Swiss Miss

MGM/Hal Roach, 1938

Starring Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Walter Woolf King, and Della Lind

Directed by John G. Blystone

Music by Paul Chiang; Lyrics by Arthur Quenzer

This week, we warm up the winter with two very different comedies featuring best buddies. By 1938, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were popular enough to star exclusively in feature-length movies. This is one of the few outright musicals they did after their switch to features. It was also their last appearance as the comic relief in an operetta, and the second-to-last Laurel & Hardy movie Roach released under his MGM contract. How does the story of two mouse trap salesmen who get caught between a feuding composer and his singer wife look now? Let's begin with Edward (Eric Blore), the fussy assistant of opera composer Victor Albert (King), as he demands that the hotel owner (Jean De Briac) give his master absolutely quiet, and find out...

The Story: Albert is at the hotel to write an opera that will stand on its own without his diva wife Anna (Lind) performing. Meanwhile, Stan (Laurel) and Oliver (Hardy) are mouse trap salesmen who are trying to sell their wares. After they're tricked by a cheese seller (Charles Judels) who gives them a phony cash note, they end up washing dishes when they try to spend it. 

Anna gets a job as a maid at the same hotel, hoping to prove to her husband that she can have the common touch, too, enough for his show. She flirts with Ollie and the cook at the hotel (Adia Kuznetzoff), hoping to make Victor jealous. At the least, she does make Ollie fall in love with her. Even though the cook threatens them, they still take Anna to the big Festival in town. Anna has plans of her own...and so does the gorilla who chased them in the Alps. 

The Song and Dance: Laurel and Hardy get some really cute gags in this one. Their attempt to push a piano across the Alps and over a precarious wooden bridge is more-or-less repeated from their Oscar-winning short "The Music Box," and it's almost as funny here. Love how Stan gets drunk, and Ollie almost ends up falling through the bridge. Blore also gets some good moments as the annoying assistant who is totally devoted to his employer's well-being. Love the sets and costumes recreating a fanciful Switzerland between the wars, with its charming chalet hotel and typical Alpine lederhosen-and-dirndl costumes. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Yo-Ho-Dee-O-Lay-Hee" as we're introduced to both the hotel staff and the reason Victor wants quiet. Victor's inspired by the sound of a cricket chirping in his room to write the sprightly "The Cricket Song." Anna finishes the song when she arrives, to Victor's annoyance. Stan and Ollie explain in "The Mouse Trap Song" why the cheese shop owner needs mouse traps in his establishment. "I Can't Get Over the Alps" is King and Blore's comic number with the locals as they reveal why they can't switch hotel rooms. Ollie croons an adorable "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" to serenade Anna under her bedroom window while Stan accompanies him on the tuba. Anna (who makes a much better brunette than she does a blonde) poses as a gypsy while singing the firey "Could You Say No?" and shaking her tambourine to all the handsome men.

Two of the movie's best numbers are instrumental comic pieces. Frustrated over the destruction of his piano, Victor practices his music on the hotel organ, which Ollie has just washed. As he plays his song, animated bubbles bobble over to Stan and Ollie; when they pop them, the notes blare out. The chorus get a big native Swiss dance routine in the square under Victor's balcony during the Festival, culminating in a local man (Franz Hug) doing some damn amazing flag twirling. 

Trivia: Hug demonstrated his prowess during the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Charles Gamora, who played the gorilla, also played an ape in the Laurel and Hardy short "The Chimp." 

This would be the most expensive Laurel and Hardy film, budgeted at twice as much as their shorts. 

What I Don't Like: I really feel sorry for Ollie in particular. Neither Anna nor Victor were the most pleasant people; she used both men and the cook in the end, and never got punished for her rather obnoxious behavior. No wonder her husband wanted to get away from her. He was no saint, either. All he did the entire movie was whine about how he wanted peace and quiet - in a summer resort in the Alps? The music he tried so hard to write is negligible, and in the case of "I Want to Get Over the Alps," kind of dumb. (And I know a Laurel and Hardy movie is the wrong place for logic, but...what in the heck is a gorilla doing in the Swiss Alps?)

The Big Finale: Not one of Laurel and Hardy's best features. Enjoyable enough for their fans, but newcomers and casual viewers looking for better musicals featuring the duo will want to start with March of the Toy Soldiers or The Bohemian Girl first. 

Home Media: Not currently on DVD in the US, but it can be found on streaming, including for free at Flex and YouTube.

Flex

YouTube

Animation Celebration Saturday - Arlo the Alligator Boy

Netflix, 2021

Voices of Michael J. Woodard, Mary Lambert, Haley Tju, and Johnathan Van Ness

Directed by Ryan Crego

Music by Alex Geringas; Lyrics by Ryan Crego

Let's return to the here and now for this charming animated musical. Netflix had its first animated TV show out in 2013, but it didn't start making animated features until 2019. This would be their fourth, and the second animated musical. How does the rousing story of the title character going to New York to find his father look a few years later? Let's begin with how baby Arlo (Woodard) came to live in the swamp with Edmee (Annie Potts) and find out...

The Story: Arlo feels out of place in the swamp with the animals who don't walk and talk. On his fifteenth birthday, Edmee reveals how he was abandoned in a New York sewer. Arlo is determined to go there and find his birth father and a place he'll fit in. He finds the latter when he first encounters Bertie (Lambert), a sweet, enormous teen girl, while trying to dodge a pair of alligator hunters who want him to be their star attraction. He and Bertie eventually fall in with a unique group at a wrestling club that includes a little Italian rodent-like man (Tony Hale), a huge pink fluffball (Van Ness), and a teenage tigress (Tju). They agree to take Arlo to New York, since they're looking for their fish friend (Brett Gelman). 

Arlo's father is Ansel (Vincent Rodriguez III), a wealthy real estate tycoon who wants to tear down the seaside neighborhood and build skyscrapers. Arlo is devastated when Ansel refuses to admit their relationship, and feels even worse when he tries to change him, then rejects him. He learns who his true friends are when they help him crash the Met Gala to prove once and all, to his father and New York, that families come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes, the best families are the ones we create for ourselves.

The Animation: The sketchy 2D animation, with its pie-eyed characters reminiscent of shorts from the early 30's, gives it a very distinct and sweet flavor. It's awash in earthy tones like brown, green, and tan, making Arlo and his literally colorful friends pop all the more. They're Technicolor critters in a down-to-earth setting. 

The Song and Dance: This was such a sweet movie. The said characters are some of the most unique I've ever seen in a children's film, including Lambert's oversized dear of a teenaged girl, Van Ness as they androgynous pink furball, and Haley Tju as Alia the tough teen tigress. That animation gives a lift to the well-meaning plot. There's also the diverse cast, and not just the unusual character designs. Bertie and Alia the tigress are strong females (literally, in Bertie's case) and there's the non-gendered fluffball and fish who hates children. 

Favorite Number: We open with frogs doing Busby Berkeley routines in the swamp around Arlo as he sings about how he wants "More, More, More"  out of life. Potts sings "Happy Birthday to Ya" as she reveals Arlo's history. " Bertie and Arlo ride the roof of a train as Bertie admits she wants him to "Follow Me Home." We get "New York, My Home" and "Right There With You" from Arlo's new friends. His father sings of a "Better Life" where he'll be able to escape everything that reminds him of his past, including Arlo and the seashore. The montage of a dejected Arlo wandering through New York to "Collage of Broken Dreams" after his rejection flows into his hope to "Wash the Hurt Away." Arlo and Ansel realize "Something's Missing" after Ansel rescues him at the Gala, while Bertie reminds him that they're "Beautiful Together." 

Trivia: This was the pilot movie for what became a one-season animated series on Netflix.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention that cliched plot? It's nothing you haven't seen in dozens of films, both live action and animation. The subplot with the alligator hunters and their "beast" gets silly and annoying after a while, even if it does give Ansel a way to reconnect with his son in the end. The 2D animation looks so good, the rare bit of CGI used for the vehicles and the opening "More, More, More" stands out as glaringly obvious.

The Big Finale: Sweet and unique, Arlo's journey and his hilarious friends is worth checking out for the animation and characters alone.

Home Media: Netflix exclusive at the moment. 

Netflix

Wild Wild Winter

Universal, 1966

Starring Gary Clarke, Chris Noel, Steve Franken, and Don Edwards

Directed by Lennie Wenrib

Music and Lyrics by various

This is the last of the four Beach Party-style musicals with winter backdrops. By the time Wild Wild Winter made it out for the 1966 ski season, the Beach Party wave had crested. This one comes closer to the originals, in subject matter and comedic tone. Is it just as much fun as the American International entries, or should it be buried in the snow? Let's begin as a narrator extols the virtues of Alpine College and find out...

The Story:  Fraternity brothers Burt (Don Edmonds), Perry (Les Brown Jr.), and Larry (Paul Geary) want to date women from a popular sorority, but it's led by Susan Benchley (Noel), the dean's secretary. Susan has encouraged the ladies to be very choosy about dates. Desperate, they call Ronnie Duke (Clarke), a surfer who has the reputation for dating many women at once. They want him to seduce Susan into letting the girls date again. 

Donnie claims to be a champion skier and the son of a millionaire to impress her. Not only is Susan delighted, but so is Dean Carlton (James Wellman). Carlton needs to come up with three million dollars in back payment by January 31st, or he'll lose Alpine College to gangsters. In an attempt to get the funds off Donnie, he makes him the captain of the ski team. The actual captain and Susan's fiancee, whiny John (Franken), becomes determined to discredit Donnie. When he can't get past him in a skiing race, he calls a private eye (Buck Holland) to find out what his game really is. Donnie's just hoping he can win that money in the big Intercollegiate Skiing Tournament.

The Song and Dance: Along with Ski Party, this is by far the funniest of the four winter resort musicals. There's some fairly cute gags here, especially with what finally gets Donnie to that big race in the end. Clarke a little smarmy, but has enough charm that you can understand why so many girls fall for him. I also like that, with the exception of two very brief scenes at a beach, this movie makes more use of its snowy setting than most of the other winter party musicals. The whole thing hinges on two ski races. There's also far less romance than in the other resort musicals. This one is purely about Clarke, his attempts to show off, and gorgeous Technicolor scenery filmed at a real Lake Tahoe resort.

Favorite Number: We open over the credits with the title song, which mostly consists of the words "snow, snow, wow!" and skiers riding over the mountains...and sometimes falling into it. Our first actual number is on the beach, but Jackie Miller and Gayle Caldwell still sing about how their love is gonna "Snowball." The Beau Brummels get so into their number at the resort, "Just You Wait and See," Donnie regards it as his thinking music and apparently had the group perform it four times. The Astronauts provide Donnie's thinking music after John takes his place with Susan as they describe "A Change of Heart." Duo Dick and Dee Dee sing the uptempo ballad "Heartbeats" after Donnie wins the ski race against John. Jay and the Americans finish things off with "Two of a Kind" as the backdrop to the chorus number in the finale as everyone celebrates saving the college.

What I Don't Like: The script is flimsy and annoying, even by 60's drive-in musical standards. The college subplot is basically "save the school" crossed with "gangster plot from Comden-Green musicals of the 40's and 50's." The boys' attempts to lie their way into the girls' hearts is dated, annoying, and a bit distasteful nowadays. Even the girls and Susan call them on it. Speaking of, Susan is really the only girl we see much of. The other two turn up mainly in the beginning and end and have very little to do. There's so much focus on comedy and Clarke's slightly sleazy attempts to impress Susan, there isn't much room for anyone else's romance. All of the boys are so interchangable and bland, I don't know how any of the girls can tell them apart anyway. 

The Big Finale: Despite some cute gags, this is by far my least-favorite of the four winter resort drive-in musicals. Only if you're a huge fan of 60's drive-in fodder, musicals of the 50's and 60's, or the cast. 

Home Media: As the most obscure of the four winter resort musicals, the only place you can currently find this one is YouTube.

YouTube

Get Yourself a College Girl

MGM, 1964

Starring Mary Ann Mobley, Chris Noel, Joan O'Brien, and Chad Everett

Directed by Sidney Miller

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we hit the slopes with a pair of drive-in musicals from the early 60's that showcased teens having fun at winter resorts. MGM jumped into the Beach Party pool with this entry, adding former Miss America Mobley and some genuine major musical acts to the story of a female songwriter whose college career is threatened when the heads of the school learns what she writes is rock. How does all this look now? Let's begin with a ballet class at Wyndham College for Women and find out...

The Story: Teresa "Terry" Taylor (Mobley) is furious when her publisher Gary Underwood (Everett) calls the school and exposes her as a songwriter. The school's board of trustees, including Senator Hubert Morrison (Willard Waterman), are shocked at a woman singing so frankly about sexual matters. Terry promises that she and her best friend Sue Ann Mobley (Noel) won't even consider boys while they're on their Christmas break ski vacation. They even bring along their ballet teacher Marge Endicott (O'Brien) as a chaperone.

Of course, that lasts for approximately two days once they arrive at Sun Valley, Idaho. Gary is also at the resort with his French friend Armand (Fabrizio Mioni), and they're determined to win the girls and figure out why Terry rejects men when she writes so well about sex and get her to pose for a sexy painting. Morrison is down for vacation, too, trying to figure out these young people. After he and Terry get caught in a compromising photo, Terry, Gary, and the others gather rock acts for a big political rally to prove that Morrison is more "hip" to the young than everyone thought.

The Song and Dance: I give them credit for a shred of originality. None of the other beach party films end with a political rally, and none of them praise feminism quite this fervently. In fact, it's interesting to hear the women discuss their rights (or lack of them) nearly a full decade before women's liberation became a household word. Mobley is spunky and charming as Terry, who just wants to make it in college on her own terms, and Waterman and Noel have some good moments as the Senator who wonders how this young lady learned so much about sexual matters and the giggly blonde who wants a guy, any guy, no matter what her friend thinks. 

Favorite Number: We open with "The Swinging Set," the film's original title, performed over the credits by Donnie Brooks. The ballet class gives us our first instrumental number as they trade pirouettes for the Watusi and gyrate to something less formal in class. Mobley herself sings and plays the actual title song with its lyrics discussing girls and their relationship to sexual matters at Wyndham's Christmas dance. Jazz songwriter Stan Getz gave the movie its big hit, the sweet and sexy "The Girl from Ipanema," performed by deep-voiced, low-key Astrud Gilberto. The Rhythm Masters give us another dance routine at Sun Valley, "Beat Street Rag."

Popular British Invasion band The Dave Clark Five performs two numbers, "Whenever You're Around" at the school dance and "Thinking of You, Baby" at the rally. Likewise, the original Animals also do "Blue Feeling" early and "Around and Around" at the rally. The Jimmy Smith Trio get "Comin' Home Johnny" and the instrumental dance routine "The Sermon" at Sun Valley. The Standells get two of their major hits at the masquerade party, "Bonie Maronie" and "The Swim." Freddie Bell and Roberta Lynn join the Bellboys for "Talkin' 'Bout Love."

Trivia: First film for Mary Ann Mobley and last for Joan O'Brien. 

Filmed on location at Sun Valley, Idaho. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, while the running gag with Terry's married friend Lynne, played by Nancy Sinatra, spending the vacation with her new husband in their hotel room is funny, Sinatra really could have been given more to do...like actually singing. Though this has its comic moments, it's not quite as spoofy or joke-a-minute as the Beach Party films. Frankly, the political rally in the end is kind of sudden and makes very little sense. I wish they'd figured out how to resolve all this back at Sun Valley. They didn't need to return to the school. They barely even mention how Terry finally manages to stay at the college.

The Big Finale: One of the better Beach Party imitations is worth checking out for fans of the stars in question, the genre, or 60's rock and jazz. 

Home Media: Unfortunately, this is also one of the harder-to-find Beach Party imitations. The Warner Archives DVD is currently out of print and unavailable, but at press time, there is a copy streaming for free on the Internet Archive, and you might be able to find the DVD used.

DVD

Internet Archive

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Return of the King (1980)

ABC/Rankin-Bass, 1980

Voices of Orson Bean, John Huston, Theodore Bikel, and Roddy McDowell

Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.

Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass

After the success of The Hobbit, Rankin-Bass set about making a sequel. Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings debuted in 1978 as Rankin-Bass prepared storyboards for their film and proved that there was ample interest in the material. How well did they do adapting the final Lord of the Ring novel to animation? Let's begin as Frodo (Bean) explains to his uncle Bilbo (Bean) what happened with him getting rid of the Ring of Power that led to him losing his finger and find out...

The Story: Frodo and his friend Samwise Gamgee (McDowell) are charged with traveling to Mordor to destroy the Ring of Power that Bilbo once stole from little green frog-like monster Gollum (Brother Theodore). Sam first must rescue Frodo from the Orcs at Cirith Ungol. Sam's briefly tempted by the Ring, but he does manage to get Frodo away. They disguise themselves in Orc armor to infiltrate their army and get past to Mount Doom. They're first attacked by Gollum, who badly wants his "precious" back, and then Frodo seems to go crazy with the strain of being the Ring Bearer.

Meanwhile, their friend Pippin (Sonny Melendrez) warns Gandalf (Huston) about the impending invasion of the Orc army. Pippin tries to warn King of Rohan Denethor (William Conrad), but he's already gone mad. The Witch-King of Agmar (John Stephenson) and his forces seem to have the upper hand in battle after he slays King Theoden (Don Messik). What he never expected is for his boast that no man can kill him to be challenged by Eowyn (Nellie Bellflower), who is "no man," and then for the king of Middle Earth, Aragorn (Theodore Bikel), to return at last.

The Animation: Decent for them, especially at Mordor as Gollum, Sam, and Frodo fight for the ring and in some of the battle scenes. The end, with the White Ship riding off into the horizon, and the arrival of Aragon also manage to drum up the appropriate majesty. The bleak, earthy color scheme reminds us that this is no Christmas special and definitely gives the sense of Middle Earth's dark worlds. 

The Song and Dance: Rankin-Bass really went all-out with this one. There's a few career-best performances from voice actors who are known for lighter material. Kasem does well with Merry's heartbreak at the loss of Theoden and how he ends up helping Eowyn, Conrad makes the most of his brief role as the mad king Denethor, and Bean and McDowell beautifully portray how the two young Hobbits get caught up in the ring's temptations. Messick shows why he played so many Hanna Barbara characters over the years by making The Voice of Sauron and Theoden two entirely different personalities with different voices. 

Favorite Number: We open with the Minstrel (Glenn Yarborough) explaining "The Ballad of Frodo" and what ultimately transpired that ended with the loss of Frodo's finger. The booming choral number "Wearer of the Ring" is heard three times, notably in the beginning where Sam is tempted by the ring's power, and in the end, when Frodo has seemingly succumbed to it. Sam finally breaks himself of the ring's hold by reminding himself that "Less Is More," and he prefers the simple life. The chorus briefly warn "Beware the Power," then admonish that "It's So Easy Not to Try" when they follow the Orc Army. 

The Orcs treat all their slaves, including Hobbitts, the same, as they remind them "Where There's a Whip, There's a Way." The hobbits wish they were at home and imagine what'll happen "'Till Yesterday." "Standing Underneath the Towers" and "Return of the King" are the big chorus numbers at the battle before and during Aragon's return. The title number shows  how he finally defeats the Orcs and reclaims his throne. The film ends with the haunting "You Will Never Say Goodbye" as the remaining three Hobbits watch the White Ship carrying Erond (Paul Frees), Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo over the horizon.

What I Don't Like: Yeah, this has a lot of the same problems as its predecessors The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. There's just too much story (and too much in the stories that isn't exactly family-friendly) to compress into an hour-and-a-half animated film. A ton was dropped to make this more accessible at the time, including most of the first half of the book. You don't really feel Sam and Frodo's friendship like you should, or care who kills the Witch-King or know who Aragon even is. Bikel barely appears in the last 20 minutes and doesn't have enough to do; Bellflower doesn't give Eowyn nearly the passion she needs. 

The Big Finale: Older elementary schoolers who are too young for the live-action movies but are still fans of fantasy may be intrigued by this earlier and slightly more kid-friendly visit to Middle Earth.

Home Media: Currently hard to find and pricey on DVD. Your best bet is to check used venues and look for uploads online.

DVD

Internet Archive

Mean Girls: The Musical (2024)

Paramount, 2024

Starring Angourie Rice, Renee Rapp, Auli'i Cravalho, and Jaquel Spivey

Directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr.

Music by Jeff Richmond; Lyrics by Nell Benjamin

This one actually began in 2002 with the parenting book Queen Bees and Wannabees. It detailed how teen girls form cliques and how to deal with aggressive behavior. Tiny Fey saw the book and thought it would make an interesting teen movie about a girl who was homeschooled overseas and suddenly found herself thrown into a world more feral than anything she encountered in the wild. Mean Girls with the then-wildly-popular teen actress Lindsay Lohen debuted in 2004 and became not only a blockbuster, but a much-loved touchstone among teens who grew up in that era. It became a Broadway musical in 2018, and probably would have run longer than two years if the pandemic hadn't hit. 

The film version was announced in 2020, shortly after the Broadway show closed. It's been a hit all over again since its debut last Friday. How does the story of one girl dealing with the ins and outs of modern high school cliques look nowadays? Let's begin as North Shore High students Janis Imi'ke (Cravalaho) and Damien Hubbard (Spivey) relate "A Cautionary Tale" as they film their garage rock act for Tik Tok and find out...

The Story: Cady Heron (Rice) is newly arrived at North Shore from Kenya, where her mother (Jenna Fischer) did zoological research. She was homeschooled for most of her life and never had to deal with things like cliques or school rules. Damien and Janis warn her to stay away from what they call "The Plastics." Insecure Gretchen (Bebe Wood), silly Karen Shetty (Avantika), and controlling "queen bee" Regina George (Rapp) rule the school with pink-frosted iron fingernails, but Cady is fascinated by them. 

After they invite her to sit with them, Janis suggests Cady reports on everything they say in order for Janis to get back at Regina for humiliating her in middle school. Cady is reluctant at first, but she goes all in after Regina steals Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), the boy she has a crush on, at a Halloween party. They do manage to dethrone Regina after an incident at the Christmas talent show, but Cady finds she enjoys the power a little too much and takes Regina's position as "queen bee." Damien and Janis aren't quite so amused, especially after she blows off their art show to have a wild party. 

Regina seeks her own revenge by throwing the "burn book" she and her friends made with insults about most of the girls at school, including one Cady wrote in anger about her math teacher Ms. Norbury (Tina Fey), into the hall. The insults turn the girls against each other, and everyone against Cady. Cady's reluctant to take a stand, until she realizes what their hurtful words have done to their teacher, their fellow students, and each other. Cady finally discovers that love is a lot less controllable than a math equation, and that the best thing anyone can be is themselves.

The Song and Dance: The thing I most like about this one is the updates to bring this teen parable into the here and now. The obnoxious and dated racial stereotypes of the original film were replaced by a far more diverse and eclectic cast. (And at least they specified that Cady was from Kenya, and not just the random "Africa.") Some critics claim this has less bite than the original. I think the kids' constantly filming everything and sharing it online actually adds more, giving the film a dimension of online bullying that was only just starting to exist when the first film came out. 

Cravalho and Rapp dance off with the movie as the tough art student who wants revenge in all the wrong ways and the controlling alpha female who will do anything to stay head of the pack. Wood has one of the most heartbreaking songs in the entire film as Regina's lackey who would do anything for her, and Spivey is adorable as Janis' sweet gay guy pal. Meadows and Fey get a few good moments reprising their roles from the original film as the math teacher who gets caught up in the girls' scheming and the principal who wonders when his school turned into a jungle. 

Favorite Number: Janis and Damian open with their garage rock Tik Tok number in a literal garage as they relate "A Cautionary Tale." Cady sings about "What ifs" while dreaming of normal high school in Kenya. It becomes a wild chorus number when she arrives at North Shore and finds the fast-moving student body to be more feral than anything in Africa. "Meet the Plastics" is Regina's introduction to her and her friends as they reveal the ways they rule the school. Cady admits that she's "Stupid With Love" as the kids sing along with her in calculus. Janis and Damian claim Regina is an "Apex Predator" who destroys anything in her path. This plays out with Gretchen's heartbreaking "What's Wrong With Me?" when she wonders why Regina has rejected her in favor of Cady.

At the Halloween party, Karen and most of the students claim you have to dress "Sexy," or you're just not cool. Regina warns away anyone who would defy her, before "Someone Gets Hurt." Janis, Damian, and Cady imagine their plot to be a candy-colored "Revenge Party," with everyone dancing in the halls at Regina's dethroning. Damien's attempt at the theme from the Nickelodeon show iCarly comes off kind of goofy, while "Kevin G's Rap" offends the principal. The Plastics' "Rockin' Around the Pole" in the famous brief Santa costumes starts well, until they all fall out of step and Cady is the only one left standing.

Regina, angry and confused over Cady's betrayal, decides that she would rather let the "World Burn" than let go of her throne. Janis, however, admits during the session with all the junior girls Ms. Nordbury calls after school that "I'd Rather Be Me" than be a copy of someone else. Cady finally realizes that every person is beautiful in their own unique way, and that it's better to give support than shove someone down. "I See Stars," she says as she tosses pieces of the prom queen crown to every girl in the audience, including Janis and her girlfriend and the Plastics.

Trivia: Rapp was in the original Broadway cast. 

Look for Lindsay Lohen in a cameo as the head of the Math Tournament.

While the Broadway version closed in 2020, the touring show has been out since 2019, and it's scheduled to open at London's Savoy Theatre in June. 

What I Don't Like: In many ways, this is a rehash of the original film with a more racially sensitive cast and cell phones. Some shots are word-for-word and barely change a thing. In other ways, there's a lot of changes, and not just the race lifts and music. Cady and Regina both had fathers in the original film. They're not mentioned at all here. Coach Carr (Jon Hamm) originally warned everyone in his sex ed classes away from sex, while having sex with his female students on the side. I'm surprised they got away with that in 2004, and they certainly wouldn't do it now. 

Not all of the performances land. Avantika is adorable, but doesn't come off quite shallow enough to make us believe this doe-eyed beauty would follow Regina around. Rice is a wonderful singer, but her Cady is far too dull to be a queen bee or a wannabe, or even someone Janis and Damian would ask to get revenge on the first two. She certainly won't make anyone forget Lohen's star-making performance. Briney is basically there as window dressing. And they apparently cut a lot of songs from the original Broadway show, including an ensemble number at the party, a duet for Cady and Aaron after he finds out she's been lying, a number at the Math Tournament, and one for Cady and the other Plastics.

The Big Finale: Like the heroine of this movie, I'm going to come clean. I never even saw the first film until I watched it after I got home from the movies today. I was an adult when it came out, and not really interested in teen movies. That said, maybe because I don't have that nostalgia and background with the original film, I really ended up enjoying this one. The cast is just as good, the music is decent, and the story works even better with the updating. Give these queen bees and wannabees a shot if you need something fun and uplifting to check out during these dark days of winter.

Home Media: Currently available for pre-order on Amazon. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

Road to Utopia

Paramount, 1946

Starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, and Robert Benchley

Directed by Hal Walker

Music by Jimmy Van Heusen; Lyrics by Johnny Burke

Let's take a trip to the frozen north with our three favorite Road travelers. This Road movie is unique in a few respects. It's the only one not set in a warm climate and then-contemporary times, to be told as a flashback, and to not feature Bing and Bob's "patty cake" routine. In other ways, this is one of the most typical movies in the entire series. How typical, you ask? Well, why don't we begin with Robert Benchley explaining what we're about to see and why Paramount wants him to translate what's going on and find out...

The Story: We learn in flashback when an elderly Duke Johnson (Crosby) returns to visit his friends Sal (Lamour) and Chester Hooten (Hope) how the trio ended up on a trip across Alaska in search of gold. Duke and Chester were originally vaudevillians and con men whose act in San Francisco was ruined when the police came in, chasing criminals Sperry (Robert Barrat) and McGurk (Nestor Pavia). Duke decides that Alaska is Utopia, the promised land, and tricks Chester into joining him there. Unfortunately, they lose the money and tickets and end up working their way across.

After the duo find a map in Sperry's jacket that leads to a gold mine, they take their clothes and pose as them to get off the boat. Turns out they're notorious in the Klondike for murdering the father of "Skagway" Sal Van Hoyden (Lamour) to get the map. Sal, who is also searching for the map, was hired by saloon owner Ace Larson (Douglass Dumbrille) to seduce it out of Duke and Chester. When that doesn't work, the two men rip the map into two pieces and take a slow dog sled out of town. Sal and Ace's nasty girlfriend Kate (Hillary Brooke) are hot on their trail. Chester and Duke  have to dodge Sal's advances, Ace's goons, and the local wildlife if they want to live to find that mine and really enjoy this 'promised land." 

The Song and Dance: The setting and Alaskan gold rush story makes this one of the more interesting and action-packed Road movies. I have no idea why Benchley claims in the beginning that he's there to make the story easier to follow. If anything, this is one of the stronger plots in a series not known for them. Dumbrille, who specialized in obnoxious or evil businessmen and nobles, is at his menacing best as the saloon owner who will literally kill in order to get that gold. Lamour has more to do than usual, too, especially when she's trying to figure out which guy has the map. Great production, too, with gorgeous period gowns for Brooke and Lamour and enough fake snow to bury the Paramount lot for two years.

Favorite Number: Our first song once we get into the flashback sequence is "Goodtime Charlie," Bob and Bing's hat-and-cane number before they start their "Ghost-o" act. Bing's solo is "It's Anybody's Spring," which he performs during a talent show on the ship in order to win the money to get ashore. His big ballad is "Welcome to My Dreams,' sung to Sal when she's attempting to seduce him at the saloon. He sounds so dreamy, she ends up in love with him for real. Bing and Bob's buddy duet is "Put 'Er There, Pal" as they ride across the frosty Alaskan landscape on their dog sled. Lamour gets her own ballad in "Would You?" as she literally steams up Chester's lap outside the cabin where they stay with the ladies. 

The hit here also went to Lamour. She sang the jaunty "Personality," on what really attracts a guy to a girl, at the saloon. The boys are so entranced by her saucey delivery (and voluptuous body encased in a glittering gown), they fall for her on the spot.

Trivia: Paramount originally finished filming this in 1943. No one knows why it was held from release for three years. Lamour thought Paramount didn't want to hurt Bing's chances of winning an Oscar in Going My Way. By the time it finally hit theaters, Benchley had been dead for three months.

What I Don't Like: Speaking of Benchley...what in the heck is he doing here? Yes, he does get some funny lines, especially at Hope and Crosby's expense, but the movie hardly needs plot clarification. In fact, some of his asides slow down the pacing. And usual Road movie warning about Bob and Bing's many then-topical references. If you aren't into the time period and don't know much about the two or Paramount, you may miss a lot of the jokes and one-liners.

The Big Finale: One of the better Road movies is well worth watching with your best pal on a snowy day when you just need some laughs. 

Home Media: Easily found in all formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Musical Documentaries - Wattstax

Columbia, 1973

Starring Richard Pryor, Kim Weston, Ted Lange, and Issac Hayes

Directed by Mel Stuart

Music and Lyrics by various

We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. weekend with this look at a classic concert film. This was a benefit organized by Stax Records in 1972 for the impoverished Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles to honor the 7th anniversary of the riots that devastated the community in 1965. Stax brought in the biggest stars in their roster, including actor Issac Hayes, who had just had a massive hit with the first Shaft film. How does this celebration of a place and time where the black community was at a crossroads look today? Let's begin with Richard Pryor introducing what we're about to see and hear and find out...

The Story: Pryor hosts and adds his own comments as the Wattstax concert in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is intercut with scenes from Watts, its vibrant streetscapes, and the Watts Summer Festival that commemorated the riots. We get to see the concert from the building of the stage to the very last song, and how much the music and their community meant to the people of Watts, even after the events that destroyed much of the neighborhood.

The Song and Dance: Great music by a nice variety of gospel, R&B, rock, and jazz artists anchors this look at how a community can still thrive, even in the wake of tragedy, upheaval, and revolution. It's interesting to see the comments from all of the people in the streets and cafes, and how well they compliment and contrast to the songs being played in that massive stadium. Look for Ted Lange, who would play Issac the bartender on The Love Boat five years later, among those discussing their feelings for the riots, Watts, and black culture in the early 70's. 

Favorite Number: Our first song after an audience-rousing speech from none other than Jesse Jackson is "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" by the Dramatics. The group the Staple Singers have three songs - the best is the rousing "Respect Yourself." Kim Weston gets patriotic with "The Star Spangled Banner" and encourages the audience to "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Jimmy Jones lends his velvet voice to "Someone Greater Than I," while the Rance Allen Group throw themselves into the more dynamic "Lying on the Truth."

The Golden Thirteen sing of that "Old Time Religion" while we see scenes from a choir at a real church in Watts performing the number as they remind us how important religion is to much of black culture. The audience almost literally goes wild for "Peace Be Still" by the Emotions. The Bar-Kays, with their huge white Afro wigs and chain costumes, get their funk on for "Son of Shaft/Feel It." Albert King insists "I'll Play the Blues for You," while Little Milton takes us into the night with "Walking the Back Streets and Crying" beautifully shot against a flickering bonfire. 

The men on the streets discuss the origins of Johnnie Taylor's "Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone" before he comes in with a searing performance of the tough R&B number. Mel and Tim's "I May Not Be What You Want" is a far sweeter ballad that covers a montage of couples throughout Watts falling in love and being together. Lovely Carla Thomas admonishes us to "Pick Up the Pieces," while Rufus Thomas shows off his vibrant pink threads before "The Breakdown" and encouraging everyone to "Do the Funky Chicken" in a performance that's so electric, the entire sold-out stadium dances along. We finish with two very different jazz artists. Luther Ingram purrs "If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)" while Issac Hayes performs his smash hit "Theme from Shaft" and ends the film with "Soulsville."

Trivia: MGM objected to the use of "Theme from Shaft" and "Soulsville" when the movie debuted. The replacement ending had Hays singing "Rolling on a Mountainside" on a Los Angeles soundstage. This is now replaced by the original ending on most existing prints. "Rolling" is apparently included as an extra on the DVD. 

Stax Records insisted that the security force and film crew be entirely African-American.

Little Milton, The Emotions, Luther Ingram, and Johnnie Taylor had to bow out of the concert. Ingram's performance was shot on a soundstage. The other three were filmed at various spots throughout the city.

What I Don't Like: This is not for young R&B fans. There's a lot of rough language and racial epithets, as per the time and setting. While there's no actual violence shown, it is discussed, including what kicked off those riots. There's also some light-hearted references to relationship abuse that wouldn't be taken as a throw-away joke today. Also, this could do with some restoration. The print currently at Amazon Prime is grainy and a bit washed-out, especially in the scenes with the men talking. 

The Big Finale: A terrific concert and a piece of black history that's well worth your time for fans of classic R&B, rock, jazz, and gospel, or for those who remember when a record company brought out the best to help a community celebrate its recovery from tragedy.

Home Media: Easily found on streaming and DVD

DVD

Amazon Prime

Silver Skates

Monogram Pictures, 1943

Starring Belita, Kenny Baker, Patricia Morrison, and Irene Dare

Directed by Leslie Goodwins

Music by Dave Oppenheim; Lyrics by Roy Ingraham

By the early 40's, Sonja Henie was far from the only skater in Hollywood. The "B" studios seemed to have more luck finding their own European ice queens than the majors. This was the first vehicle for British ice skater Belita Jepson-Turner, whom Monogram wanted to build into a star after featuring her in the 1941 film Ice Capades. They also acquired child prodigy skater Irene Dare from RKO and singer Kenny Baker for this bit of backstage fluff about a singer who finds himself caught in a romantic triangle while trying to keep the star from leaving the show. How does all this look today? Let's begin on the ice, with said star Belita front and center, and find out...

The Story: Claire Thomas (Morrison) is the owner of an ice show that may shut down if she can't keep her star attraction Belita (herself) from leaving to get married. The show's singer Danny Donovan (Baker) has been proposing to her for months, but she's always let him down. She finally changes her mind when she needs to be married in order to adopt Katrina (Dare), a Dutch orphan and amazing skater. Trouble is, Danny is also courting Belita, who goes along with it in order to make her fiancee Tom (Henry Wadsworth) jealous. He proposes to Belita to keep her in the show, but he's also still engaged to Claire. Now he has to figure out whether to go with his heart, or what's good for the show.

The Song and Dance: I have to admit, I like Belita a lot more than Henie. She's just as charming off and on the ice and is a somewhat better actress. I don't think Henie could pull off the thrillers Belita appeared in a few years later. I wish she'd continued with these ice skating musicals. This was a lot of fun, with some lovely numbers for Belita and Dare. Frank Faylen also has a few good moments as one of the comics at the show who is in pursuit of skater Lucille (Joyce Compton), and there's European comics Frick and Frack literally kicking the producer Claire invited to see the show out.

Favorite Number: We open with the Beaux Arts Ball number "Lovely Lady." Baker sings the dreamy ballad before skaters in gorgeous gowns glide across the ice. 1941 male skating champion Gene Turner gets a solo in a tux before Belita joins him. Katrina gets a brief but very cute dream in which she skates across a lake in the peasant costumes of her native Holland, with chorus children in equally sweet costumes joining her. Katrina is more taken by boy skater Billy Baxter (Danny Shaw) doing rope tricks and skating under legs in the cowboy chorus number "Cowboy Joe of Carnegie, MO." 

Frick and Frack show off more of their antics with chorus girls in lederhosen as they hear "Calling From the Mountain," and end up sliding down it. Danny reminds Claire that "A Girl Like You, a Boy Like Me" ought to get married in a sweet off-ice ballad in the office that ends with them admiring miniatures of a house and a laundry scene. Katrina and Billy are the cutest couple on the ice in a short instrumental number while Danny is trying to keep Belita in the show. Katrina is also the world's cutest Inuit princess when she's "Dancing On Top of the World" with the chorus in glitter and feathers and a real (and really adorable) little penguin. 

"Love Is a Beautiful Song" begins with Baker crooning the ballad to Belita, but it quickly turns into an elegant Fred-and-Ginger duet on ice when she joins Gene Turner in a tux, and they glide and spin together. Oddly, though they're listed in the playbill we see someone opening, Billy and Katrina don't appear in the big patriotic finale "Sing a Song of the Sea." (I wonder if their sequence was cut for time?) Belita and Turner do get big solos in this sailor-themed number set on a rather claustrophobic battleship that also includes "Columbia, Gem of the Ocean." 

What I Don't Like: Though Monogram spent more money on this than usual for their movies, this is still a fluffy B movie from World War II. The sets frequently look like the cardboard they are, especially that rather silly igloo in Katrina's "Dancing On Top of the World" routine. The plot is piffle, the songs forgettable. Morrison could do a lot more than one number and turn down Baker's proposals. Baker is annoying and not too bright for leading the ladies on when he's not singing. Wish we could have seen more of the kids, too. Other than their numbers, they pretty much disappear during the second half (and as mentioned, don't appear at all in the finale). 

The Big Finale: This and Belita's other big full ice musical Lady, Let's Dance are highly recommended for fans of figure skating, Belita, or 40's musicals.

Home Media: Seems to be streaming only at the moment. Amazon Prime has it for free with a subscription.

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - It's a Pleasure

RKO, 1945

Starring Sonja Henie, Michael O'Shea, Marie McDonald, and Bill Johnson

Directed by William A. Seiter

Music and Lyrics by various

By 1945, Henie was making more off her live ice skating shows than her movies. After her last 20th Century Fox film, Wintertime, was a flop, they let her go. She was picked up by the newly-created International Pictures in 1944. Former Fox head off production William Goetz wanted to make movies with the same high budgets and stars as the studio he left. It's a Pleasure got the royal treatment, including Technicolor, an elaborate production, and two popular stage leading men to play off Henie. How well did he do with this story of a figure skater who marries a down-and-out hockey player? Let's begin at the hockey area, where figure skater Chris Linden (Henie) eagerly watches the star she has a crush on, Don Martin (O'Shea), and find out...

The Story: Don is kicked off the team after he punches a referee during a game. Chris introduces Don to Buzz Fletcher (Johnson), who runs an ice skating revue. He'll take Chris and her troupe, who were skating between hockey rounds, and him too. Don's athletic moves prove to be a big draw for audiences and for Chris, whom he marries. 

Chris adores Don, but she doesn't love his heavy drinking. Buzz's bored wife Gail (McDonald) also has a crush on Don and is furious when he doesn't return her interest. She gets him drunk right before his big solo. Angry and disappointed, Chris goes on a long tour with Buzz's show after he fires Don. It's Gail, however, who finally brings the two together in the end when she locates Don and gets him to the theater for Chris' latest show.

The Song and Dance: One of the reasons Henie left Fox was they wouldn't let her do a movie in color. I'm glad she got her wish here. This movie looks gorgeous, with its glittering, glamorous skating show costumes and dazzling backdrops for the show. Even the copy currently on Amazon is in surprisingly good shape for such a minor title. It almost literally glows. I also give RKO credit for giving Henie a slightly darker plot than the silly romantic comedies Fox dumped Henie in. This snow cone has a little spice in it, with Gail practically throwing herself at Don and Chris' skater friend Wilma (Iris Adrian) snarking about Don's behavior every step of the way. 

Favorite Number: We start out at the hockey game with the chorus, the instrumental "Nobody's Sweetheart." Ladies in green skate for the audience before Sonja arrives in gleaming white to show off her trademark dizzying spins. There isn't another number until midway through the film, when Chris has to go on for her drunk husband. Sonja comes out in brilliant magenta, her hair up in feathers, for a fully solo routine. 

"Summer Dance" at the show in the finale is one of her very rare off-ice numbers. She does a lovely duet with a male dancer, this time with her pink gown nearly floating against a backdrop of emerald trees and a silvery pond. The last number is "Romance," which switches the pond to winter. Henie now glides like a snow queen against a backdrop of white and silver, with the chorus floating around her in scarlet.

What I Don't Like: Other than those big numbers in the finale, this frappe isn't much fun. Neither O'Shea nor Johnson make much of an impression. They're so bland, you have no idea why Chris or Gail would cause so much trouble over them. Henie never was much of an actress; many of the heavier dramatics are way over her head and O'Shea's, rendering their relationship totally unbelievable. There's also the sequence at the skating pond with Chris and Don joking about how spousal abuse is good for a relationship that comes off as far more disturbing today. (Even in the movie, Buzz called them on it.) 

The movie also features a surprising lack of ice skating for one of Henie's films. No one else has a number besides her or the chorus, and the only song with lyrics is heard briefly in the end. Don supposedly became a big skater in Buzz's shows, but we only hear his death-defying routines described. He's never shown doing them. The only time we see him on ice is during the hockey sequence in the opening. 

The Big Finale: It's a Pleasure is no pleasure. It's too bad this slushy nonsense was Henie's only shot at a color movie. It's strictly for her most ardent fans, or fans of 40's and 50's Technicolor musicals.

Home Media: On DVD and streaming, the latter currently free on Amazon Prime with a subscription. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Hobbit (1977)

NBC, 1977

Voices of Orson Bean, John Huston, Hans Conried, and Richard Boone

Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass

Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass and J.R Tolkien

As we prepare for the release of another Lord of the Rings live-action film later this year (and I re-read the book The Hobbit), we take a look at the two Rankin-Bass animated musical versions of these much-loved fantasy novels. Rankin was a fan of the books and spent three million making this as close to the actual book as they could get away with in prime-time in the late 70's. It debuted as a Thanksgiving special on NBC that year and was popular enough for them to consider a sequel. How does the first full-length adaptation of a Lord of the Rings novel look today? Let's begin with Bilbo (Bean) in his hobbit hole about to receive thirteen very unexpected visitors and find out...

The Story: The last thing Bilbo expects is for twelve dwarfs and the wizard Gandalf (Huston) to turn up on his doorstep and invite him on an adventure. They're traveling to the Lonely Mountain to retrieve their treasure from the dragon Smaug (Boone) and want Bilbo to be their stealthy burglar. Bilbo would really rather stay home, but Gandalf persuades him. 

Bilbo wishes he'd stayed home when they encounter goblins who try to eat them, wolf-like monsters called Wargs who chase them up trees, and a strange little creature called Gollum who hides a certain ring. Bilbo uses the ring to escape and save the dwarfs from many dangers. He even manages to find the treasure and Smaug's weak spot. However, the dragon destroys the surrounding town, and the dwarfs won't share the treasure, inciting a war.

The Animation: That three million dollars shows in sketchy, earthy artwork that is far and above what Rankin-Bass/Topcraft was doing in their holiday specials at this point. It's not nearly as frightening or uncanny valley as the rotoscoping seen in Ralph Bakshki's Lord of the Rings, but it moves too stiffly to be Disney's best, and some of the special effects with the spiders and the dragon are a little cheap. Still, there's some nice work here, from Gollum's expressions to the bright red all around when Smaug decimates Laketown.

The Song and Dance: This was always by far my favorite of the three Lord of the Rings animated films. Folksy comedian Bean is a charming Bilbo, equally capable of fleeing war and goblins and outwitting Gollum. For some reason, we have two well-known directors doing voices here. John Huston is a wonderfully gravely and grave Gandalf, while Otto Preminger is the elf king. Conried does well as grouchy Thorin, head of the dwarfs, too. Also, kudos for most of the songs being fairly accurate adaptations of the ones in the book, word for word. 

Favorite Number: The only fully original song featured in the film is "The Greatest Adventure," heard in the opening and closing performed by folk singer Glenn Yarbrough. The dwarfs sing about "That's What Bilbo Baggins Hates" at their impromptu party in his hobbit hole during the opening. The chorus sings as they travel "Under the Lonely Mountain." Later, we hear them perform "The Barrel Song" and "The Mountain King's Return." Yarbrough gets "Roads," "The Roads Goes Ever On and On," "In the Valley Ha! Ha!," and "Old Fat Spider." "Down, Down to Goblin Town" and "Funny Little Things" are performed by a goblin chorus when they capture the dwarfs and Bilbo. 

Trivia: Animator Gene Deitch did an earlier Hobbit animated short in 1966, but it has very little in common with the original book or later feature-length films. 

What I Don't Like: Fans and scholars of Tolkien's work have long complained about everything they cut out to make this more family and TV-friendly, from Bilbo stealing a family treasure of Thorin's and handing it to the elves to Bilbo getting knocked out and missing the entire war instead of protesting it and hiding. Several characters are missing too, notably Beorn, who shelters the group early in the book and gives them directions to the mountain. 

The Big Finale: A great introduction to Tolkien's work and fantasy in general for families with elementary-school age kids who can handle some of the darker elements.

Home Media: The DVDs are rare and expensive online. You're better off streaming this one. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Second Fiddle

20th Century Fox, 1939

Starring Sonja Henie, Tyrone Power, Edna May Oliver, and Rudy Vallee

Directed by Sidney Lanfield

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

By 1939, Henie's films were among the top box-office draws in the world, but she was hardly the only major story in Hollywood. From the moment it was optioned as a movie to the beginning of filming in 1938, most of the talk at the studios revolved around who would play the coveted role of Scarlet O'Hara in David O. Selznick's epic adaptation of the blockbuster novel Gone With the Wind. Almost every actress in Hollywood practically threw themselves at Selznick for a chance to audition. Given what a big deal this was at the time, it was likely inevitable that at least one musical would send up the chaos. How does the story of how a press agent falls for the Minnesota teacher he discovers look today? Let's begin with the search for an actress to play "The Girl of the North" and find out...

The Story: Consolidated Pictures has tried for months to find the right actress to portray that coveted role. Jimmy Sutton (Power) is sent to Bergen, Minnesota interview candidate 436, elementary school teacher Trudi Hovland (Henie). Trudi's shocked when they claim they want her. Turns out her boyfriend Willie Hogger (Lyle Talbot) sent in her photo and paperwork, thinking she'd be perfect. Jimmy convinces her and her Aunt Phoebe (Oliver) to give the audition a shot.

Trudi aces the audition. Public relations chief George "Whit" Whitney (Alan Dinehart) thinks she's perfect. Now he wants Jimmy to work on the reputation of his newest star, singer Roger Maxwell (Vallee). Jimmy cooks up a fake romance between Roger and Trudi, to the annoyance of Roger's actual girlfriend Jean (Mary Healy). Thanks to all the love letters Jimmy sends that are supposed to be from Roger and the hit song he writes, Trudi thinks Roger really is in love with her. Jimmy, however, is the one who is really in love, and he's the one who needs to bring her back when she returns home after she discovers the deception.

The Song and Dance: Some decent writing and an amusing and then-topical story puts this one far and above Happy Landing. Oliver steals the show as Phoebe's tough aunt, who hits it off with Jimmy as much as her niece does and gets some of the best lines. They have by far the film's funniest scene when they get drunk on champagne together and toss every glass in the hotel room into the fire. Dineheart also has a few good moments as Jimmy's even tougher boss. Some of the Hollywood satire still lands, especially in the first half when they're desperately searching for that elusive "Girl of the North." 

Favorite Number: Oddly, our first number features not Henie, but Vallee, who croons about "An Old-Fashioned Tune" on a giant song sheet while singers in historical costumes sing on the notes under him. We first meet Henie teaching her pupils, including the Brian Sisters, "The Song of the Metronome." She and the kids get an adorable instrumental number on ice as she teaches them how to skate and Jimmy tries to join her. "Back to Back" is a goofy chorus routine sung by Healy as she encourages everyone to dance with their backs to each other. Healy also gets the more typical ballad "I'm Sorry for Myself."

"When Winter Comes" is prompted by Trudi when she admits that she misses snowy Minnesota. Russell sings about the delights of snow and ice, leading Trudi to imagine his pool as an ice rink and her gliding with a handsome partner (Stewart Reburn). "I Poured My Heart Into a Song" is the number Jimmy wrote and said was from Russell, and indeed Vallee does get to perform the charming ballad. Trudi gets one last instrumental solo, skating and spinning on the ice on her own in Minnesota as Jimmy arrives to bring her back.

Trivia: "I Poured My Heart Into a Song" was Oscar-nominated, but lost to "Over the Rainbow." 

What I Don't Like: Power and Henie don't have much more chemistry here than they did in Thin Ice two years earlier. He does better and has more fun with Oliver than with her. As cute as the story is, it's also cliches of the highest order. It gets so bogged down in Trudi's romance, you really don't really get to see them filming "Girl of the North," or much of any filming at all. And while Berlin's songs are lovely, "Poured My Heart Into a Song" aside, they're far from his best.

The Big Finale - The score and cute Hollywood satire makes this one of Henie's better films. Worth checking out if you love Henie, Berlin, or musicals set in Tinseltown.

Home Media: Surprisingly, not currently on legitimate DVD in the US. I ran into a copy on YouTube with Spanish subtitles. 

YouTube

Happy Landing (1938)

20th Century Fox, 1938

Starring Sonja Henie, Caesar Romero, Don Ameche, and Ethel Merman

Directed by Roy Del Ruth

Music by Samuel Pokrass; Lyrics by Jack Yellen

With winter gripping the northern hemisphere, we're returning to champion figure skater Sonja Henie and her extravaganzas on ice. This was her third starring vehicle and her second appearance with Don Ameche after One In a Million. It's also a bit topical, given this is the height of the big band era and the public fascination with the men who led the bands and often wrote the songs. How does the story of how one especially glamorous bandleader gets tangled up with a Norwegian lass look today? Let's begin as bandleader Duke Sargent (Romero) is dodging the complaints and blackmail of his most recent paramour, Flo Kelly (Merman), and find out...

The Story: Sargent and his manager Jimmy Hall (Ameche) fly from New York to Paris to get inspiration for Duke's latest songs. They make an unscheduled stop in Norway, where they stay with local lass Trudi Ericksen (Henie) and her family. Sargent dances twice with her and flirts wildly, thinking nothing of it. Trudi thinks it means they're engaged and ends up following them to New York when they leave. Sargent flirts with every woman he meets and means nothing by it. 

Jimmy takes her skating in Central Park when it turns out Duke is in Florida with Flo, but is so impressed with her skating ability, he convinces a ice show to take her on. Duke comes running back the moment he hears she's now a big skating star. Flo jealously puts a story in the newspaper that claims both men are after her. Now Jimmy and Duke aren't speaking to each other and Trudi is upset with Jimmy. She says she wants to marry Duke, but there's only one man she's really in love with.

The Song and Dance: The ladies. Henie retains the charm that makes you understand why both men fall for her, with her round cupid face and adorable Norwegian accent. Merman's having almost as much fun keeping Duke in line, especially when she's mad at him over Trudi. There's some lovely skating numbers here, too, and terrific costumes and gowns on and off the ice. Norway is almost comically recreated, with fanciful peasant costumes and sweet little wood houses.

Favorite Number: The first real number is an instrumental chorus number in Norway as Duke and Trudi joins in a town festival. We then get Henie's first huge skating routine, as Trudi and the townspeople dance to "A Gypsy Told Me," with Henie sliding in on a sled in a white fur-trimmed outfit and crown that makes her look like a Norwegian princess from a fairy tale. "Gypsy Told Me" turns up again, performed by Leah Ray with Duke's band as he tosses out a load of malarkey about getting the idea for the song from Rome. (He really got it from Trudy.) 

Flo is so thrilled when she manages to snare a European aristocrat, she sings about being "Hot and Happy." Flo also gets "You are the Words to the Music In My Heart" and "You Appeal to Me" later on. Duke also claims he discovered two "Natives" doing "War Dance for Indians." They're really the Condos Brothers doing an elaborate and bizarre tap routine on two drums, dressed in feathers, war paint, and fringe. El Brendel joins Henie at Central Park to explain why his orchestra prefers oompah music to swing in the goofy "Yonny and His Oompah." "Hot and Heavy" returns in instrumental form for the big finale, as Trudi glides to the music in a glittering top half of a tux, surrounded by men in tuxes and flourishing capes.

What I Don't Like: The guys are the problem. Duke is such a jerk and a user, you wonder what either woman sees in him. No wonder Trudi drops him like a stone once she realizes what he's really like. Jimmy's only slightly less of an idiot. And yeah, the story is not only nothing to write home about, real Norwegians may take offense nowadays at how backwards their country is portrayed early-on. There's the Condos Brothers' native dance, too. They look less like natives and more like white hoofers in bad makeup and ridiculous costumes. The music's not terrific, either, with only "A Gypsy Told Me" being even mildly memorable.

The Big Finale: Too abrasive to be one of Henie's better vehicles. This one is mainly for her fans, 30's musical lovers, and figure skating nuts.

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

DVD