Miss Sadie Thompson

Columbia Pictures, 1953

Starring Rita Hayworth, Jose Ferrer, Aldo Ray, and Russell Collins

Directed by Curtis Bernhardt

Music by Ned Washington and Lester Lee; Lyrics by Allan Roberts

After 1948, Hayworth was off the screen for three years. Her divorce from Orson Welles and marriage to - and subsequent divorce from - Prince Aly Khan made headlines around the world, but it also attracted a lot of negative publicity. Her two movies after returning to Columbia, Affair In Trinidad and Salome, were huge hits. 

Striking while the iron was hot, Columbia rushed her into this reworking of the 1921 short story and play Rain. Gloria Swanson played prostitute Sadie Thompson a 1928 silent version, while Joan Crawford took the role in its sound adaptation Rain. It was even remade as an all-black "race" movie in 1946, Dirty Gertie from Harlem USA. How does the first version in color, widescreen, and at one point, 3D look nowadays? Let's begin with the title character (Hayworth) on the way to American Samoa after World War II and find out...

The Story: Sadie's on her way to Apia, but she's stranded in Pago Pago when the ship is quarantined. The Marines in the area, especially crude but kind Sergeant Phil O'Hara (Ray), think she's gorgeous. She comes complete with a sexy wardrobe and a loud record player that offends missionary Alfred Davidson (Ferrer) and his wife (Peggy Converse), who are staying at the same hotel as her. 

Davidson knows about her sinful past in Hawaii and is determined to steer her away from an un-heavenly life. Sadie's just as determined to push back at first. As he wears her down, she wonders if she'd be better off giving in. He thinks he has her beaten, but then one night, he really listens to the natives playing their drums. That sets off his own repressed desires...including the desire for Sadie. 

The Song and Dance: Whoa. Rain is still not the first story you'd think of for musical treatment, and this is fairly dark for 1953. Hayworth puts in one of her best-ever performances as the good-time girl who just wants to enjoy herself and get the heck out of town. Ferrer's repressed missionary who makes it his personal mission to save Sadie from herself nearly matches her decadent energy. The color cinematography is radiant weather in sunny Pago Pago or the constantly pouring rain.

Favorite Number: We open with "The Marine Song," as the military boys sing about their lives on Pago Pago. Sadie tells the part-native children of hotel owner Joe Horn (Harry Bellaver) to "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil" in a cheerful song after she's settled in there. "The Heat's On" is her wild number with the Marines during their big bash, as she dances with every man in the place, then shakes and shimmies like she's on fire. "Blue Pacific Blues" is a languid ballad she performs later at the party, when they've calmed down a little and she's feeling more introspective. The native performance that drives Davidson to reveal his lust is brief but fairly interesting, with scantily dressed beauties shaking their hips wildly.

Trivia: This wasn't the first attempt to turn Rain into a musical. A Broadway stage show with June Havoc as Sadie debuted in 1944. It did even less well, barely lasting a month and a half. 

Was shot in 3D, but it was a flop in that version, so it was released "flat" with no effects. 

What I Don't Like: As dark as the film is, the earlier film versions went even darker. They didn't just hint that Davidson sexually assaulted Sadie; they insinuated it as much as possible. Davidson was also more obviously a priest, instead of just a missionary. I suspect they didn't want to get on any church's bad side. The Production Code was still in full effect at the time as well, and it banned religious leaders being seen as anything but saintly. Despite the Oscar nomination for "Blue Pacific Blues," the songs are neither numerous, nor very good. And given Hayworth was mainly known as a dancer at this point, I'm surprised she didn't have more than one dance number. 

The Big Finale: Interesting mainly if you're a fan of darker musicals or the stars in question. Other adults would be better off seeing the original non-musical films. 

Home Media: Very easy to find on disc and streaming. The limited edition Blu-Ray in 3D is in print, but is rare and extremely expensive when it does appear. The solo DVD is from Columbia's made-to-order Sony Choice Collection. 

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Down to Earth (1947)

Columbia Pictures, 1947

Starring Rita Hayworth, Larry Parks, James Gleason, and Roland Culver

Directed by Alexander Hall

Music by Doris Fischer; Lyrics by Allan Roberts

This week, we move from 20th Century Fox to Columbia for two of Rita Hayworth's lesser-known vehicles. Fantasy was all the rage in the 40s as people looked to escape from World War II and the escalating Cold War tensions after it ended. One of the first of these fantasies was the comedy Here Comes Mr. Jordan, about a prize fighter who is sent back to Earth in another body by the angel of the title. 

It made sense at the time to do a follow-up with Columbia's biggest star. Hayworth was known as "The Love Goddess" to her many fans, who made her the number one star and top pin-up girl in the world. How does this movie manage to cross angelic Jordan and her unearthly charms with a decidedly less heavenly story of a muse who takes over a Broadway show? Let's begin with that show, Swinging the Muses, in rehearsal and find out...

The Story: Muse of Dance Terpsichore (Hayworth) is appalled at the show, which depicts her and her sisters as man-hungry bimbos fighting over two pilots who crashed on Mount Parnassus. She begs Mr. Jordan (Culver) to take her down to New York and let her deal with the play's director and writer, Danny Miller (Parks). Jordan agrees to send her down with his assistant Messenger 7013 (Edward Everett Horton) to keep an eye on her. 

In New York, Terpsichore goes under the name Kitty Pendleton. She lands the part, then convinces former boxing agent Max Corkle (Gleason) to represent her. Danny falls hard for her charms, and she does manage to convince him to change the play from a low-down farce to a high-brow ballet. That doesn't go over well with audiences. Not only is the cast furious, but it turns out Danny convinced gangsters to finance his show, and they'll kill him if it's not a success. Now Terpsichore has to give up her high-handed reputation in order to save the man she loves and prove that the Muses are neither bimbos, nor forces to be reckoned with.

The Song and Dance: This one is all about Hayworth and the gorgeous production. The Technicolor is absolutely stunning, showing off fiery Hayworth with her rich scarlet lips and ginger hair to best advantage. She's backed by the stunning sets and glorious jewel-toned costumes, especially for the show itself. Horton and Gleason come off the best of the supporting cast as the dithering assistant angel who wishes this muse would inspire less trouble and the agent who gets mixed up in the insanity. 

There's also the mild turn into film noir territory the film takes mid-way through when Kitty realizes just what Danny's really gotten himself into. It's surprisingly dramatic for the light film that came before it and is handled relatively well. In fact, I give them credit for going with a very original twist on the backstage story, even if it is a sequel. 

Favorite Number: We open with "Kiss of the Muses," as those heavenly ladies in vibrant purple with the strange bulbous headgear singing of how desperate they are to land a man, any man. "The Can't Convince Me (You're Not a Dream)" Danny croons to Kitty in the prop department after he's been smitten with her. "This Can't Be Legal" is the bizarre dance number with the on-stage Terpsichore deciding to keep both of her mortal pilot suitors. The big ballad "Let's Stay Young Forever" is heard several times, notably by Kitty at rehearsal. Kitty also gets a big instrumental dance routine with the chorus at the rehearsal that's so spirited, it convinces Danny to make her Terpsichore on the spot. 

The major numbers here are a study in contrasts between the two styles of dance routines in musicals of the 40's and 50's. "The Greek Ballet" is airy, arty posturing showing Terpsichore's idea of what really happens on Mount Parnassus. It may put the audience in the film to sleep, but the dancing is well-choreographed and the costumes are gorgeous. "People Have More Fun Than Anyone" is the show's big finale. The muses literally let their hair down as they join their now-deployed suitors in a make-believe Grammercy Park, riding down slides and tossing fall leaves everywhere. 

Trivia: Horton and Gleason reprise their roles from Here Comes Mr. Jordan. Culver replaces Claude Rains as Jordan.

What I Don't Like: I appreciate the originality...but this is ultimately even stranger than the movie it later inspired, Xanadu. It also shares some of the same problems as that film, starting with a leading man who is totally at sea and can neither sing, nor dance - Parks was dubbed by Hal Derwin. Hayworth is dubbed by Anita Ellis, leading to a rare situation where both leads in a musical are dubbed. The songs are dull, and in the case of the ballet and "This Can't Be Legal," truly bizarre. 

The movie makes even less sense than Xanadu. Terpsichore comes off as a bit of a witch until Jordan gets through to her that Danny won't live long if she doesn't go with what he wanted. Speaking of, as intriguing as the gangster plot in the second half is, it comes out of left field and seems to be there only to give Terpsichore a real reason for staying besides romance. Platt was an excellent dancer who could have been given a lot more to do than just pointing out to his best friend that changing the show because a lady said so wasn't in his best interest. 

The Big Finale: Mainly recommended for huge fans of Hayworth, the Technicolor fantasies of the 40's and 50's, or those who want to try something a little different in their splashy 40's musicals. 

Home Media: The solo DVD is in print, but pricey. You're better off streaming this one or picking it up as part of the Mill Creek 20 Musicals collection.

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Paddy O'Day

20th Century Fox, 1936

Starring Jane Withers, Pinky Tomlin, Rita Cansino (Hayworth), and Jane Darwell

Directed by Lewis Seiler

Music and Lyrics by various

Jane Withers was sort of 20th Century Fox's anti-Shirley Temple. She usually played spunky or even mean girls who could hold their own in a fight and certainly wouldn't put up with nasty old codgers or snooty ladies. Like Temple and Bobby Breen, most of her movies were short musicals about orphans who triumph over those who would tear them away from the right quirky family. Rita Cansino was making her fourth film, and was a year away from changing her name to Rita Hayworth and becoming one of the most beloved stars of the 1940's and 50's. How well do they work together in this story of an immigrant girl who comes to the US and makes her way among Russians and the Long Island elite? Let's begin on the boat, as Tamara Petrovich (Hayworth) dances for the crowds going to America, and find out...

The Story: Tamara is looking after eight-year-old Paddy O'Day (Withers) on her way to meet her mother, a cook in a wealthy household. After they arrive at Ellis Island, Paddy's told that her mother is very sick, and she'll be sent back to Ireland. She runs away from the orphanage there and goes to New York in search of her mother. She doesn't find out until she makes it to Long Island that her mother has died. Dora the kindly maid (Darwell) and the stuffy butler Benton (Russell Simpson) agree to keep her there and hide her from the immigration authorities.

The house belongs to two spoiled and fretful old maids. They live with their shy son Roy (Tomlin), who's only interest is the rare stuffed birds he collects. He first encounters Paddy when her dog Tim chases his aunts' cat and they hide in his room. Roy is taken with her and doesn't rat her out when her dog chews one of his birds. Tamara and her brother Mischa (George Givot) come looking for Paddy. Not only does he agree that she should stay with them, but Mischa talks Roy into becoming a partner in his Russian-themed nightclub. His aunts are shocked when they come home to find their nephew enjoying his life with vodka and real birds, and decide for one and for all to get rid of the immigrant menaces that disrupted their household.

The Song and Dance: I really like Withers. I think I like her even more than Temple. Talk about a spunky kid. She has no trouble beating up a boy in New York who picked on her and Tim, or telling the aunts off for being spiteful old biddies. There's some nice dancing, too, via a young Rita Hayworth in her fourth film. Gentle Darwell as the soft-hearted cook, Vera Lewis and Louise Carter as the obnoxious aunts who can't understand why anyone who is different than them could be happy, and Francis Ford as good natured Officer McGuire also come off well. Some nice directing touches for what's more-or-less a B musical, too, including a well-done montage of Paddy being overwhelmed by the noise and sights of the Big Apple. 

Favorite Number: We open with Hayworth doing a fast and complicated Russian dance to a sprightly instrumental balalaika tune. Withers sings "Keep That Twinkle In Your Eye" three times, after Hayworth does her number on the boat, briefly later that night when she goes to sleep dreaming of America, and in the finale after she's found her family. Tomlin's big number is him admitting how he's "Changing Ambitions" for his Russian beauty. 

Withers and Hayworth both get big chorus numbers in the nightclub near the end. Withers does "I Like a Balalaika" with the male chorus as they play the title stringed guitar for her. Hayworth gets her own big chorus routine as she wonders "Which Is Which," and which handsome Russian suitor she wants.

What I Don't Like: Too bad the story is sticky melodrama only a notch above Temple and Breen's movies. This is also a good time to discuss Tomlin. He was a popular songwriter and orchestra leader in this time period; some of his songs are still performed today. He also occasionally appeared in movies...and while he was charming, he was also bland, especially compared to feisty Withers. He's more believable as a reclusive bird scholar than a guy with a mustache telling his aunts to live it up. (In fact, he was a geology scholar in real life and would go on to own an oil company later in his career.) 

The Big Finale: If all of Withers' child star vehicles are as much fun as this one, I'm going to look for more of them. Highly recommended for fans of 30's musicals or the films of other child stars of this period like Temple, Breen, or Deanna Durbin.

Home Media: Currently out of print on the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives. You're better off looking for this one used.

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My Gal Sal

20th Century Fox, 1942
Starring Rita Hayworth, Victor Mature, John Sutton, and Carole Landis
Directed by Irving Cummings
Music by Paul Dressler and others; Lyrics by various

20th Century Fox tried for years to get this one off the ground. Alice Faye and Betty Grable, tired of the constant historical musicals offered to them, turned it down. Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck eventually borrowed Rita Hayworth from Columbia to play the title role of the muse and true love of 1890's composer Paul Dressler. How does the colorful story of his life and work look now? Let's head to Indiana as Dressler (Mature) is having a fight with his minister father and find out...

The Story: Dressler has no interest in going to the seminary to become a priest like his father. His real interest is in music. After being tarred and feathered by locals who wanted retaliation for being tricked by a snake oil salesman, he takes up with a traveling medicine show. He enjoys writing songs for Mae Collins (Landis) and her father (Walter Catlett), until his music and his flashy suits are snubbed by haughty New York stage star Sally Elliott (Hayworth). He eventually moves to New York, where he discovers that she's written lyrics to his unpublished songs. With the help of a small-time publisher (James Gleason), he's able to reclaim his song...but it's become a hit with her lyrics.

This becomes the beginning of an off-again, on-again relationship between the volatile Sally and clothes-loving Dressler. She already has a lover, her producer Fred Haviland (Paul Sutton). Not only is Mae still interested in him, but he also finds a lover in the Countess Mariana Rossini (Mona Maris). When Sally finally gets fed up with Dressler's affairs and leaves New York, he has his first flop. It'll take help from their friends to bring the two back together for one more big hit song.

The Song and Dance: Hayworth glows in this sumptuous Technicolor confection. No wonder the art direction won an Oscar. The sets, and especially those frilly, colorful costumes that Sally and Paul tear into, are gorgeous and relatively accurate for New York and the Midwest in the late 1800's. There's some fabulous musical numbers as well, with Hollywood choreographer Hermes Pan making a rare appearance as Hayworth's partner in "On the Gay White Way."

Favorite Number: Hayworth dances beautifully with Pan in the glamorous "Gay White Way"...which Mature heckles in retaliation for her snubbing him at the traveling show. Hayworth performs the charming "Come and Tell Me" as a glittering dance routine with the male chorus.  She and Mature (or their dubbers) get to introduce two lovely ballads, the jaunty "Oh the Pity of It All" and "Here You Are" when he's telling her how he wrote them at the piano. "On the Banks of the Wabash" and "Me and My Fella and a Big Umbrella" are sweetly nostalgic romps for Hayworth and the chorus, with down-home and beach themes respectively.

Trivia: Dressler was the older brother of author Theodore Dreisler, who was one of the writers on the film. (Dressler changed his name for show business.)

Other women considered for Hayworth's part included Irene Dunne and Mae West; Don Ameche was considered for Dressler.

"On the Banks of the Wabash" was such a hit, it became the state song of Indiana in 1913.

Most of the songs in the movie, including "Pity of It All" and "Here We Are," are actually the work of studio songwriters Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin.

What I Don't Like: First of all, this is another "biography" that doesn't have that much to do with the subject matter. Dressler did run away from home to work with traveling minstrel shows, he did finally drop the traveling shows when his songs gained national fame, he did become a silent partner with a New York publishing company that exclusively published his songs for years. However, his life was even more colorful than what was depicted here, starting with "My Gal Sal" was likely named after a bordello owner named Sally with whom he had an affair.

Second, Mature is clearly out of place here. Like John Payne, he never was comfortable in musicals, no matter how often the studio keeping throwing him into them. Not only are he and Hayworth clearly dubbed, but Dressler and Sally's on-again, off-again relationship is more tiresome than romantic. A "romance" that starts with the lovers trying to get revenge on each other and almost ends with them literally tearing their clothes to shreds is more mean than funny. There's also the brief but annoying Indian stereotypes at the medicine show.

The Big Finale: The elaborate numbers alone makes it worth a watch for fans of 40's musicals or Hayworth.

Home Media: Currently on DVD from the 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives. The Blu-Ray from Twilight Time is on the pricey side.

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You Were Never Lovelier

Columbia Pictures, 1942
Starring Rita Hayworth, Fred Astaire, Adolph Menjou, and Isobel Elsom
Directed by William A. Seiter
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Johnny Mercer

We're taking a trip down to South America today in honor of Cinco Del Mayo for the second of two movies to pair Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. This romantic comedy with music was based after a popular Argentine comedy; it wound up being a huge hit over here as well, including three Oscar nominations. How does the story of a dancer who finds himself tangled with an Argentinian beauty and her family look now? Let's start at the race tracks in Buenos Aires and find out...

The Story: In need of money after losing big at the tracks, American dancer Bob Davis (Astaire) goes to the owner of the Sky Room nightclub Eduardo Acuna (Menjou). His fussy receptionist Fernando (Gus Schilling) won't let him pass, but Xavier Cugat (himself) finds Bob a job singing at Acuna's daughter's wedding. Acuna has a rule that each of his four daughters must get married in turn. It's now Maria's (Hayworth) turn to marry. She hasn't found anyone she likes yet, to the despair of her younger sisters who have found beaus they wish to wed.

After Bob claims Maria has an icy personality, Eduardo writes love notes attached to orchids to fan her flame and put her in a more romantic mood. She has no idea who sent them, until she sees Bob delivering them for her father at the door and assumes it's him. Eduardo convinces Bob to try to steer her away from him in exchange for doing his dance at the club (at a later date). Bob's too charming for it to work, and he and Maria fall for each other instead. Now both men have to figure out how to keep up the deception without hurting Maria or muddling things further.

The Song and Dance: A terrific cast and one of Jerome Kern's best scores makes this a vast improvement over the earlier Astaire-Hayworth vehicle You'll Never Get Rich. Menjou is a delight as Maria's stubborn, overprotective father, who wants to see his daughter married off as per tradition to someone who'll make him happy. I also like sarcastic Isobel Elsom as Maria's godmother, who was once in love with Eduardo herself. There's some wonderfully funny moments with the fussy secretary Fernando as well when he constantly tries to get Bob out of the office, with little success.

Favorite Number: The Oscar-nominated ballad "Dearly Beloved" shows up twice, first as a solo song for Astaire with Cugat's orchestra at the wedding, then as a brief, sexy dance for Hayworth after she thinks Astaire is the one for her. Astaire considered the Latin-tinged "Audition Dance" at the office to be one of his best, and it does make good use of the enclosed space. "The Shorty George" is a dynamic dance routine for Astaire and Hayworth at the club that radiates fun and is a joy to watch.

The big number here is "I'm Old Fashioned." Not only is it my favorite song from the score, but it gets a number worthy of it too, with Astaire and Hayworth dancing on the romantic patio of her family's home. It's gorgeous and lovely, and makes me wish Astaire went back for a third go-around with Hayworth.

Trivia: The rehearsal halls at Columbia were all full, so Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth worked on their complicated numbers together in a room over Hollywood Cemetary.

What I Don't Like: Not only is the story fluffy and rather silly, but it's very dated. Even the movie acknowledges how old-fashioned Eduardo's views on love and marriage were and are. While the costumes are appropriately glamorous, the sets don't really look much like Buenos Aries. This probably could have been set anywhere in South America - or anywhere on the globe - and worked just fine.

The Big Finale: Worth catching for Astaire and Hayworth and the fabulous music alone.

Home Media: The DVD is currently out of print, but you can find it on TCM and The Criterion Channel with a subscription.

DVD

Music In My Heart

Columbia Pictures, 1940
Starring Tony Martin, Rita Hayworth, Edith Fellows, and Alan Mowbray
Directed by Joseph Santley
Music and Lyrics by Bob Wright and Chet Forrest

Before they really figured out what to do with her, Rita Hayworth was one of the busiest actresses at Columbia. She made five movies in 1940 alone, including this one. How does this B-movie about a singer who stays with a young woman and her family to avoid being deported look today? Let's start with a disappointed Patricia O'Malley (Hayworth) in a cab and find out...

The Story: Patricia shares her cab with Robert Gregory (Martin), a singer on the run from the authorities. Seems his parents never applied for citizenship and they want to deport him. Patrica's hoping to meet Charles Spencer Gardner III, a rich man she wants to marry. Thanks to a cab accident, they both miss the boat. Patricia invites Robert to stay with her family, to the delight of her younger sister Mary (Fellows). Mary thinks Patricia and Robert are perfect for each other and is determined to play matchmaker. She proves to be right, as Patricia and Robert fall for each other and become engaged. Robert, however, has had an offer for a Broadway show, and Charles and his butler Griggs (Eric Blore) aren't as gone as she thought. Griggs brings a paper that claims Robert's married, which pushes Patricia back into Charles' arms, even as Robert gets a shot at radio stardom.

The Song and Dance: A sweet little B movie with decent performances and some nice music. Hayworth does well enough as the young woman who thinks she knows what she wants, and Fellows steals the show as her sister who knows better. The real focus, though, is on Martin, who does as well as he can with the odd deportation story. Blore provides a few good gags as the fussy butler who will do anything to make his employer happy.

Favorite Number: "It's a Blue World" was nominated for an Oscar, and Martin gives it the right sell. He also gets the romantic duet "No Other Love" with Julietta Novis in the opening operetta number and performs the 1890's standard "A Bird In a Gilded Cage" in a charming little routine with Fellows. Hayworth gets a brief dance routine in the kitchen a little later.

What I Don't Like: First of all, with immigration again in the news, the deportation story seems almost quaint nowadays. They never do say why his parents didn't get their citizenship or what country he's fleeing from. Second, I really wish it was longer. Hayworth has little to do besides switch between beaus and do a few songs.

The Big Finale: There are worse ways to pass an hour if you're a fan of Hayworth or Martin.

Home Media: Currently only on DVD as a solo film and part of that Musical 20 Movies set from Mill Creek Entertainment.

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DVD - Musical 20 Movies Collection

Cover Girl

Columbia Pictures, 1944
Starring Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Eve Arden, and Phil Silvers
Directed by Charles Vidor
Music by Jerome Kern; Lyrics by Ira Gershwin

This was one of Rita Hayworth's most popular movies, and one of the biggest hit musicals of the war years. It was also her only chance to star with Gene Kelly, who was on loan from MGM. Columbia rarely went all-out, but they threw everything they had into this one, including Technicolor, lavish sets and costumes, Kern and Gershwin, and Kelly's first chance to choreograph his own dances. Did it pay off? Let's head to a nightclub stage in Brooklyn as the show is about to begin to find out...

The Story: Rusty Parker (Hayworth) is a chorus girl at a nightclub owned by her boyfriend Danny McGuire (Kelly). On a lark, Rusty joins fellow dancer Maurine (Leslie Brooks) in a contest to appear on the cover of Vanity Magazine. Maurine jealously tells her to act goofy around secretary Cornelia Jackson (Eve Arden), who dismisses her. Her boss John Coudair (Otto Kruger) has a different opinion when he sees Rusty dancing at the club. She's a dead ringer for Maribelle Hicks (Hayworth), the dancer he loved and lost 40 years before.

He's so delighted by her dancing, he brings producer Noel Wheaton (Lee Bowman) to see her act. He wants to put her on the cover, but she's reluctant to leave Danny. Not wanting to stand in her way, he starts an argument with her and finally gets her to leave. She does become a hit on Vanity, and later on Broadway. Wheaton's so enamored of her, he wants to marry her...but she can't forget Danny.

The Song and Dance: This one goes the unusual route of cutting between Rusty's attempt to become a star and Danny's desire for her happiness and her grandmother's romance with the young Coudair (Jess Barker). Either way, it's a feast for the eyes, with stunning costumes and some of the most glorious Technicolor cinematography of the era. Kelly finally gets the chance to develop some of the ideas he'd bring back to MGM, from taking out a wall and dancing up and down the street for "Make Way for Tomorrow" to his "Alter Ego Dance" with himself. The supporting cast is just as much fun, including sarcastic Arden as the woman in charge of choosing the new cover girl and Bowman as the dapper producer.

Favorite Number: There's some classics here, starting with "Who's Complaining." Phil Silvers is very glad that Hayworth and the chorus girls are taking over men's jobs in this cute dance routine at the club. "Make Way for Tomorrow" has Kelly, Silvers, and Hayworth romping all over the street, using various items they find around garbage cans to make music. Kelly and Stanley Donen's choreography is inventive and fun, and it's just a treat to watch. "Cover Girl (The Girl on the Cover)" turns from chorus girls (and one literal little girl) highlighting famous magazines to Hayworth coming out of the clouds and dancing down a long, winding ramp with boys in tuxes.

The gorgeous ballad "Long Ago and Far Away" was the hit here, and it gets a romantic number worthy of it too, with Barker and Hayworth (dubbed by Martha Mears) doing a brief but lovely duet. "Alter-Ego Dance" has Kelly literally performing with his "reflection" via special effects that still look pretty good today and foreshadows many ideas and motifs he'd work with in his more elaborate dances at MGM.

Trivia: Supposedly, Kelly's character here inspired his same-named character almost 40 years later in Xanadu. 

Cover Girl made Kelly and Hayworth major stars and encouraged MGM to give Kelly more control over his choreography in his next movie Anchors Aweigh.

What I Don't Like: Like most musicals from the 30's and 40's, this one is fairly lightweight. Silvers can be occasionally annoying, and Danny sometimes comes off as more obnoxious than self-sacrificing. It's not for folks looking for a heavier or more substantial story.

The Big Finale: A sheer delight, with glorious color, some of Kern's best film music, and fabulous numbers. If you're a fan of Kelly and Hayworth or the musicals of the 40's, you'll want to check this one out.

Home Media: DVD or streaming's your best bet here. The Twilight Time limited edition Blu-Ray is expensive.

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Pal Joey

Columbia, 1957
Starring Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Rita Hayworth, and Barbara Nichols
Directed by George Sidney
Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Lorenz Hart

This was originally a minor hit on Broadway in 1940, but a revival in 1952 was such a smash, Columbia Studio head Harry Cohn bought it for his most popular actress, Rita Hayworth. By the time they got to filming it, Hayworth had switched to the older woman role, and the ingenue role went to Cohn's newest discovery Kim Novak. Columbia also couldn't get original 1940 star Gene Kelly and ended up reworking the title role into a singer for Frank Sinatra. How does the story of a heel who uses women and people to get his own nightclub look nowadays? Let's join Joey (Sinatra) on the train to San Francisco and find out...

The Story: Joey Evans (Sinatra) is literally tossed on the train after getting into girl trouble in his previous job. He manages to talk his way into a gig at a second-rate club, mainly because he's interested in one of the chorus girls, Linda English (Novak). However, as much as he likes her, he has loftier ambitions. He pursues a previous girlfriend and stripper-turned-rich widow Vera Simpson (Hayworth), even living with her on her yacht in order to get her to fund his new club Chez Joey. Even with his relationship with Vera growing, Joey still has eyes for Linda and gets a job for her at the club. Vera, however, doesn't appreciate that one bit...and her growing jealousy ends with Joey having to decide once and for all which woman really owns his heart.

The Song and Dance: If you love musicals that veer toward the dark-ish, you'll probably enjoy this. Even with the story toned down, this is still pretty cynical for a musical. Sinatra is perfect as the man who uses and abuses women, only to be floored when he actually falls for one. Novak and especially Hayworth are also quite good as the women in his life. They're surrounded by a gorgeous Technicolor production, with the ladies dressed in tight-fitting, jewel-toned 50's gowns and San Francisco recreated in all it's gritty and glamorous Golden Gate glory.

Some people may be bothered by the changed ending, but I actually kind of like it. It remains ambiguous and somewhat downbeat for a musical from this era, even as Joey does get himself a girl (and a dog).

Favorite Number: Sinatra scores with two of his best recordings, a relaxed "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" when he talks his way into the first club job, and one of my favorite-ever versions of the standard "The Lady Is a Tramp" later at Chez Joey. Novak gets in on the intentionally cheesy chorus girl routine "That Terrific Rainbow" and sits in an old-fashioned valentine to croon one of my favorite Rodgers and Hart ballads, "My Funny Valentine." Hayworth has two terrific solos, the stripper spoof "Zip" where she poses as a striptease artist who knows about a lot more than taking her clothes off, and another standard Rodgers and Hart ballad, "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" as she showers and dresses after Joey agrees to live with her.

Trivia: Gene Kelly and 20's operetta favorite Vivianne Segal were Joey and Vera in the original 1940 Broadway cast. Segal was retained for the popular 1952 revival, joined by dancer Harold Lang. Lang and Carol Bruce appeared in the first London showing in 1954. It's been revived three times, in 1963, 1976, and 2008; none ran longer than three months. The story was substantially re-written in the 2008 version.

What I Don't Like: The ending isn't the only thing that was changed from the original show. A whole subplot about gangsters blackmailing Joey and Vera was dropped, and several characters were combined or eliminated. Vera's husband was still alive, and her affair with Joey was "on the side." There were a few songs that were performed outside of the nightclub; here, all of the numbers but "Bewitched" and the big finale "What Do I Care for a Dame?" are sung as club numbers. Many songs were dropped as well, including Vera and Linda telling each other to "Take Him" and Joey insisting "You Mustn't Kick It Around."

And even with the darker edges sanded off, this still isn't the musical for you if you're looking for something lighter and fluffier or more overtly romantic, or with a stronger story.

The Big Finale: Not my favorite Sinatra movie, but it's worth a look if you're a major fan of his or Hayworth's or love Rodgers and Hart.

Home Media: Currently available via the made-to-order Sony Choice Collection. That and streaming are your best bet - the limited-edition Blu-Ray from Twilight Time is expensive. (I watched it for free on the streaming service Crackle, which was previously owned by Sony/Columbia.)

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Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

Tonight and Every Night

Columbia, 1945
Starring Rita Hayworth, Marc Platt, Lee Bowman, and Janet Blair
Directed by Victor Saville
Music by Jules Styne; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn

Here's a truly unique wartime musical I'd only read about in books before today. Hayworth was at the height of her popularity as a Hollywood pin-up queen when she appeared in this slightly dark tale about a dance troupe in a theater operating during the London Blitz. Let's head to the Music Box Theater in London to see just how this tragic backstage story looks nowadays...

The Story: Life Magazine comes to the Music Box to do a story on their troupe and how they never closed during the war. Flashback to a few years before. Theater owner May "Tolly" Tolliver (Florence Bates) is auditioning new performers. Tommy Lawson (Platt) is a wonderful dancer, but he makes up his own steps and doesn't know how to learn them. American dancers Judy Kaye (Blair) and Rosalind Bruce (Hayworth) show him some steps and make him a part of their act.

Rosalind meets a handsome Royal Air Force solider, pilot Paul Lundy (Bowman) when he's in the audience and they're all evacuated to the basement during a raid. He tries to ask her out, but she says 'no.' He tries again with her and Judy at a local restaurant, then tricking her into coming to his apartment. She's not happy about that one, but she feels better after he arranges for the troupe to play for the RAF. Tommy has a huge crush on Rosalind and is upset when Paul confesses his love for Ros. She thinks Paul has given up on her....but he's really on a special assignment. Rosalind thinks she wants to be with Paul, but when tragedy strikes, she learns who really means the most to her...and how important it is for the show to go on

The Song and Dance: This is one of the most unusual backstage musicals I've ever seen. While many musical films had a war backdrop during the 40's, few of them got into the reality of the situation like this one did. They aren't just talking about selling war bonds and entertaining the troops here (although they certainly do that). The bombs are falling right outside the door, right across the street towards the end. The details of life in wartime London, from all the performers moving to the studio to avoid bombs to Paul's apartment being flattened by a bomb just minutes before he and Ros are going to go to it, bring an immediacy and a slightly dark feel to this story.

Favorite Number: "You Excite Me" is the big one here. The exotic dance routine with Hayworth in a skimpy white costume with chorus boys around her is one of Hayworth's best solo dance performances on film. Hayworth joins former vaudevillian Professor Lamberti, an older man who has an act that involves a xylophone, a pretty dancer, and a lot of fun slapstick, for an instrumental version of "Anywhere." Blair gets a more traditional version of the lovely "Anywhere" and the stirring title song, with a newsreel spoof and chorus girls singing about how everyone will survive the war. Hayworth takes over the number in the finale.

Trivia: This was Marc Platt's first major film role.

Rita Hayworth was pregnant during the filming of this movie. They filmed her dance routines first, then did the rest of it with her behind muffs or feathers.

This was based after the real Windmill Theater, which also continued running during World War II. They, however, played mostly nude reviews, as detailed in the movie Mrs. Henderson Presents.

This was originally supposed to be a drama with Ida Lupino and Merle Oberon.

What I Don't Like: Despite the novel setting, the story is a standard love triangle. I would rather have heard more about her dealing with Judy and Tommy's crush than with the rather dull and obnoxious Paul. I have no idea why she fell for him so quickly. The tragic ending is abrupt and really of comes out of nowhere; anyone expecting a happier one will likely not enjoy this. And couldn't they have given Platt and Hayworth one duet together like the ones she had with Fred Astaire in her films with him?

The Big Finale: If  you're a fan of Hayworth or World War II, despite some problems, this is still an overlooked gem that deserves a lot more love.

Home Media: The solo DVD is out of print, but it can be found in at least two collections of Rita Hayworth movies and that Mill Creek 20 Musicals set.

DVD - Hollywood Legends - Rita Hayworth 4 Movie Collection
DVD - The Films of Rita Hayworth
DVD - Musicals 20 Movies Collection

You'll Never Get Rich

Columbia, 1941
Starring Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, and Osa Massen
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter

Rita Hayworth was one of the most popular actresses on the planet in the 40's and 50's. While she was capable of doing everything from comedy to action, she was best known for the series of musicals made around her considerable dancing talents in the 40's and early 50's. This would be the first of two musicals she made with Fred Astaire, who was looking to make a comeback after his post-Ginger Rogers career had foundered. How does their first pairing look today? Let's head backstage and find out...

The Story: Theater owner Martin Cortland (Benchley) is in a real pickle. He's given a diamond bracelet to one of the chorus girls in his current show, Sheila Winthrop (Hayworth), but his wife Julia (Frieda Inescourt), is starting to catch wise to his woman-chasing. He tries to get his manager Robert Curtis (Astaire) to claim he gave the diamond bracelet, but Sheila doesn't believe him. Robert sees his being drafted as a way out of the whole mess, but he's not much of a soldier. His constant dancing doesn't make him popular with his commander Captain Tom Barton (John Hubbard), and neither does enlisting his buddies Kewpie Blain (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) and Swiv (Cliff Nazarro) to help him steal a captain's uniform and show off for Sheila.

Things go better when Martin turns up to create a show for the enlisted men...but then Sheila claims she's going to marry Captain Barton and go to Panama with him, and Martin hires another dancer, Sonia (Massen), for her part. Robert tries to get the diamond bracelet back, only to learn it's now engraved with Sonia's name. Sheila leaves...but then so does Sonia. Now Robert and Martin have to get Sheila back, before they have no leading lady and no show.

The Song and Dance: Hayworth and Astaire are pretty much the only reasons to see this one. Hayworth in particular is sassy and hilarious in her first major musical, and she looks great dancing with Astaire. Astaire does better in the beginning when he's on more accustomed territory. Robert Benchley is less believable as a womanizer, but he does have his moments, especially when he's dealing with his wife.

Favorite Number: Two of Astaire's best solos can be found during the guardhouse sequences. Black singing group the Four Tones nicely back him for the Oscar-nominated "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" and we later get another black group for the instrumental "A-staireable Rag." He and Hayworth have a short but snappy rehearsal routine in the opening, along with the dreamy "So Near and Yet So Far" duet in more traditional gown and tux later. The finale "The Wedding Cake Walk" has Astaire, Hayworth, and the chorus dancing on a wedding cake shaped like a tank.

What I Don't Like: The entire farcical plot makes absolutely no sense. Astaire never did work well in military-themed musicals; he's just not believable as a soldier, and not only because of his age. He's too flighty to take orders. As mentioned, Benchley isn't exactly what you'd call a womanizer, either. Massen only appears sporadically during the second half and doesn't have a chance to make much of an impression, or even get to dance. Williams and Nazzaro are a bit annoying as Astaire's comic relief buddies.

Other than "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye" (which was nominated for an Oscar), this isn't one of Cole Porter's more memorable scores. The two chorus songs are especially dull; "So Near" is redeemed by Astaire and Hayworth's lovely dance routine.

The Big Finale: If you're a big fan of Astaire or Hayworth, this is worth looking around for.

Home Media: The solo DVD is currently manufactured-on-demand at Amazon, and the Blu-Ray from Twilight Time is out of print. Your best bet may either to stream it, or do what I did and pick it up in a collection with 19 other vintage Columbia films from Mill Creek Entertainment.

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DVD - Musicals 20 Movie Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime