Nearly everyone from his radio show gets a chance to contribute in this Jack Benny movie — Phil Harris is key to setting Jack up to go west (though surprisingly he doesn’t lead his band), Andy Devine has a ranch Jack pretends to own, Dennis Day gets to sing, Mary Livingston contributes her voice, announcer …
Read the full post →“<em>Buck Benny Rides Again</em> (Paramount, 1940)”
The grounding of a passenger vessel bound for Havana prevents a salesclerk, Nan Spencer (Alice Faye), from having her vacation, and she refuses to be mollified until company official Jay Williams (John Payne) arranges for an extravagant weekend trip for her; if she enjoys it sufficiently, she will sign a waiver of claims against the …
Read the full post →“<em>Week-End in Havana</em> (Twentieth Century Fox, 1941)”
The first movie that Mel Brooks directed was this uproarious backstage comedy, in which a conman producer (Zero Mostel) tempts a mild-mannered accountant to cooperate on a massive swindle, in the form of a guaranteed flop: a paean to Hitler by a mad former German soldier. Yet pitfalls await: Can they raise the money needed? …
Impresario George White attained success on Broadway with his “Scandals,” annual revue shows similar to Ziegfeld’s “Follies,” and he brought the idea to the screen a few times, twice in the Thirties and a third time in 1945. As usual with such revues, the plot is pretty flimsy, with two couples bumping along the road …
Read the full post →“<em>George White’s Scandals</em> (RKO, 1945)”
Crazy antics in a not-too-specific past full of striking costumes, as Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey are teamed again with Dorothy Lee and Thelma Todd for humor and music. The boys pretend to be the king’s physicians and make hay with the household of a boisterous baron (Noah Beery). Plenty of laughs. Recommended. Otto finds …
Read the full post →“<em>Cockeyed Cavaliers</em> (RKO, 1934)”
A western-oriented entry in the field of morale-boosting all-star musicals set around a servicemen’s canteen, this 1944 Columbia outing has a ranch owner (Charles Starrett) who joins the Army and is assigned to a camp near his home, while a canteen is set up for the soldiers with performing talent and staffing from the area, …
Read the full post →“<em>Cowboy Canteen</em> (Columbia, 1944)”
Two guys wangle a job organizing the entertainment at Lake Arrowhead (thanks to the influence of one’s girlfriend) in this beach musical featuring Gary Lewis & the Playboys, the Righteous Brothers, and more, and with an early role for Raquel Welch (who even gets to sing). The plot’s fairly standard but essentially irrelevant, as the …
Mousetrap salesman Stan and Ollie are duped out of their money and end up having to work off a big debt at a hotel where a famed composer is working on his new opera … and being spied upon by his wife, who is working at the hotel incognito. Plenty of laughs, particularly when the …
Read the full post →“<em>Swiss Miss</em> (Hal Roach / MGM, 1938)”
Early sound musical set in New Orleans, notable for featuring the team of Bert Wheeler and Robert Woolsey in supporting roles, has little interest save as a historical curiosity. Although some of the singing and dancing is good, a hackneyed plot and a stiff leading man weaken the film; Bebe Daniels in the title role …
Comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson (best known for their wild show Hellzapoppin’) help out when the family that has taken the mansion next door to their nightclub experiences spooky goings-on. The viewer gets a taste of their zany antics, particularly in the nightclub scenes, but there’s humor aplenty while they investigate, too. Kirby Grant …
Read the full post →“<em>Ghost Catchers</em> (Universal, 1944)”
