

The Story: Todd Armstrong (Avalon) and Craig Gamble (Hickman) haven't been having much luck with their dates Linda Hughes (Walley) and Barbara Norris (Craig). They envy their classmate Freddie Carter (Aron Kincaid), who has every co-ed at school eating out of his hand. They can't figure out what they're doing wrong with the girls. When Freddie organizes a big ski vacation to Sawtooth National Forest, Idaho and the girls join in, the boys follow them, despite not being able to ski.

Hoping to learn more about what girls want, they pose as two co-eds from England, Nora and Jane. They easily befriend the girls, but the girls still aren't giving them the time of day as boys. Todd flirts with Swedish ski instructor Nita Elksburg (Bobbi Shaw) in an attempt to make Linda jealous, while Freddie falls for "Nora," to Craig's embarrassment. Nita suggests a ski-jump contest between Todd and Freddie, but Todd's attempts to cheat land him with a broken leg. When Freddie still insists on dating Nora, the boys decide the ruse has gone too far, and there's only one safe place they can go...the beach!

The Song and Dance: The guys are the thing here. Who knew Avalon could work so well in drag, or that he and Hickman could be so funny together? They actually make this 60's Some Like It Hot almost work. There's a lot of references to that movie, in fact, from the boys mentioning it by title to them fleeing snowy Idaho for warm California in the end, much like Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon's characters fled Chicago for Florida. Funicello has a short but hilarious cameo in the opening sequences, with her trying to explain how boys and girls' sexuality works very differently. There's some nice location shooting in Idaho, too, especially when they're on the slopes. 

The other big things are the guest singers. Leslie Gore and James Brown are so above the usual pop stars who appear in beach party movies, they give the film a lift with their brief numbers. There's also game show host Robert Q. Lewis, who gets a few good gags as the head of the lodge with a fondness for lederhosen. 

Favorite Number: We open with the rollicking title song, played during the second half of the credits and the actual beach party in the finale. Leslie Gore gives us one of her biggest hits, "Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows," which she performs for the ladies on the bus to the ski resort. Frankie Avalon admires the ladies in bikinis around the lodge pool, singing how he'll have "Much Much More" of them. The quartet sing about how they'll be "Paintin' the Town" during a sleigh ride. A young and slim James Brown shows off the dance moves and charisma that made him one of the great early soul artists with his huge hit "I Got You (I Feel Good)" at the lodge, after he and his back-up dancers come in claiming to be the ski patrol. The girls claim "We'll Never Change Them" at the pajama party, no matter how much their boyfriends drive them crazy.

Trivia: The end credits have a blurb for a sequel, Cruise Party, that ended up being scuttled after this one didn't go over well at the box office. 

"We'll Never Change Them" was originally intended as a solo for Funicello in Beach Blanket Bingo under the title "I'll Never Change Him," but was cut from that film. 

This wouldn't be the last time someone attempted to turn Some Like It Hot into a musical. Sugar was the first stage version in 1972, but the songs were mediocre, and it tried too hard to imitate the movie. It barely lasted a year and a half, not bad, but not great with the film pedigree. The unrelated Some Like It Hot that just opened on Broadway a few weeks ago has gotten smashing reviews and seems to be going over a lot better. 

What I Don't Like: Snow or no snow, this is still a low-budget teen comedy from the mid-60's. You know what you're getting into. Frankly, the story doesn't make a lot of sense, and the big chase scene with everyone ending up in California seems to exist more to have a chase scene and to get the kids back to the beach. The girls don't really have much to do besides sing their one number and reject the boys' advances. 

The Big Finale: If you loved the other movies in this series, you'll probably like this one, too...but if you're not a fan of Beach Party films or musicals from this time in general, this one won't change your mind. 

Home Media: Like most movies released by MGM/UA, it's now hard to find on DVD. You're better off streaming it, especially since it often turns up for free with commercials. 

DVD - Midnite Movies: Muscle Beach Party/Ski Party

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Everything's On Ice (Follies On Ice)

RKO, 1939

Starring Irene Dare, Edgar Kennedy, Roscoe Karns, and Lynne Roberts

Directed by Erle C. Kenton

Music and Lyrics by various

Henie's success inspired other studios to put their own actors on ice, or find European skaters who could replicate her charisma in front of a camera. RKO not only found their own Sonja Henie, but their own Shirley Temple as well. Dare had been in ice shows since she was five. At seven, RKO hired her to appear alongside their popular boy soprano Bobby Breen in Breaking the Ice. That went over well enough for her to get her own showcase. How does the story of a little girl whose uncle wants to use her big talent look today? Let's begin in Brooklyn, where Joe Barton (Kennedy) is listening to another money-making scheme from his brother Felix (Karns) and find out...

The Story: Felix convinces a talent scout to come see Irene. He's so impressed, he books her a gig skating at a club in Florida. On the train to Florida, Irene's older sister Jane (Roberts) meets the sweet but slightly dim Leopold Eddington (Eric Linden). Felix dismisses him when he says he's staying at a cheaper hotel, but Jane likes him. 

Felix proceeds to spend Irene's money fast as it comes in on an expensive hotel and fine clothes and jewelry for himself and Joe's bored wife Elsie (Mary Hart). He discourages Jane from pursuing Leopold and tries to shove her at handsome Harrison Gregg (George Meeker). Felix assumes Harrison has money, but that proves to be far from the case. Meanwhile, after Felix wires Joe for money, he realizes there's something rotten going on in the state of Florida and heads south to figure it out himself. Not to mention, Leopold isn't the rube Felix thinks he is, either. 

The Song and Dance: Too bad there isn't more of Irene. She really is a charmer when you see her, naturally funny and a marvel on the ice. Even Sonja Henie couldn't do the backflips and leaps she did! Kennedy and Karns have some good moments as the blustering head of the family and his oily brother-in-law who thinks the kid is his ticket to unlimited riches. 

Favorite Number: We open with Irene showing off for the crowd in her own clothes in a simple number that gives us an idea of what she can do, including several back flips. The routine that sells the agent on Irene has her costumed as a little Uncle Sam, complete with Statue of Liberty and chorus dressed as a marching band. Her first number at the club is a graceful, if odd, hula routine, with her attempting to wave her hands and look Hawaiian in her too-long grass skirt. 

What I Don't Like: There should be more focus on Irene in her own vehicle. She has nothing to do besides her skating routines. The movie mostly revolves around Felix's oily schemes or the cliche and boring love plot. Meeker's not bad as the smarmy playboy looking for the right patsy to pay his hotel bill, but Roberts and Linden are as dull as their dialogue. 

And no wonder the owner of the club wouldn't finance that last number. It looks ridiculous. Who thought Irene popping out of an egg as a baby penguin and getting tossed around by people in penguin suits was a good idea? Plus all the emphasis on "flying." Penguins do not fly. It's too silly to pass for a number put on by kids goofing off on a frozen pond, let alone a big ice show at a night club.

The Big Finale: Too silly for all but the most ardent figure skating fanatics or fans of Kennedy and Karns, or kids Irene's age who can overlook the dull plot and enjoy one of their own doing some pretty amazing things on the ice.

Home Media: To my knowledge, this rare programmer can only be found on YouTube. 

YouTube

Wintertime

20th Century Fox, 1943

Starring Sonja Henie, Jack Oakie, Cornel Wilde, and Caesar Romero

Directed by John Brahm

Music by Nacio Herb Brown; Lyrics by Leo Robin

By 1943, Henie's ice shows were making more money than her movies. This would be her last hit and her final film at Fox. Glenn Miller wasn't around to provide musical support by this point, either. His band entered the Army in 1942 and were replaced by Woody Herman and His Orchestra. Fox tried to prop her and her ice ballets up with support from Jack Oakie and two up-and-comers, Carole Landis and Cornel Wilde. How well did they succeed? Let's begin at a failing winter resort in Canada that's just losing their furniture and find out...

The Story: The resort's owner Skip Hutton (Oakie) manages to avoid losing his furniture by telling the creditors that wealthy Norwegian businessman Ostgaard (SZ Sakall) and his figure skating champion niece Nora (Henie) will be staying at the resort. He and his partner Freddy Austin (Wilde) convince them they're staying at a posh hotel, but the truth is, they're barely afloat. They get Ostgaard to foot the bills for the remodeling and to highlight Nora's abilities on the ice. 

Turns out Ostagaard doesn't have any money, either. His assets are frozen after Germany invades Norway. Nora decides she can make the money starring in a Broadway ice show, but she has to become an American citizen first. She agrees to marry musician Brad Barton (Romero) in order to gain her entrance visa and make Freddy, who has been spending time with photographer Marion Daly (Helene Reynolds), jealous.

The Song and Dance: Henie by this point had mostly lost her rather charming Norwegian accent, but she otherwise comes off fairly well as the rich man's niece who'll do anything to help her new friends, even marry a man she doesn't really love. It's the supporting cast who really shine here. Landis and Romero get the best lines and have the funniest gags as the musician who thinks he loves Nora, and the lady who really loves him. Sakall has his own fun playing her eccentric uncle, who's signed a few too many bills for this run-down joint. Speaking of, you'd never know it was run down. For a black-and-white production, 20th Century Fox really went all-out with gorgeous costumes for the band and Henie's skating numbers, huge furs, and the lavish resort.

Favorite Number: We open with the ironic "I Like It Here," performed by Landis, Romero, and Woody Herman and His Orchestra...because they don't. The heat is off, and they're all freezing and unpaid. Things pick up with Herman and "Later Tonight" under Henie and Romero's big dance routine. Herman also performs the title song, both with his band and as the film's huge finale. Henie skates in feathers with the chorus as birds. Henie does an earlier Mountie-themed skating number with the chorus, "We Always Get Our Girl," that's lavish and hilarious. She appropriately gets a flower-themed number to "Waltz of the Flowers" from The Nutcracker about mid-way through. 

What I Don't Like: I think it's becoming obvious that the plot of Henie's movies are not their strong suit. Wilde is about as interesting as - and cold as - the ice Sonja glides on. He has absolutely no chemistry with Henie whatsoever. The songs aren't terribly memorable, either, especially compared to the music from several of her previous films. The fact that they had Herman play "Chattanooga Choo Choo" in the background at one point serves to show just how weak the songs are. And I wonder why Fox didn't shoot it in Technicolor, like they originally planned? 

The Big Finale: Once again, best for fans of Henie or figure skating. 

Home Media: DVD only from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives. 

DVD

Thin Ice (1937)

20th Century Fox, 1937

Starring Sonja Henie, Tyrone Power, Raymond Walburn, and Arthur Treacher

Directed by Sidney Lanfield 

Music and Lyrics by various

With cold weather gripping much of the world, we're going to spend most of this month covering musicals that revolve around ice skating or skiing. The queen of winter sports musicals is undoubtedly Sonja Henie. This was her second vehicle after the major hit One In a Million. 20th Century Fox was so impressed, they greatly increased the budget and gave her none other than Tyrone Power, their most popular up-and-coming heartthrob, as her leading man. How does this ice-bound romantic comedy about a prince who falls for a skating instructor look nowadays? Let's begin in Switzerland, at a ski resort about to begin the winter season, and find out...

The Story: Lili Heiser (Henie) is a skating instructor at the resort, but she's about to lose her job due to the lack of snow. The fussy manager Krantz (Melville Cooper) keeps insisting he can't use her if there's no snow. All that turns around quickly when Nottingham (Treacher), the secretary of Prince Rudolph (Power), orders expensive rooms for a political conference. The Prince, however, will not be staying in them. He takes rooms at a local inn, hoping to avoid the conference and have a quiet place for skiing. 

He encounters Lili while on the slopes, and they hit it off. Lili, however, has no idea that the man she met on the Alps is actually royalty. When her would-be sweetheart Alex (George Givot) drives her home in the prince's car, thanks to his chauffeur cousin, everyone in town thinks she's the Prince's newest conquest. Her conniving uncle (Walburn) takes advantage of this to get Lili a big contract and show at the resort, but Lili has no idea her "Rudy" is really royalty. She's not happy when she does figure it out, but Rudy convinces her to play along, at least until he can reveal his true identity for once and for all. 

The Song and Dance: Henie's skating routines and a funny supporting cast are the big draws here. Henie never did become a great actress, but she does have plenty of charm and a sweet presence that somewhat makes up for it. Walburn and Cooper have the best moments as the conniving uncle and the snooty manager who take every possible advantage of Lili's notoriety. Even Power seems to be having a slightly good time, especially with his disguise at the end!

Favorite Number: Joan Davis, as the leader of the all-female orchestra at the resort, gets two funny slapstick numbers that lead into the skating routines. "I'm Olga from the Volga" is her idea of Russian royalty, while "My Swiss Hilly Billy" has her attempting a pantomimed mountain climb and mostly ending up on the floor. The singer with her band performs "My Secret Love Affair" for an empty ballroom when there's no snow. 

Of course, the big ones are Henie's two skating numbers, and they don't disappoint. "The Russian Ice Ballet" uses themes from Borodin's "Polovetsian Dances," complete with Sonia wearing a glittery black dress that makes her look like a Russian princess and men in balloon pants gliding around her. "The Blue Danube Waltz" is daintier and more extensive. It begins with skaters in tuxes and long floaty gowns. Sonja's lovely spins are particularly in evidence here, swirling in her long floral gown before changing to something shorter. 

What I Don't Like: The plot's skimpy, even by the standards of Henie's films. I can't believe Lili didn't pick up on who Rudy was or her uncle's scheming long before the last ten minutes of the movie. The songs and Davis' comedy routines are really shoehorned into what's otherwise a snow-bound romantic comedy. Despite Henie and Power dating briefly during filming, they really don't have much chemistry, either. 

The Big Finale: Cute enough if you're a fan of Henie, Power, or figure skating for the two big numbers alone. 

Home Media: DVD only from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives.

DVD