Hard Rock Nightmare

Baio-Brascia-Venkour Productions, 1988

Starring Martin Hansen, Greg Joujon-Roche, Annie Milkan, and Lisa Elania

Directed by Dominick Brasica

Music and Lyrics by various

This week, we explore how music and horror entwine with one relatively recent and one brand-new film about musicians dealing with supernatural forces. This is apparently low-budget filmmaker Brasica's second movie after the even less-well-known Evil Laugh. If it seems familiar, the story closely resembles another low-budget hard rock horror movie, Rock and Roll Nightmare, from the year before, down to having similar titles. Does it share that movie's (numerous) problems, or does it deserve to escape that cabin in the woods? Let's begin in black and white with a young boy's frightening memories of his grandfather and find out...

The Story: Jim (Hansen) ended up in a mental hospital after he supposedly killed his grandfather when he claimed to be a vampire as a joke. Over a decade later, he's out and now playing in a hard rock band, Bad Boys. When the cops tell them they're too loud to be practicing in a garage, they take their rehearsal to the cabin in the woods Jim inherited from his grandmother. 

Turns out that's not the best idea they ever had. There's something out there in those woods, and it's stalking the group one by one. Jim's horrified when he realizes that this furry menace may be a lot more than a werewolf who doesn't appreciate rock and roll. He may be the ghost of the grandfather he thought he killed...and the answer to what truly happened all those years ago.

The Song and Dance: While still a low-budget, direct-to-video cheese-fest that has "late 80's" stamped all over it, this is slightly better than the truly ridiculous Rock and Roll Nightmare. The pace is ten times faster (they don't spend most of the first half of the film driving) and the ending makes a heck of a lot more sense. The kids actually show a tiny bit more intelligence than usual for these movies, too. Some of them actually attempt to flee or get away, instead of just sitting there and waiting to be killed. 

The Numbers: We open with Bad Boys rehearsing the title song in the garage before the cops show up and complain about them annoying the neighbors. "Prince of Darkness" covers the actual drive to the woods where the guys discuss gimmicks and talk about the girls coming along. They perform "Tell On You" at the first rehearsal in the cabin. "I Think I Want You" is Jim's song for his girl Sally (Elania) before they make love for the first time. The satirical "Friends Forever" is heard over the credits.

What I Don't Like: Um, did I mention this is a low-budget slasher hard-rock horror movie from the 80's? You know what you're getting into here. The acting is dull (especially from the girls) and the dialogue is laughable at best. The special effects may have been passable in 1988, but they look almost comically cheesy now. The ending may make more sense than the one in Rock and Roll Nightmare, but it still comes off as too Scooby Doo-esque for a slasher horror flick.

The Big Finale: Unless you're a huge fan of hard rock or low-budget slasher flicks from the 80's, I'd pass right by this bloodsucker.

Home Media: On Blu-Ray from Grindhouse Video. Currently streaming for free with commercials on Tubi.

Blu-Ray

Tubi

Murder In the Blue Room

Universal, 1944

Starring Ann Gwynne, John Litel, Grace MacDonald, and Donald Cook

Directed by Leslie Goodwins

Music and Lyrics by various

We kick off our Halloween Horror-a-Thon this week with a spooky mystery and a more recent musical horror film that gives us two different sides of the horror genre. Most of Universal's musicals of the 40's and 50's were fluffy B-pics featuring singing groups like the Andrews Sisters and younger up-and-coming stars like Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan. This may be one of their more creative B-films of the period. How does this tight, goofy thriller look today? Let's begin as a party gathers in the old house owned by Nan's (Gwynne) family and find out...

The Story: Singer Nan Kirkland (Gwynne) returns to her family's spooky mansion for a party. She tells her writer friend Steve Randall (Cook) that her father was murdered sleeping in the Blue Room 20 years before. Nan's friends the Jazzybelles, Peggy (MacDonald), Jerry (June Preissler), and Betty (Betty Kean) arrive to perform for the party. They get caught up in a murder mystery when Larry (Bill Williams), who was in in love with Nan, disappears after sleeping in the Blue Room. They try to stay up and see who did it, only to be drugged, a body to turn up, and for Steve to disappear next. Now these three Belles need to figure out who done it, before they end up being the next ghosts tipping their hats on the patio!

The Song and Dance:  The Jazzybelles and a fairly interesting mystery are the main reasons to see this today. All three of the ladies are hilarious, but Kean gets top honors as the tallest and least-courageous of the trio. Cook has some good moments as the curious writer as well, especially in the second half when he insists on sleeping in the Blue Room. Goodwins does manage a spooky atmosphere with B-movie resources, despite some bobbles with continuity. 

The Numbers: We open with Gwynne (dubbed by Martha Tilton) singing "One Starry Night" with the band as the party goers dance. "A Doo Dee Doo Doo" is the first number performed by the Jazzybelles, with Kean doing some pretty impressive rubber-legged dancing. The Belles get a second instrumental dance routine later when they're rehearsing. "The Boogie Woogie Boogie Man" is their number singing for the butler Edwards (Ian Wolfe).

Trivia: This was originally set to feature The Ritz Brothers, but they'd left films by this point and were replaced with the Jazzybelles.

This is the second remake of the 1933 film Secret of the Blue Room. The first was The Missing Guest in 1938.

What I Don't Like: It's pretty much the Jazzbelles' show. Anything else takes a back seat to their antics, including the rather dull Gwynne. It's also pretty obvious this was originally intended for a more organic comedy team, given how much of the action calls on them to perform together. The copy currently on Tubi is not the greatest - Universal could give this one some more care.

The Big Finale: Fairly enjoyable mystery is not a bad way to spend an hour if you're a fan of the musicals or mystery movies of the 1940's.

Home Media: It is on DVD, but the disc is expensive. You're better off streaming this one. It can currently be found on Tubi for free with commercials.

DVD

Tubi

Family Fun Saturday - Muppets Most Wanted

Disney, 2014

Starring The Muppets, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, and Tiny Fey

Directed by James Bobin

Music and Lyrics by Bret McKenzie and others

The Muppets were riding high after the enormous success of The Muppets. All of a sudden, they were back, seen everywhere from YouTube to the Disney Parks. Trouble was, they couldn't seem to hang on to that momentum. It took three years for Disney to develop another script for them, and when it came out, though it got some critical praise, it didn't do quite as well at the box office as the first film. Did it deserve that fate, or is there more to this goofy crime caper than meets the eye? Let's begin with the Muppets declaring that what we're about to see is a sequel and find out...

The Story: After their successes in The Muppets, the Muppets really don't know what to do next. Enter theatrical manager Dominic Badguy (Gervais), who convinces them to go on a world tour. Turns out he has more in mind for this than sampling the local customs and cuisine. Kermit is ambushed by Constantine, who is his exact double with a spot on his chin. Constantine glues a spot on Kermit's chin and has him arrested and sent to a prison camp in Russia. Nadya (Fey), the head of the camp, insists on him running the prison talent show.

Meanwhile, Walter, Fozzie, and Animal start to get suspicious when "Kermit" lets the Muppets do whatever act they want, turning their shows into even more chaos than usual. Not to mention, they keep playing shows next to museums that are robbed the next day. Constantine and Dominic have been using their shows to rob artworks from museums, including one that could lead them to the British Crown Jewels. Constantine has also proposed to Miss Piggy...but she's beginning to wonder if this is really her frog. Not to mention, FBI agents Sam the Eagle and Napoleon (Burrell) think the Muppets are involved with the thefts and are after them as well.

The Song and Dance: I give them credit for not only going with a more original story this time, but putting more focus on the Muppets themselves. One of my biggest problems with the first movie was it focused a little too much on the humans and not enough on the Muppets. Here, though Gervais, Burrell, and especially Fey are having a lot of fun as the art thief, not-so-super spy, and devoted Russian prison guard, it's the Muppets who really take center stage. Some great costumes and cinematography, too, especially the actual shots at the real Tower of London.

The Numbers: Though we do get a bit of the previous film's "Life's a Happy Song" in the opening, this segways into the massive spoof of sequels and opening numbers in movies, appropriately titled "Let's Do a Sequel." Constantine and Dominic both claim "I'm Number One" as they relate their complicated art theft plot. We get a bit of "The Muppet Show Theme" at each stop, re-written and staged in the appropriate language. "The Big House" is Kermit's big chorus number for the talent show at the Gulag. "I'll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo In Malibu)" is Constantine and Dominic telling the Muppets that they'll give them everything they ever wanted...for a price. 

"Macarena" is Piggy's big, outrageous Spanish number, complete with her in a lacy mantilla. "Interrogation Song" begins with Napoleon and Sam questioning the Muppets, and ends with them concluding that they're all too dumb to mastermind anything more complicated than their numbers for the show. "End of the Road" is an attempt at a big, dramatic number for the prisoners at the Gulag. It's a bit...off-putting, to say the least. Their "I Hope I Get It" is only slightly less weird. The Penguins think they have the "Moves Like Jagger." Piggy's "My Heart Will Go On" at the piano is disrupted by Constantine's sudden proposal of marriage. Piggy and the other Muppets wonder in London how "Something So Right" can feel so off. 

Kermit finally escapes the Gulag via the number "Working On the Coal Mine." The finale at the Gulag gives us a slightly re-written "Together Again" from Muppets Take Manhattan, this time with the Muppets and prisoners joining in.

What I Don't Like: Ok, this is weird even by Muppet standards. It feels like they're throwing together bits and pieces of everything from Muppets Take Manhattan to The Pink Panther and seeing if they'll stick. The new music, while not bad, isn't quite as catchy as the previous movie...and the wacky caper plot lacks the sheer heart of the relationship between Walter and his brother in the previous movie as well. Plus, see the previous movie's complaint about every Muppet project after Jim Henson's death being scrutinized for how it treats the characters.

The Big Finale: While not quite at the heights of the previous film, it's certainly far from terrible, and deserved better than it got at the box office in 2014. Fun for families, older kids, Muppet fans, and fans of the previous film. 

Home Media: Easily found on all formats, including Disney Plus with a subscription. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

The Firefly

MGM, 1937

Starring Jeanette MacDonald, Allan Jones, Warren William, and Douglass Dumbrille

Directed by Robert Z. Leonard

Music and Lyrics by various

Our other movie diva of the 30's wouldn't star in live opera until late in her career...but her screen vehicles were vastly more entertaining. By the time MacDonald made her first solo vehicle at MGM in 1937 apart from Nelson Eddy, she was one of the top stars in the world. Hoping for a change of pace, she convinced studio head Louis B. Mayer to cast her in this action-oriented operetta and star Allan Jones, who had been a success in two Marx Brothers movies, opposite her. Was she right about that, or should this be left in a dungeon? Let's begin in Madrid, as the people of Spain eagerly welcome their king Ferdinand VII (Tom Rutherford) and his officers discuss the trouble they're having in the Peninsular War with France and England and find out...

The Story: Singer Nina Maria Azara (MacDonald) is really a spy for Ferdinand who gets information from the French soldiers who court her. She flirts with soldier Don Diego (Jones)...who is actually the French spy Captain Andre. He follows her to Vitoria, where he charms her with music and a pretend trip to Venice. For all his romantic notions, she still insists he wait for her in Madrid. Her real destination is Bayonne, where she awaits carrier pigeons carrying information on the meeting there between Ferdinand and Napoleon of France. Though she's able to avoid being caught spying, she's also devastated when the French Chief of Espionage (George Zucco) reveals Andre's real identity.

After Napoleon annexes the throne from Ferdinand, his assistant Rouchemont (William) finds her dancing among gypsies and entertaining French soldiers. She claims she was turned away by the Spanish, but Rouchemont finds papers in her jacket revealing a map for the French lines and a code. Not only does Nina still have one or two more tricks up her sleeve, but Andre hasn't forgotten her. Not even the Battle of Vitoria that finally broke the French military line can separate these lovers, and Nina will find her way back to Andre no matter what.

The Song and Dance: Now I wish MacDonald did more action movies. She does very well as the spy who is willing to seduce any man for her country, until she falls for Andre and has second thoughts. Her voice mostly sounds gorgeous in her numbers, especially when entertaining the troops, and her dancing is incredible - check out that last high kick during the gypsy number! As complicated as the story is, at least it's also pretty original. You're not going to run into too many other musicals revolving around spies falling for each other during the Napoleonic Wars. MGM's unstinting production includes hundreds of extras in the fight scenes and impressive empire-waisted sequined gowns and ruffled bonnets for MacDonald. 

The Numbers: Our first numbers are "Danse Jeanette" and "Love Is Like a Firefly," which Nina performs for the French troops in a cafe. Don Diego is more interested in "A Woman's Kiss." "The Donkey Serenade" wound up being the hit of the film, and it gets the movie's best number, too. The driver and his son on Nina's stagecoach play the number, and Andre rides alongside, singing along. Nina tries not to show her interest, but she's genuinely amused. He sings "Giannina Mia" to Nina as they imagine what it would be like to stroll the canals in Venice. The saucy ballad "He Who Loves and Runs Away" is another number for Nina to sing before the French troops, this time including Rouchemont. 

She admits to sharing "Sympathy" with Andre when she explains how her parents were killed by the Spanish. "When a Maid Comes a Knocking at Your Heart" is her song at Rochemont's chateau for his guests. We then get an "English March" performed by the chorus as the Spanish are forced to accept Napoleon as their king. Actual Spanish folk song "Capriccio Espagnol" provides the instrumental background for Nina's big dance routine with the gypsies, including that high kick. She admits "I Love You Don Diego" as he leaves for battle; "Para la Salud" covers the actual fighting. The movie ends with the lovers riding off into the dusty Spanish plains as they reprise "Giannina Mia" and "The Donkey Serenade."

Trivia: The Firefly debuted on Broadway in 1912 as a vehicle for Emma Trentini, a popular Italian opera singer of the time. It was the first operetta for composer Rudolf Friml, who would continue writing romantic operettas into the 1930's. The original version still occasionally turns up on opera and light opera stages, usually adding "The Donkey Serenade." 

"The Donkey Serenade" was written by Bob Wright, Chet Forest, and Herbert Stothart, but it was based on the instrumental Friml composition "Chanson." 

What I Don't Like: First of all, while I give credit to MGM for originality, the overlong and ridiculously complicated plot they came up with has nothing to do with the 1912 Firefly. The Broadway show revolved around an Italian street singer who passed herself off as a boy in order to follow the young man she has a crush on to Bermuda and eventually became an opera singer. The movie runs way too long at over two hours. The sequences with Nina at Rochemont's home especially drag and probably could have been trimmed. 

Second, Allan Jones may have done well chasing the Marx Brothers around opera stages and the races, but he's at sea and out of his depth in an epic operetta. Other than "The Donkey Serenade" sequence, he lacks MacDonald's sparkle and looks completely out of place. Neither he nor MacDonald are terribly believable as Spanish and French spies during the early 1800's, either. 

The Big Finale: Mainly for fans of MacDonald, Jones, or the lavish film operettas of the 1930's. 

Home Media: Easily available on a remastered Warner Archives DVD and on streaming.

DVD

Amazon Prime

The Harder They Come

New World Pictures, 1972

Starring Jimmy Cliff, Janet Bartley, Carl Bradshaw, and Ras Daniel Heartman

Directed by Perry Henzell

Music and Lyrics by Jimmy Cliff and others

We head across the Atlantic Ocean from England to Jamaica for our next musical drama. Jimmy Cliff was, along with Bob Marley, one of the major stars who helped spread reggae around the globe in the 60's and 70's. By 1970, he was successful enough to star in the first feature length film made in Jamaica. 

This was a very big deal at the time. Though Jamaicans were proud to have achieved independence from England just twelve years before this movie came out, they were also aware of the enormous inequality in their little island nation, especially among the urban poor. This was one of the first movies to reflect this inequality in Jamaica, and the first to use the Jamaican Patois - their English dialect. How does the tale of a singer who comes to Kingston for a career but turns to a life of crime look today? Let's begin with Cliff's major hit "You Can Get It If You Really Want" as Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin arrives in Kingston and find out...

The Story: Ivan doesn't have the easiest time in Kingston at first. He loses everything he owns to a street vendor the moment he arrives. His attempts to get a job end up with him working for the local preacher (Basil Keane), but those jobs are hardly exciting. He falls for the preacher's ward Elsa (Bartley), which the preacher doesn't approve of. He's even less happy when Elsa gives Ivan the keys to the chapel so he can rehearse an audition song with his band. Ivan tries to retrieve the bike he put together from Longa (Elijah Chambers), who works for the preacher. He attacks Longa with a knife when he won't give it up and ends up whipped by local police.

Things start to look up when he and Elsa move in together and he finally records his song "The Harder They Come." The studio owner Hilton (Bob Charlton) has a stranglehold on the local industry and holds Ivan to an exploitative contract. Desperate for money, Ivan ends up drug running for his friend Jose (Bradshaw) and buying guns for protection. His notoriety after he kills a cop and Jose's girlfriend brings him the fame he badly wants and finally gets his music played on the radio...but it also makes the police more determined to capture him.

The Song and Dance: The real interest in this dark crime drama is seeing a side of Jamaica you won't read about in any travel brochure. For all the glowing tropical colors, Henzell's Kingston is a dusty, dirty network of narrow streets, old clapboard structures, narrow alleys and ancient palm trees bending in the sea breezes. The glowing cinematography grounds the almost fable-like story in the reality of a Jamaica that was still finding its way after splitting from England. The soundtrack was so influential, it helped spread the popularity of reggae outside of the Caribbean and remains one of the biggest reggae albums ever. 

The Numbers: We hear "You Can Get It If You Really Want" three times, notably over the credits as Ivan arrives in Kingston. "Rivers of Babylon" is a gospel number for the chorus at the church. Cliff and his band record the title song in the church before they're caught, and later in the studio. We also get "Many Rivers to Cross" and "Sitting In Limbo" from Cliff. The Maytals give us "Sweet and Dandy" and "Pressure Drop," and we hear "Johnny Too Bad" from the Slickers. 

Trivia: Ivanhoe Martin apparently was a real-life Jamaican criminal and folk hero in the 30's and 40's, though apparently he was neither a musician nor a drug dealer.

This has twice been adapted into a stage musical, in England in 2005 and in New York in 2023.

What I Don't Like: Jamaicans may have been thrilled to see their culture and language reproduced accurately onscreen, but those thick accents make the movie very difficult to understand at times. You may need subtitles or to know something about Jamaican language and culture yourself in order to figure out what's going on. The acting is not wonderful - Cliff had only starred in a few school productions before this - and can sometimes come off as stiff when you get what they're saying. This is also a very violent and dark movie, especially towards the end. Let younger kids listen to the soundtrack first.

The Big Finale: If you ever wanted to learn about reggae and how it became an international phenomenon or see Jamaica in a very different light from the usual travelogues, this movie isn't a bad place to start. 

Home Media: Easily found on all formats.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Cult Flops - Murder at the Vanities

Paramount, 1934

Starring Kitty Carlisle, Carl Brisson, Jack Oakie, and Victor McLaglen

Directed by Mitchell Leisen 

Music by Arthur Johnson; Lyrics by Sam Coslow

Musical mysteries are rare, but they do exist. Case in point, this true oddity from 1934. Earl Carroll was known in the 20's and 30's as the producer of the raciest revues on Broadway, the Earl Carroll Vanities. His showgirls tended to be less clothed than those of other revues, his comedy rougher-hewn and often taken from burlesque or minstrel shows. Showgirls formed "living curtains" in the scantiest costumes this side of flat-out nudity. 

Carroll more rarely did book shows, including the original Murder at the Vanities in 1933. By that point, backstage musicals had begun to make a comeback after the wild success of 42nd Street. Every studio in town wanted to imitate Busby Berkeley's massive kaleidoscopic numbers, and Paramount was no exception. How do the musical numbers manage to fit into the story of murder and mayhem backstage at the Earl Carroll Vanities? Let's start with the show right before opening and find out...

The Story: Producer Jack Ellery (Jack Oakie) is staging the Vanities for his boss Earl Carroll, who can't come to opening night. His absence is the least of Ellery's problems. Someone is trying to kill leading lady Ann Ware (Carlisle) right before she's to marry leading man Eric Lander (Brisson). Ellery brings in police lieutenant Bill Murdock (McLauglen) to find out who has it in for Ann, while Eric hires private detective Sadie Evans (Gail Patrick) to find out who has stolen some of his private things. 

They walk into a hotbed of intrigue. Second lead Rita Ross (Gertrude Michael) is angry and jealous that Ann and Eric are engaged and would do anything to get him back. Wardrobe mistress Helene Smith (Jessie Ralph) and nervous lady's maid Norma (Dorothy Stickney) were abused by Rita and don't want her to break up Ann and Eric. Giggly chorus girl Nancy (Toby Wing) knows something, but Ellery won't listen. After someone turns up dead during a number, Murdock becomes determined to find out who is killing members of the Vanities...and who doesn't want the show to go on. 

The Song and Dance: Well, you can't say this one isn't unique. If this is what Earl Carroll's revues were really like (minus the blood and mayhem), no wonder they ran from 1923 to 1932. Some of these numbers are simply the strangest and most flamboyant pieces of lunacy I've ever seen in a musical. If you think Berkeley's stuff at Warners got weird, check this out. The ladies in particular are real pieces of work. Michael does well as bitter Rita, and Stickney gets the best performance as poor, besotted Norma. The costumes (what there is of them) are incredible, with everyone clad in acres of beads and feathers...when they're clad at all. I'd love to know how they got away with the scantiest costumes this side of a Vegas show. I also love that we have a female private eye, which remains pretty rare in film even today. 

The Numbers: We open with Ann and Eric rehearsing one of the two standards from this film, that charming hymn to the end of Prohibition "Cocktails for Two." It gets one of the simpler numbers later, with Eric merely singing it in front of a group of ladies sipping the aforementioned alcoholic drinks, then dancing with them. Ann starts the show with "Where Do They Come From, and Where Do They Go?" as a revolving stage shows off an ever-changing line of barely-dressed women representing the different walks of life and occupations they may have had before becoming showgirls. She finishes with boys in top hats and canes and girls representing the east (more top hats) and west (cowgirls twirling lariats).  

This goes straight into "Pretty One," with a male chorus singing as chorus girls recline on giant perfume bottles and powder cases. "Live and Love Tonight" has Ann appearing among chorus girls waving ostrich-plumed fans to resemble waves as she seduces shipwrecked Eric. The next number can only, in all good faith, be termed a lulu. "Sweet Marijuana," our other standard, gets into Mexican turf as Rita shakes her hips with men in sombreros and sings about the fantasy the drug will bring her. This opens to cacti featuring chorus girls just this side of nude...and if the the violence of the lyrics wasn't enough, the blood dropping on one of the chorus girls from the fresh corpse on the catwalk over her certainly does.

"Ebony Rhapsody" begins as Lizst's "Second Hungarian Rhapsody," with Ann and dancers in fanciful feathered bonnets and Empire-waist gowns as ghosts dancing to the classical music. This becomes the far more cheeky "Ebony Rhapsody," as Rita leads black dancers in aprons and negligees in an uncoordinated but energetic stomp to Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. "Cocktails" is heard again in the big finale, with Ann, Eric, and hordes of chorus dancers waving more ostrich fans. 

Trivia: This movie just squeaked out a few weeks before the Production Code was enforced and less than a year before marijuana was made illegal nation-wide. It goes without saying that it would be more than 30 years before it turned up again, especially that infamous "Sweet Marijuana" number. "Marijuana" was discovered by the 60's and 70's drug culture and had several recordings at the time, including from Bette Midler. Even now, the movie is often shown without the "Marijuana" number when it runs on local stations. 

Screen debut of Kitty Carlisle. 

Look for Lucille Ball, Ann Sheridan, and Alan Ladd among the chorus members. 

What I Don't Like: The only people who come off as remotely likable are Carlisle and Brisson, and they're dull blocks of wood when they're not singing. Brisson in particular is such a snore, it's hard to understand why Rita and Norma are willing to kill for him. The numbers are shot as they would be on a real stage, which works with the relatively realistic story for a musical but may be disappointing for those expecting Busby Berkeley fantasies. The mystery plot is pretty cliched and straightforward; many viewers may figure it out long before Bill Murdock does. 

The Big Finale: Worth a look for the wild numbers alone if you're a fan of Pre-Code cinema or just want to see how strange a backstage musical could get in the early 30's. 

Home Media: Originally released as part of a Universal pre-code set in 2009, it can now also be found on Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber. 

DVD - Pre-Code Hollywood Collection

Blu-Ray

Joker: Foile a Deux

Warner Bros, 2024

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Catherine Keener, and Harry Lawtey

Directed by Todd Phillips

Music and Lyrics by various

We leap into rougher territory this week with a mystery and a psychological thriller that explore the darker side of the traditional musical. Joker, with Phoenix as a failed stand-up comedian-turned killer, was not the first movie you'd associate with musical numbers. In fact, DC originally intended it to be a stand-alone movie, though there was talk of it launching a "DC Black" series. Director Phillips was the one who thought there was more to the story and brought in Gaga as Joker Arthur Fleck's love interest and added the dance routines in their heads. Was he right that there's more to Fleck's story, or should he have let sleeping clowns lie? Let's begin in Looney Tunes-style animation as Fleck (Phoenix) tries desperately to avoid his nefarious shadow and find out...

The Story: Fleck first encounters Harleen "Lee" Quinznel (Gaga) in the choir room at Arkham Asylum. They're attracted to each other at the start, despite Harleen lying to him about her home life and where she comes from. Arthur has more problems than her obsession with him, though. His lawyer Maryanne Stewart (Keener) wants to argue that he's mentally unstable and created the Joker personality to cope with his abusive childhood. Lee insists that he IS the Joker, and so does devious district attorney Harvey Dent (Lawtey). 

The media hype and clown-masked fandom surrounding Arthur's trial is so intense, it's one of the first to be broadcast live. Under Lee's influence, Arthur briefly reverts to his Joker persona, leading a revolt at Arkham and firing Maryanne. The guards at Arkham, however, are not amused. Their damaging attack makes Arthur wonder if Lee really wants to build a mountain with him...or only wants to be entertained by the Joker.

The Song and Dance: And that and the genuinely cool opening cartoon sequence are the highlights here, along with Lady Gaga and Phoenix's intense performances as the troubled pair in question. The lounge acts and R&B songs parody both the cheesy scarlet and gold variety aesthetic of the movie's 70's-early 80's setting and the cheerier numbers from 50's and 60's musicals like The Band Wagon (which is seen twice, including when Lee sets Arkham on fire) and Sweet Charity. The terrific period-appropriate costumes add a much-needed shot of color to the depressing gray sets and dark score.

The Numbers: We open with a medley of "Slap That Bass," "Get Happy," and "What the World Needs Now" in the cartoon sequence as the Joker tries to dodge and fights with his shadow, who ultimately takes over his act. Our first number proper is "For Once In My Life," as Arthur revels in Lee's attention to him. They perform "Get Happy" with the choir after he's declared sane enough to join. Lee is thrilled as they dance for the first time, literal sparks coming from the fire as she crows "If My Friends Could See Me Now." Lee also gets Lady Gaga's own "Foile et Deux," written directly for the film and performed during the sequence when Arthur imagines them dancing in the moonlight Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers style, with him in his Joker costume. 

Arthur goes into the Rogers and Hart standard "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered" during a talk show interview to explain his feelings for Lee. Lee sings "That's Entertainment" twice, the first time after the show. "When the Saints Go Marching In" is heard three times, notably as Arthur leads his revolt in the cafeteria, dancing on tables. Arthur sings the standard "When You're Smiling" on his way to the trial, revealing how happy he is with Lee. They do the R&B standard "To Love Somebody" on a stage surrounded by musicians, with her in ruffled early 70's garb and him in his Joker outfit...until she shoots him in the gut. 

She sings "Close to You" when she comes to see him at Arkham; he joins in, but it doesn't seem to reach his eyes like before. He laments being "The Joker" in a shadowy night club act parody. They're "Gonna Build a Mountain" in a huge variety act that includes her on the piano while he tap-dances in his big clown shoes for the crowd. Lee and his follower at Arkham claim "I've Got the World On a String" after Arthur fires his lawyer and returns to his Joker persona. "If You Go Away" is Joker's song after he's attacked and he's decided who he really is. "That's Life" is heard twice, earlier in a montage at Arkham performed by Frank Sinatra, and near the end by Lee. Arthur finishes with "True Love Will Find You In the End."

What I Don't Like: For a flashy musical inspired by cheesy variety shows, this is one depressing as heck movie. Lee and Arthur's colorful fantasies and the terrific music aren't enough to offset the dull sets and relentlessly grim outlook. The ending isn't much fun, either. Though I do appreciate that Lee and Arthur's relationship isn't as abusive as it tends to be elsewhere, I also fully agree with Lee and think Arthur should not have renounced his Joker persona. It doesn't suit the character or, from what I gathered, the first film. 

In fact, I haven't seen the first movie, but apparently a lot was changed between films, including some plot threads there that aren't picked up here. There's also the fact that, despite being second-billed, Lady Gaga simply doesn't have quite as much to do as Phoenix, and the movie runs way beyond too long and should have left some of those numbers on the cutting room floor. 

The Big Finale: There's a reason this is flopping big-time right now. Good numbers aren't enough to offset the grim plot, obnoxious characters, and a movie that is as confused about its identity as Arthur is. For major fans of Lady Gaga or DC Comics only. Everyone else can look for the soundtrack or Lady Gaga's album "inspired" by this film, Harlequin. 

Home Media: It's currently available for pre-order at Amazon.com.

DVD

Blu-Ray

4K

Happy St. Patrick's Day! - Top 'O the Morning

Paramount, 1949

Starring Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Ann Blyth, and Hume Cronyn 

Directed by David Miller

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's celebrate the day of all things Irish with this unique musical mystery. This is the last of three films Fitzgerald and Crosby made together that began with the Oscar-winning Going My Way. All three revolved around Crosby's laid-back lifestyle clashing with Fitzgerald's more traditional one...and what better place for a clash of cultures than in Fitzgerald's native Ireland? Let's begin just outside of Blarney Castle and find out how an insurance investigator who is looking for the stolen Blarney Stone deals with a very traditional policemen and their differing worldviews.

The Story:  Joe Mulqueen (Crosby) arrives at the small town outside of the castle, only to be rejected by the fearful townspeople. The town's police chief Briany McNaughton (Fitzgerald) is especially distrustful of him. He wants to prove he and his deputy Hughie Devine (Cronyn) can solve a local case on their own, without outside interference. 

Joe ends up having more on his mind than finding the Blarney Stone. Briany's daughter Conn (Blyth) has been waiting for the day the man who fits the prophecy told to her by wise woman Biddy O'Devlin (Eileen Crowe). She's thrilled when it turns out Joe is the perfect match, and a fine singer to boot. Joe, however, hasn't told her why he's really in Ireland. Biddy knows, however, and it's her stories of Irish folk lore that eventually leads Joe, Briany, and Inspector Fallon (John McIntire) to the man who not only stole the Blarney Stone, but committed a murder, too.

The Song and Dance: This is probably the closest Crosby would get to appearing in film noir or doing a flat-out thriller. Truth be told, for most of the movie, the real interest is in how Crosby reacts to Irish folk lore and Ireland's colorful citizens. He and Blyth work relatively well together despite the two-decade difference in their ages. In addition to Fitzgerald, I also like Crowe as the enigmatic wise woman who knows far more than she'll ever tell and Cronyn as the deputy whose enthusiasm for the case hides a dark secret. 

Favorite Number:  Joe performs the title song three times, first over the credits, then later with the maid (Mary Field) who is cleaning his room, and near the end with the two McNaughtons. He sings "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" with a nervous little girl when he arrives in Ireland. His performance of "My Beautiful Kitty" on the accordion is sentimental enough for the policemen to let him out of jail, at least the first time.

 "The Donovans" is the big chorus number at Briany's cottage. It somehow manages to expand to three times its size to fit all of the whirling lads and lasses performing a lively group jig. The other new song "You're In Love With Someone" is the big ballad Joe sings to Conn after the party, before she shows Joe her father's doves. They sing the lovely Irish folk song "Oh, 'Tis Sweet To Think" together at the McNaughtons' cottage. "My Lagen Hunt," the haunting ditty sung by the little boy Pearse O'Neill (Jimmy Hunt) is what finally brings the real thief out of hiding.

Trivia: Crosby originally wanted Deanna Durbin to play Conn, but she had gone into retirement and would never make another film.

What I Don't Like: For all the talk of Irish folk lore, legends, and customs, this feels a lot less authentic than John Ford's opus The Quiet Man from three years later. Paramount probably kept this one on the lot and in black and white because Bing's previous two big-budget musicals flopped. Technicolor and location shooting might have gone a long way to enhancing the drama and adding a lot more real Irish whiskey flavor. This is more like watered-down green beer. 

Blyth is an excellent singer in her own right, on a par with Durbin. Why on Earth doesn't she have more to sing besides her part of "Oh, 'Tis Sweet to Think?" Not to mention, there's the mood whiplash. This is pretty fluffy stuff until the last 20 minutes, when it suddenly takes a screeching left turn into shadowy film noir territory. It ends happily, but getting there is surprisingly dark for an otherwise sweet comedy.

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of Crosby or Blyth or want to try something a little different for St. Patrick's Day, this venture into Irish folklore and mystery is worth checking out at least once.

Home Media: As far as I can tell, this exclusive to YouTube at the moment.

YouTube

Hit the Ice

Universal, 1943

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

Directed by Charles Lamont

Music by Harry Revel; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DVD - Abbott & Costello: Universal Pictures Collection

Blu-Ray - Abbott & Costello: Universal Pictures Collection

Murder at the Music Hall

Republic Pictures, 1946

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

Directed by John English

Music and Lyrics by various

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YouTube

Wonder Man

Samuel Goldwyn/RKO, 1945

Starring Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen, and Donald Woods

Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone

Music and Lyrics by Sylvia Fine

This week, we're going to dive into Danny Kaye's career with two of his more unique musicals. Not too many comedians could pull off a dual role...but Danny did it four times, twice in musical films, including this one. This was his second film for Samuel Goldwyn, and may be the first to show off the full range of his talents - singing, dancing, manic comedy, slapstick, even a bit of drama. How does this story of a history writer who gets involved with his louder twin's troubles look now? Let's start with the recent headlines in New York that reveal how comic Buzzy Bellew (Kaye) is the only witness to the murder of a chorus girl by gangster "Ten Grand" Jackson (Steve Cochran) and find out...

The Story: The moment Ten Grand is let out of jail, he has his goons Chimp (Allen Jenkins) and Torso (Edward Brophy) murder Buzzy in his dressing room. The only one who knows is Buzzy's meek twin Edwin (Kaye). He's more interested in writing his history book and dating pretty and smart librarian Ellen Shandley (Mayo) than his twin's problems, until Buzzy gets him into the park and possesses his body. Now Edwin has to dodge the crooks, do Buzzy's nightclub act, figure out what to do about his amorous fiancee Midge Mallon (Vera-Ellen), and explain to Ellen and the district attorney (Otto Kruger) that he's not crazy, before he joins his twin ten feet under!

The Song and Dance: Kaye jumps into the roles of the mild and shy Edwin and the wild and wacky Buzzy with relish. The special effects that allows Kaye to interact with himself won an Oscar in 1945 and still look good today, especially when Buzzy's possessing Edwin, or he's running around the park, grabbing onto tree limbs and kicking cops. Jenkins and Brophy have a few funny moments as Jackson's men, who can't believe Buzzy keeps turning up after they killed him. Lavish sets and costumes and gorgeous Technicolor bring sparkle to a relatively dark story.

Favorite Number: The film kicks off with the peculiar "Bali Boogie," a cross between Javanese dancing and swing that gives Vera-Ellen a chance to show off her dancing and Danny Kaye to mug outrageously. "So In Love" is Vera-Ellen's other big number as the Goldwyn Girls encourage her to wait for her boyfriend in colorful gowns and she ends up dancing with other guys. Buzzy takes control of Edwin's body to imitate a Russian going into sneezing fits over flowers at the nightclub in "Otchi Tchorniya," but it's Edwin who gets into the spirit of his big opera number in full Renaissance dress with real-life diva Alice Mock.

Trivia: Vera-Ellen's first film.

Fans of the East Side Kids and Bowery Boys comedies may recognize the sailor who punches Edwin after he thinks he's flirting with his girl. It's Huntz Hall, aka Satch, appearing in his only color film. 

What I Don't Like: Obviously, if you're not into Kaye's brand of manic comedy, this isn't for you. Vera-Ellen does get in on one big number and has another to herself, but Virginia Mayo could have been given more to do than fuss over Edwin standing her up. The songs aren't that great, and none of them really have much to do with anything, other than the opera spoof keeping Edwin away from the gangsters in the end. 

The Big Finale: One of Kaye's better Goldwyn vehicles if you're a fan of his or the two leading ladies.

Home Media: On DVD as part of the Danny Kaye: The Goldwyn Years set from Warner Archives; can also be found on streaming. 

DVD - Danny Kaye: The Goldwyn Years

Amazon Prime

Murder With Music

Century Productions, 1941

Starring Bob Howard, Milton Williams, Nellie Hill, and Bill Dillard

Directed by George P. Quigley

Music by Sidney Easton and Skippy Williams; Lyrics by Augustus Smith and Skippy Williams

I'm kicking off this year's Black History Month reviews with one of the "race musicals" made by independent companies for black audiences from the 1910's through the early 50's. As I mentioned back in December, musical thrillers are fairly rare. It can be hard to juggle all the clues to solve a mystery with genuine tension and musical numbers. How well does this low-budget B-tuner with an all-black cast fare? Let's start in the office of an editor (Howard) and Ted, one of his reporters (Williams), as Ted tells him about his latest scoop, and find out...

The Story: Ted's latest scoop is the story of Lola (Hill), a singer at a local nightclub, who's being courted by slick Mike (Dillard) and tougher Hal (George Oliver). After a party at Howard's house gets out of hand, it comes to a head at the nightclub, where one man won't survive the night, and the determined detective has to figure out whodunnit when there's a man with a knife sticking out of his back.

The Song and Dance: Forget the murder. It's the music that stands out here. More specifically, the songs of Noble Sissle and His Orchestra, whose music entertained audiences of all races from the 20's well into the 1950's. There's also a few amusing bits from how hard the men try to court Lola and how they try to hide when the cops or another suitor appears, along with Ted trying to get his big story.

Favorite Number: Male-female dance team Johnson and Johnson get a great tap number together to "That's the Cheese You've Got to Squeeze" before the guy shows off his amazing solo moves. Howard gets in on "Too Late Baby" with Sissle and His Orchestra. They're solo for the jivin' "Running Around." Not to be outdone, Skippy Williams and His Band have a terrific "Jam Session" at the party. Hill perks up a little for the ballad "Can't Help It," first performed with a pianist, then with Williams and his band.

The one for the books is "I'm a Little Bangi from Ubangi," which Lola catches on TV early in the film. This tropical chorus number is almost a parody of jungle dance routines in musicals, from the girls in skimpy feathered costumes barely dancing to the blackface native costumes on the men and the rather silly jungle sets. It looks goofy even for early TV.

What I Don't Like: Did I mention this is a low-budget B musical? It looks and sounds as cheap as it is. The men seem to be enjoying themselves and Marjorie Oliver gets a few funny lines as a secretary, but Hill has no acting ability and is about as interesting as the cardboard sets. You have no idea why all the guys are chasing her. There's also the blackface native costumes in the "Ubangi" number that may offend some audiences today. The title's a cheat, too. The murder doesn't happen until the last five minutes of the film, and it's cleared up quickly.

The Big Finale: For fans of big band music or the early African-American sound looking for some good numbers who don't mind the dull production and terrible shape the copy currently circulating is in.

Home Media: This is in the public domain, so it can pretty much be found anywhere. Paramount Plus has it with a subscription.

DVD

Paramount Plus

A Salute to Arlene Dahl - Here Come the Girls

Paramount, 1953

Starring Bob Hope, Rosemary Clooney, Arlene Dahl, and Tony Martin

Directed by Claude Binyon

Music by Jay Livingstone; Lyrics by Ray Evans

Red Skelton wasn't the last comedian Dahl played opposite in a Technicolor romp. She made her final appearance in a musical as one of Hope's leading ladies in this comic thriller. Musicals don't often dive into mystery/thriller turf, and it's even rarer to see one played as a fairly typical nostalgic musical comedy. How does that work out nowadays? Let's begin at a theater in Jersey City, just as the show-within-the-show Here Comes the Girls is concluding, and find out...

The Story: Stanley Snodgrass (Hope) claims to have "greasepaint in his veins," but after 20 years of pounding theaters, he's still in the chorus. His girl Daisy Crockett (Clooney) stands by him no matter what, but producer Harry Fraser fires him after he causes leading lady Irene Bailey (Dahl) and Allen Trent (Martin) to take a spill onstage. His mother (Zamah Cunningham) also stands by her song, but his stepfather Albert (Millard Mitchell) is fed up with giving him money and demands he works in his coal business. 

Jack "the Slasher" Bennett (Robert Strauss) is obsessed with Irene Bailey and will kill anyone she's in love with. After he attacks and wounds Allen, policeman Dennis Logan (William Demarest) suggests Stanley be used as bait to trap the murderer. Stanley's thrilled to accept a room at the Waldorf and the role as Irene's leading man. Daisy's jealous at first, until she finds out how Stanley really got his big part. She tries to convince him he's in danger, but it's not until knives are flying onstage that he realizes what's really going on. Now he has to dodge that crazed lover, before the curtain comes down on his show for good!

The Song and Dance: While this is hardly the first time Hope was involved with a mystery in one of his movies, it is rare to see a mystery-thriller crossed with comedy and backstage shenanigans. It's even rarer for movie musicals to subvert the "chorus member makes good" trope and not have the promoted extra come back a star. Hope's ever-determined mama's boy Stanley is backed by a great cast and a delightfully lavish production that beautifully recreates New York and Jersey City in the early 20th century. Clooney and Dahl also come off well as the woman who really loves Stanley, and the one who wants to use him to save her lover. Cunningham and Mitchell have a few nice moments as his overbearing mother and frustrated stepfather. 

Favorite Number: We kick things off with a spectacular parade of showgirls in huge plumed headgear and gauzy costumes as Martin sings the title song and Hope can't figure out where he's supposed to be. This is the big number Stanley ruins, thanks to a chair landing on his foot. Stanley and Daisy remind each other on the ferry to New York that they may not have the best theatrical training, but "Ya Got Class." 

"It's a Torment" for Irene when Stanley makes a hash of their big Spanish-themed number. The chorus boys get so fed up with his bumbling, they literally toss him offstage! Clooney croons the bluesy ballad "When You Love Someone" after Stanely's promoted and she thinks she's lost him to Irene. "Ali Baba (Be My Baby)" is the Arabian Knights satire where Stanley has such a hard time remembering his lines, the stagehands have to walk by him with them written on props to remind him.

Trivia: Millard Mitchell's last film. 

Was likely planned for 3-D, given all the knives and other props often thrown at the screen.

What I Don't Like: First of all, if you're not a fan of Hope, forget it. He doesn't dominate it to the extent of some of his vehicles, but he still gets most of the best moments. Second, while some of the musical numbers are well-staged, the songs themselves aren't that memorable. I'm also not sure why this is set in the early 1900's. They don't really do much with the background besides Stanley's father running a coal-delivery business. 

The Big Finale: Worth checking out for major fans of Hope, the two leading ladies, or the big musicals of the 1950's if you can find it. 

Home Media: To my knowledge, the only place this can currently be found is YouTube. 

YouTube