Tag: eric blore

Film Legends Of Yesteryear: Screen Team & “Screen Team Of The Month (July 2022)” Featuring Fred Astaire And Ginger Rogers in… Top Hat (1935)

Well, we’ve had one solo film each for July’s Screen Team Of The Month (Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers), so that means that we need to finish the month off with one of their team ups! In this case, we’re going with their 1935 classic Top Hat!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Under The Counter Spy (1954)

(available on Blu-ray as part of The Woody Woodpecker Screwball Collection from Universal Studios)

(Length: 6 minutes, 22 seconds)

A dangerous criminal called “The Bat” has stolen a secret formula, but has left the bottle in Woody Woodpecker’s house while evading the police. Woody mistakes the bottle for his tonic, and finds himself supercharged as he goes after “The Bat!” This one was apparently a spoof of Dragnet (which I’ve never seen but at least have some knowledge of), which makes it somewhat entertaining (probably even more so if you know the source material). Much of the humor is derived from the drained Woody drinking the tonic and then destroying everything with a mere touch. Of course, when “The Bat” goes after Woody while he is supercharged, “The Bat’s” foul deeds backfire on him! And I can’t deny that the final joke really makes this one! After being slightly disappointed with the previous few Woody Woodpecker cartoons included in the Woody Woodpecker Screwball Collection, this one was a nice and hilarious return to form (without Woody having to be an obnoxious character) that I wouldn’t mind revisiting!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Watch The Birdie (1935)

(Available as an extra on the Top Hat DVD from Warner Home Video)

(Length: 18 minutes, 16 seconds)

Practical joker Bob (Bob Hope) wants to marry Dorothy Ripley (Nell O’Day). However, he goes too far with one of his jokes, and her father (George Watts) refuses to let them marry. This one is fairly entertaining, mainly as an early Bob Hope appearance. The various pranks he plays (and those played on him) are certainly a lot of this short’s humor (but, of course, Bob still has a few quips of his own). There’s also some extra fun with a quick appearance of Pete the Dog (of The Little Rascals fame). It’s not great, but I enjoy it enough that I don’t mind seeing it periodically.

Coming Up Shorts! with… Page Miss Glory (1936)

(Available as an extra on the Top Hat DVD from Warner Home Video)

(Length: 7 minutes, 43 seconds)

A bellhop at a hotel in a small country town awaits the arrival of a big star, Miss Glory. While he waits, he falls asleep and dreams of being a bellhop in a big city hotel, where he has to page Miss Glory. This one was admittedly entertaining. There’s not much story to it, but who needs it when there’s some fun music written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin. It’s an early Tex Avery cartoon, and while it’s not quite as wild as some of his later stuff, it’s good enough to be memorable. I certainly know I wouldn’t mind seeing it again and again!

And Now For The Main Feature…

Horace Hardwick (Edward Everett Horton) is producing a show in London featuring the American star Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire). One time, when Horace asks Jerry to stay overnight at his hotel room to help keep the peace between Horace and his valet, Bates (Eric Blore), Jerry starts madly dancing around the room. His dancing disturbs the sleep of Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers), who is occupying the room beneath them. When she comes up to complain (while Horace is away), Jerry becomes instantly smitten with her, and tries to go out with her. At first, she resists him, but she starts coming around to him. Their mutual attraction is short-lived, however, as various circumstances lead Dale to believe that Jerry (who had never introduced himself to her) is Horace Hardwick, who is married to her friend Madge (Helen Broderick)! Stunned and angry, Dale decides to leave London with her dressmaker, Alberto Beddini (Erik Rhodes), and go to Venice, Italy, where Madge is currently staying in order to warn her about “Horace’s” flirtations. Saddened by Dale’s departure, Jerry goes on with the show. When he learns from Horace backstage via telegram that Madge had invited them to go to Italy to meet her friend, Dale Tremont (since she was trying to set up Jerry and Dale as a couple), Jerry tells Horace to charter them a plane to Italy immediately. Meanwhile, in Italy, Dale tells Madge about “Horace” flirting with her, but Madge seems to take it in stride as being something in the norm for her husband. When Jerry and Horace arrive, Jerry keeps trying to see Dale, but is mystified as to why she is being so standoffish. At the same time, Horace is threatened by Alberto and is dealing with his wife being suspicious of him (but he assumes it’s because she heard about another accidental affair of his). When Jerry tries to propose to Dale, she slaps him, and later agrees to marry Alberto in the hopes that “Horace” will finally leave her alone. Will they be able to figure out the truth of what is going on, or will Dale be stuck married to a man that she doesn’t love?

Supposedly, the film was based on the 1911 play The Girl Who Dared by Alexander Faragó and Aladar Laszlo, but, from what I’ve read, the only aspect of the play retained for the film was the moment when Fred Astaire’s Jerry had to carry Horace’s (Edward Everett Horton) briefcase (which was one of the central moments that helped with the mistaken identity plot). More comparisons are generally made to the previous year’s The Gay Divorcee, in between the similar plot and (almost) identical cast (with Helen Broderick in Top Hat instead of Alice Brady). And it’s hard not to make that comparison, especially since Dwight Taylor, the author of the original play The Gay Divorce, was brought in to develop the story for Top Hat. However, Fred Astaire had some complaints about the initial script, including the idea that it too closely resembled The Gay Divorcee, and Allan Scott was brought in to do some rewrites (and yet, all these years later, the final film still resembles The Gay Divorcee in the minds of many). Irving Berlin was brought in to write the score, with the five songs that stayed in becoming hits at one time or another. Since Fred Astaire was mainly devoting all his time to the movies he was making with Ginger, he worked on most of the choreography with Hermes Pan (with Hermes Pan usually playing Ginger’s part), and they would show Ginger (who was still doing other films besides those with Fred) the choreography when they had it done. Top Hat would end up being a big hit with audiences, becoming the second highest grossing film of 1935 (behind Mutiny On The Bounty), and the highest grossing film in the Astaire/Rogers series. It would also be nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Original Song (Irving Berlin for “Cheek to Cheek”), Dance Direction (Hermes Pan for “Piccolino” and “Top Hat”) and Best Art Direction (Carroll Clark and Van Nest Polglase) (and regretfully losing them all).

Top Hat was the second Astaire-Rogers film that I saw (following 1949’s The Barkley’s Of Broadway, which I didn’t take to immediately), and it’s since become my favorite film in the series! Personally, Irving Berlin’s music is part of the film’s appeal for me, and I consider the score to be his best (I think some of the other musicals that used his music were better, but I like this score the best). All five songs are great fun (and easily get stuck in my head whenever I watch this movie)! I’d certainly give the edge to the songs “Top Hat, White Tie And Tails” (which I’ll admit to having done a tap solo to years ago, with the outfit becoming my go-to dance costume whenever I could use it for various specialty routines at dance recitals) and “Cheek To Cheek” (which is the song and dance that most defines the partnership of Fred and Ginger to me, and which I have also danced to, although it loses some of its meaning in the process since, at 6’4″, I’ve towered over most of my dance partners). But “No Strings (I’m Fancy Free),” “Isn’t This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain)” and especially “The Piccolino” are all very delightful songs (and dances!).

The music (and dancing) are a big part of what makes the film a classic, but the comedy is right up there, too! Fred and Ginger certainly have some wonderful comedic moments together, and lines that stick with me, including this fabulous exchange:

-Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers): “What is this strange power you have over horses?”

-Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire): “Horse power.”

Of course, Fred and Ginger are hardly the only ones with comedic abilities here, as the rest of the cast handle it quite well, too. But it’s Edward Everett Horton (with his hilarious double-takes) and Eric Blore who steal the show, especially when together. Of course, Eric Blore’s Bates insulting the Italian policeman (who supposedly doesn’t understand a word of English) is one of the film’s most laugh-out-loud moments for me! Sure, the film’s plot is ridiculous, but with Fred and Ginger (and all the rest of the cast) to carry the film, who needs a good plot? I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this film quite highly (seriously, go find a way to watch it now)!

This movie is available on DVD from Warner Home Video.

Film Length: 1 hour, 40 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

*ranked #1 in Top 10 Movies Watched In 2022

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Dancing Lady (1933) – Fred Astaire – Follow The Fleet (1936)

Star Of Midnight (1935) – Ginger Rogers – In Person (1935)

The Devil Is A Woman (1935) – Edward Everett Horton – Bluebeard’s Eighth Wife (1938)

Helen Broderick – Swing Time (1936)

The Good Fairy (1935) – Eric Blore – Swing Time (1936)

Lucille Ball – Follow The Fleet (1936)

Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers (screen team) – Follow The Fleet (1936)

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“Star Of The Month (March 2022)” Featuring Bing Crosby in… The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad (1949)

And now we have one final film featuring Bing Crosby as our Star Of The Month! In this instance, he does some voice work alongside Basil Rathbone in the 1949 Disney animated film The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad! However, due to the nature of the film, I will take a similar approach to last year’s Invitation To The Dance (1956) review, and throw in a table of contents to help find the different sections quicker!

Table Of Contents

Coming Up Shorts! with… The Reckless Driver (1946)

(available on Blu-ray as part of The Woody Woodpecker Screwball Collection from Universal Studios)

(Length: 6 minutes, 46 seconds)

While driving on the highway, Woody sees a billboard reminding him to renew his driver’s license. Going to the department of motor vehicles, he tries to renew it with officer Wally Walrus. This one was quite entertaining, as Woody dealt with Wally’s attempts to flunk him on the test. The various gags did their job, providing me with a few good laughs throughout. Woody and Wally still make for good enemies here, which makes it easier to keep coming around for more!

And Now For The Main Feature…

After Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs turned out to be such a hit for Walt Disney, he was approached about doing an animated movie based on the 1908 Kenneth Grahame book The Wind In The Willows. Walt was initially reluctant, but he ended up buying the film rights in 1938. A few years later (in 1941), his animators started working on the film. However, the movie suffered some delays in between his animators striking, and the project being shelved because he thought the quality wasn’t good enough. After the second World War ended, he went back to the idea, but decided to shorten the story and make it part of a package film. At first, the plan was to combine it with The Legend Of Happy Valley and The Gremlins (an original story by Roald Dahl), but The Gremlins ended up not happening, and The Legend Of Happy Valley ended up being paired with the story Bongo for the 1947 film Fun And Fancy Free. Meanwhile, work had begun on The Legend Of Sleep Hollow in 1946, and a decision was made to pair that up with The Wind In The Willows, with Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby brought in to narrate the two stories due to their audience appeal. The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad turned out to be a hit, and was Disney’s last package film until the much later The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh (1977). When aired on television in the 1950s, the two segments were separated (with The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow having a fourteen minute prologue on the life of author Washington Irving added to it), which was the only way to see the segments until the advent of home video (although the Washington Irving prologue has yet to be made available on home video).

The Wind In The Willows

As narrated by Basil Rathbone, we are told the story of one J. Thaddeus Toad (Eric Blore), who resides in Toad Hall near London, England. Toad Hall is a source of pride for many in the community, but trouble is at the door. Toad, famous for obsessively following the latest fads (or “manias”), is facing bankruptcy due to his escapades. His friend, Angus MacBadger (Campbell Grant), has taken over as his bookkeeper, but he has come to the conclusion that Toad must stop with these manias. So, Angus recruits some mutual friends, Ratty (Claude Allister) and Mole (Colin Campbell), to stop Toad’s latest mania: roaming around the countryside in a gypsy cart led by his horse friend, Cyril Proudbottom (J. Pat O’Malley). Ratty and Mole try to stop him, but he develops a new interest: motor cars! They try to lock Toad up in his room, but he escapes, and is soon arrested for “stealing a motor car.” At the trial, Toad says that he had gone to a tavern, where he bought a motor car from some weasels. Since he hadn’t any money, he traded them the deed to Toad Hall. When Toad asks the bartender, Mr. Winkie (Ollie Wallace), to give his testimony, Mr. Winkie instead declares that Toad had tried to sell HIM a stolen motor car! This results in the court throwing the book at Toad and sentencing him to twenty years in the Tower Of London. On Christmas Eve, Cyril comes to visit (disguised as Toad’s “grandmother”) and gives him an outfit to escape. Toad makes his way to Ratty’s home, where they all find out from Angus that the weasels (led by Mr. Winkie, no less!) have moved into Toad Hall. His friends now know the truth, but can they get the deed back and prove Toad’s innocence to the law?

Due to the two segments being separated for the early part of my life, I’m not sure if I ever saw the The Wind In The Willows as a kid (and if I did, it was maybe one time). That being said, I KNOW I saw the song “Merrily On Our Way (To Nowhere In Particular)” many, MANY times (mainly due to the song being included as part of a Disney Sing-A-Long VHS that I wore out from frequent viewings as a little kid). I finally got around to seeing the entire film in 2020 (the first time I had seen much of ANYTHING from the movie, including the sing-a-long in nearly two decades), and I can tell you this: that song STILL sticks with me, even after all this time! Even ignoring that, I also find the whole segment to be a lot of fun. Of course, one thing that makes watching this as an adult enjoyable is the voice acting. As a kid, you could have told me the narrator was Basil Rathbone, or that Mr. Toad was Eric Blore, and that would have meant nothing to me. Now, as a fan of classic cinema, those two names mean a lot more to me, which makes it just that much more appealing! Of course, it’s also easy to tell that some of the footage was “recycled” later on for part of the Disney film The Jungle Book, but it’s still fun to see how it was done the first time. Overall, The Wind In The Willows is an entertaining segment that I’ve come to enjoy seeing every now and then!

The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

As narrated (and sung) by Bing Crosby, we are told the tale of traveling schoolteacher Ichabod Crane. He has just come to the New England town of Sleepy Hollow, where he becomes the new teacher. He maintains a firm hand in the classroom (except, of course, with students who have mothers that are good cooks). His ways are odd, which causes him to become a victim of the pranks of the most popular man in town, Brom Bones (although Ichabod just shrugs him off). The two quickly become rivals for the hand of Katrina Van Tassel, one of the most beautiful women in town (and daughter of Baltus van Tassel, the richest farmer in the area). Ichabod manages to outwit Brom Bones at every opportunity (helped by Katrina stoking the rivalry, since she doesn’t want to make things easy for Brom Bones, who always seems to get what he wants). On Halloween night, when Baltus Van Tassel throws a party, Brom Bones notices how superstitious Ichabod is, and tells the story of the Headless Horseman, who haunts an area nearby every Halloween as he looks for a new head (and of course, the area he haunts would have to be right along the way Ichabod has to travel to get home). So now, Ichabod has to face this long, scary ride back in the dark. Will he get back alright, or will he run into the Headless Horseman?

Ah. The Legend Of Sleep Hollow. The reason for this package film being included as part of this month’s Star Of The Month blogathon. Unlike the Wind In The Willows segment, I saw this one many a time as a kid (but stopped watching it long before I got into classic live-action films). As a kid, I always found this one entertaining (but, again, the fact that Bing Crosby narrated it meant zilch to me at that time). As an adult (and a classic film fan), not only is it more fun that Bing Crosby is narrating, I can now see the different ways that they incorporated elements of Bing Crosby and his persona into the segment, whether it be his manner of speech in his narration, the style of crooning (when Ichabod is leading the three women as part of their choral society), or Ichabod’s ears. Of course, having always thought of the character Brom Bones as being similar to the character Gaston from the later Disney film Beauty And The Beast, it feels weird to hear Bing’s voice coming out of that character as well, but certainly not enough to throw me. All three songs in this segment (“Ichabod,” “Katrina” and “The Headless Horseman”) are quite fun, but it’s definitely “The Headless Horseman” that is the most memorable! But the final section, with Ichabod going through the woods at night (and facing off against the Headless Horseman) is very effective in being scary, as the narration almost disappears, leaving us to endure Ichabod’s imagination slowly running wild (and who can blame him?) up until he realizes that (and then, of course, the Horseman shows up). It’s as scary as anything I can think of from a Disney cartoon, and yet, in spite of the fact that I just do not care for horror/scary stuff (as I’ve indicated in the past), I actually like to watch it! I can’t deny that this one is definitely a different Disney story, since it can be quite ambiguous, not only in the story’s ending, but in whether the story actually has a “hero” for us to cheer for (since Ichabod is interested in Katrina’s father’s wealth as much as he is her). As a kid, this one was fun for me, and as an adult, it’s even better!

My Overall Impression

While I left this film (or rather, I should say the segment The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow) behind for a long time, it was one that I had a lot of fun coming around to when I saw the whole thing in 2020. I’ve had the good pleasure to revisit it a few times since, and it’s been a fun Disney film! In some respects, it’s one that works well for two different holidays, what with part of The Wind In The Willows taking place around Christmastime (even if it barely touches on that in the story), and then The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow‘s most famous part being on Halloween night. With the now familiar-to-me voice talent behind-the-scenes, and the very enjoyable tales onscreen, it’s one that I very much enjoy, and have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending!

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Disney.

Film Length: 1 hour, 8 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court (1949) – Bing Crosby – Here Comes The Groom (1951)

International Lady (1941) – Basil Rathbone – We’re No Angels (1955)

Romance On The High Seas (1948) – Eric Blore

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Thoughts From The Music(al) Man (2021) on… Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

We’re back for another Preston Sturges film with the classic 1941 movie Sullivan’s Travels starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake!

Coming Up Shorts! with… Fly My Kite (1931)

(available on Blu-ray as part of The Little Rascals: The ClassicFlix Restorations, Volume 2 (1930-1931) from ClassicFlix)

(Length: 21 minutes, 4 seconds)

Grandma (Margaret Mann) faces eviction by her former son-in-law, but the Gang do their part to help stop his plans. This was another fun and sentimental short in the series, with the kids again facing off against a “villain” trying to do harm to Grandma. Jim Mason does well as the son-in-law, who makes us hate him and cheer on the Gang when they try to stop his plans. Overall, very entertaining, which is par for the course with these Our Gang shorts!

And Now For The Main Feature…

Hollywood director John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea) is known for his comedies, but he wants very much to direct the tragedy O Brother, Where Art Thou. His bosses at the studio, Mr. LeBrand (Robert Warwick) and Mr. Hadrian (Porter Hall), think he’s had too soft a lifestyle and hasn’t suffered enough to be able to make the movie, and would much prefer that he make another comedy. Agreeing with them on the point that he doesn’t really know suffering, he decides to dress as a tramp and take to the road to experience trouble. His bosses aren’t thrilled with the idea, but they make a demand of their own by sending along a bus (or, as the film refers to it, a “land yacht”) with a doctor, secretary, reporter, photographer and chauffeur to attend to his needs. Wanting to ditch them, Sullivan hops in a jalopy with a kid and makes a mad dash for it, with the bus trying its best to keep up. After a long chase, Sullivan finds himself unable to ditch the bus, but convinces everyone on board to let him go it alone for a while, with plans to meet up later in Las Vegas. He stops at a farmhouse to do some work there for a widow, but when he finds that she has other plans for him (besides working), he tries to sneak out at night. He gets away (making a lot of noise in the process), but the truck he hitches a ride with ends up bringing him right back to Hollywood. He stops at a diner for a cup of coffee, and he finds himself with some ham and eggs, paid for by a failed wannabe actress (or “The Girl” as the credits list the character played by Veronica Lake). In return, he tries to offer her a ride somewhere by pretending to be a friend of director John L. Sullivan. However, they are arrested by the police, and only freed when his butler (Robert Greig) and valet (Eric Blore) bail them out. At first, “The Girl” is angry at how Sullivan had tricked her, but when she finds out about his “experiment,” she insists on joining him. He protests the idea, but she won’t give up on it. The next day, with both of them dressed in tramp costumes, they hitch a ride on a train with all the other tramps. When they get off the train, they find themselves near Las Vegas. They find the bus, where they make a brief stop (mostly for Sullivan to start recovering from a cold he caught), and then they’re off again. They see what life is like for other tramps and homeless people, and Sullivan feels he has seen enough. However, he has one last thing he wants to do before returning to Hollywood, and he walks the streets, handing out five dollar bills (nearly five thousand dollars worth) to homeless people. One of them, who had stolen his shoes (which contained his identification), sees him doing this and decides to steal it. The man hits Sullivan on the head at a train yard, and drags him onto a train. He tries to get away with the money, but ends up getting killed by a train. Meanwhile, a confused and amnesiac Sullivan gets himself into trouble by fighting with a railroad worker when he wakes up, and is sentenced to six years of hard labor. Will Sullivan ever remember who he is, or will his friends ever find him, especially with someone else dead that they assume is him because of the I.D. in the shoes?

Actor Joel McCrea and Preston Sturges had originally met on the set of The Power And The Glory (1933) (which Preston Sturges wrote the script for), and they got along well. After Preston Sturges made the leap from writer to writer/director with the films The Great McGinty and Christmas In July, he came up with an idea for Sullivan’s Travels based on his feeling that some of his fellow writers were getting a little too preachy in giving their comedy films messages and needed to lay off the idea. He had only one person in mind to play the character of John L. Sullivan: Joel McCrea. Joel McCrea was surprised to have a script written specifically for him, as he felt that, most of the time, the scripts were written for Gary Cooper and he got them when Gary turned them down. For the otherwise unnamed “Girl” in the picture, Sturges cast Veronica Lake, who kept it secret that she was pregnant (until after filming had started), so that she could do the film. Of course, a few knew about her pregnancy, and they worked around it with different camera angles and costumes to hide it. The film received mixed reviews, and wasn’t as popular at that time, but it has grown in popularity over time as people have come around to the way it was made.

I’ll admit, when it came to the order I was planning to do my Sunday reviews in the month of October, I was really vacillating between different ways of doing it. Ultimately, I opted to go with the current order, leaving this post on Sullivan’s Travels to debut on October 31. While it wasn’t my original intention, I do find it to be the most fitting film of the bunch for Halloween itself. I mean, we’ve got our main character dressing up for a lifestyle that he knows almost nothing about. Of course, in what was a nightmarish scenario for the character, he did find himself increasingly becoming what he was pretending to be. But, in doing so, he did indeed walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, giving him a better view of life and how to help out others in his own way. Obviously, this isn’t a scary movie (unless you’re somebody rich who dreads becoming poor and unable to get out of trouble with your money), but it’s still a good Halloween movie.

Even ignoring the timing of this post, I’ll still say this was a wonderful movie. In some ways, it really hits home with the power of laughter. I know I certainly haven’t had things as bad as being in a prison gang (like the main character), nor as bad off as some of the others here were shown to be, but I do know that life is hard, and I do find myself enjoying breaks from that with comedies (and musicals). And this film does have some good comedic moments, what with the car chase near the beginning, which is the most screwball moment in the whole film! While things do calm down a bit after that, I still enjoy all the fun at Sullivan’s pool, and how his servants help him figure out how and where to get on the train. Admittedly, my biggest problem with this movie is its big shift in tone, going from screwball comedy (with a little romantic comedy in between) all the way to being a drama without many laughs for most of the last part of the movie. With the movie’s overall “message” on the importance of laughter, that does make it feel discombobulating to go so long without humor. Of course, I had already heard about that tonal shift before seeing this movie, so I was prepared. In that same vein, I also feel the need to forewarn you, that this movie is neither a pure comedy nor a pure drama. If you’re prepared for that, then there is a good movie to be found here. I do prefer Preston Sturges’ pure comedies like The Lady Eve and The Palm Beach Story much more, (and I Married A Witch with Veronica Lake), but I still find this one worth recommending!

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Criterion Collection.

Film Length: 1 hour, 31 minutes

My Rating: 8/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) – Joel McCrea – The Great Man’s Lady (1942)

Veronica Lake – I Married A Witch (1942)

Road To Zanzibar (1941) – Eric Blore – The Sky’s The Limit (1943)

As an Amazon Affiliate, this site gets a small percentage for every purchase made upon using one of the Amazon links, even if it’s not the movie I linked to (and it’s at no extra cost to you). If you like what I’m doing with the blog, please consider using them so that I can continue to do more!

Film Legends Of Yesteryear (2021): Rita Hayworth in… Music In My Heart (1940)

Welcome to my newly rebranded column for “Film Legends Of Yesteryear!”  Allow me a moment to explain.  Two years ago, in 2019, once a month I reviewed a movie released in the year 1939, as a celebration of that year’s 80th anniversary. While I did nothing of the sort in 2020 (since this isn’t exactly a regular column), for 2021 I will be focusing on the films of actress Rita Hayworth! Granted, it’s not a special birthday or anniversary or whatever. It’s more like I was given a set of twelve of her films for Christmas, and I didn’t feel like making her a “Star Of The Month” (and then trying to cram all twelve films into one month). So, since her birthday is on October 17, I will be posting a review of one of her films on the 17th of every month, and I am currently thinking about hosting a three-day blogathon around her birthday in October. Anyways, that’s the plan, so let’s get things started with her 1940 musical Music In My Heart, which also stars Tony Martin! Of course, we’ve got a theatrical short first, and then we’ll move on to the main feature!

Coming Up Shorts! with… The Pink Tail Fly (1965)

(available on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Pink Panther Cartoon Collection: Volume 1 (1964-1966) from Kino Lorber)

(Length: 6 minutes, 17 seconds)

An exhausted Pink Panther tries to get some sleep, but is interrupted by a persistent fly. Yeah, this type of story is certainly nothing new, and has been done many times in various fashions. Still, there is some fun to be found in the Panther’s fight against the fly, as he tries to kick the fly out of the house (and fails miserably). Worth a few good laughs to see this one periodically!

And Now For The Main Feature…

Robert Gregory (Tony Martin) is anxious about his immigration status.  He fears being deported, especially since he has been the understudy for the leading man in a Broadway musical (who never seems to get sick or injured).  When it’s heard that Robert will, indeed, be deported, the leading man decides to fake an illness so that he can play the part once.  The show goes well, but Robert has to leave right after the performance in order to catch a boat that is sailing (and thus doesn’t have time to change out of his costume).  His cab makes a mad dash for the docks, but crashes into another cab also trying to make the same boat.  The  passenger in the other cab, Patricia O’Malley (Rita Hayworth), is trying to make it in time to marry wealthy publisher Charles Gardner (Alan Mowbray).  With one cab out of commission, they both take the one cab to the docks, but they just miss the boat. Since she learned about Robert’s immigration status, she offers him a place to stay overnight at her uncle Luigi’s (George Humbert). Meanwhile, Charles and his butler, Griggs (Eric Blore), had gotten off the boat when Patricia didn’t arrive in time, and the immigration authorities swore out a warrant for Robert’s arrest. Charles tries to get over being jilted, but finds himself still wanting to marry Patricia. The following morning, he sends Griggs to help smooth things over. Meanwhile, Robert has won over Patricia’s younger sister Mary (Edith Fellows), her uncle Luigi and restaurant owner/cook Sascha (George Tobias). While Griggs is there, Robert tries to prevent him from being successful at bringing Patricia and Charles back together (at the urging of Mary, who things Patricia should not marry Charles). Griggs thinks that Robert looks familiar, but can’t quite place him. Afterwards, Robert sings at a rally for a local politician, and proposes to Patricia (who says yes). Finally, Griggs figures out that Robert is wanted by the authorities and tells Charles. However, Charles is too much of a gentleman and doesn’t want to turn Robert over to the police. So, Griggs goes behind his back and has a special newspaper printed up (only one copy) that claims Robert had left behind a wife and children. He tries to get it in front of Patricia, who, upon seeing the story, decides to go back to Charles without explaining her reasons to Robert. Will things work out between the two, or will Robert be deported, leaving Patricia in a loveless marriage?

Music In My Heart was Rita Hayworth’s first starring role in a musical, but it hardly left much of a mark on her career. Quite frankly, the movie was intended as a vehicle for Tony Martin, who had recently left his contract with 20th Century Fox. While Rita was the film’s leading lady, it was still an unremarkable role, as Tony Martin is the only one who does much of any singing here (granted, Rita would usually lip-synch, as her singing would normally be dubbed over, but she doesn’t even do that here), and what little dancing she does here doesn’t really amount to much. Instead, more is given to some of the character actors, including Eric Blore (who had been in a few of the Astaire-Rogers films and was doing his same thing here), and George Tobias. For me, both of them managed to make their roles memorable and hilarious! I personally didn’t find the music (written by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright) to be that memorable, but it wasn’t terrible, either (with the song “It’s A Blue World” apparently becoming a hit and being nominated for an Oscar). I did enjoy this movie for what it was. It’s not great, but it’s one I don’t think I would have any problems coming back to as “comfort cinema,” I enjoyed it that much! So, it’s a movie I personally would recommend taking the time to see!

What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… Music In My Heart (1940)

This movie is available on Blu-ray as part of the twelve film Rita Hayworth: The Ultimate Collection from Mill Creek Entertainment. The movie appears to have been given a scan in HD, but has not undergone a full-blown restoration, as there are specks and dirt here and there, and other minor issues. Still, it looks great in HD otherwise, and, for the price, is well worth it.

Film Length: 1 hour, 10 minutes

My Rating: 8/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Tony Martin – Deep In My Heart (1954)

Only Angels Have Wings (1939) – Rita Hayworth – You’ll Never Get Rich (1941)

Merrily We Live (1938) – Alan Mowbray

Swing Time (1936) – Eric Blore – The Lady Eve (1941)

Balalaika (1939) – George Tobias – Sergeant York (1941)

Rita Hayworth: The Ultimate Collection – You’ll Never Get Rich (1941)

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What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2020) with… Romance On The High Seas (1948)

Now we’re back again for the 1948 musical Romance On The High Seas, starring Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore and Doris Day! But before I get into the main review, I have a poll for you (that will run for one week), and I’ll explain right after:

So, for those that don’t know me well enough (or follow my FB page), I’m usually a little ways ahead in my viewing before most of my regular Sunday posts appear. While I haven’t gotten that far yet, I do essentially have my regular Sunday reviews planned out for the remainder of 2020. Watching this first Doris Day film, I decided I would go through the Doris Day filmography (or rather, what I have on disc, which is what I’m usually working with for these reviews). So, for four out of the five Sunday in January 2021, I am planning to feature Doris Day as the “Star Of The Month” (with the fifth Sunday being devoted to a movie featuring a screen team, although it could be one of the Doris Day films, depending on what the results are). Since I plan to follow up with a “Star Of The Month” for February and March (and will be offering polls to choose those stars over the next few weeks), I am asking for what movies you would like me to review (from the provided list). Please take your time to pick the four you would like to see! And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming…

Coming Up Shorts! with… Hare Splitter (1948)

(available as an extra on the Romance On The High Seas Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection)

(Length: 7 minutes, 9 seconds)

While attempting to go on a date with his girlfriend Daisy, Bugs Bunny must contend with his rival for her affections, Casbah.  Fun old Bugs Bunny cartoon I’ve seen many a time over the years.  Bugs dressing in drag was always a bit of fun (and at least one joke still seems to be far more relevant than one would wish it).  Certainly fun to see again, even if it hasn’t been restored (at least for this release, anyways).

Coming Up Shorts! with… Let’s Sing A Song From The Movies (1948)

(available as an extra on the Romance On The High Seas Blu-ray from Warner Archive Collection)

(Length: 10 minutes, 43 seconds)

This short is a collection of songs from various Warner Brothers movies, including song like “Am I Blue?”, sung by Ethel Waters in On With The Show, “By A Waterfall” from Footlight Parade, “Some Sunday Morning” sung by Alexis Smith in San Antonio and “A Gal In Calico” sung by Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson in The Time, The Place And The Girl.  Part of the “Memories From Melody Lane” series, it’s narrated by Art Gilmore.  After each song, the lyrics are shown so that the audience can sing along.  A bit of fun, even it it’s not a restored short.

And Now For The Main Feature…

Marital bliss doesn’t exist for this couple!  From the time they get married (and, quite frankly, even before that), Michael Kent (Don DeFore) and his wife, Elvira (Janis Paige), suspect each other of infidelity. And after two years of Elvira trying to plan a big trip for their anniversary, only for it to fall through because Michael is involved in some “business mergers,” she’s had enough!  While at a travel agency trying to plan a trip to Rio, Elvira quickly meets nightclub singer Georgia Garrett (Doris Day), who is known at the agency for planning trips she never goes on for lack of funds. When Michael has to cancel the trip for the third year in a row, Elvira decides to conspire with her uncle, Lazlo Lazlo (S. Z. “Cuddles” Sakall), to send Georgia on the trip alone, posing as Elvira, while Elvira herself stays in town to secretly keep an eye on her husband. What Elvira doesn’t know is that her husband has hired a private detective, Peter Virgil (Jack Carson), to follow “Elvira Kent” on the trip. On the cruise’s first night, Georgia and Peter meet, and start spending a lot of time together. Of course, neither knows the truth about the other, and Peter starts to feel conflicted as he falls for his client’s “wife.” However, he has no “other man” to report. At least, until Georgia’s wanna-be boyfriend, Oscar Ferrar (Oscar Levant), shows up. Then there’s trouble, especially when Peter’s feelings are more conflicted, and he reports the “other man” to Michael, who decides to make the trip. Elvira catches wind of Michael leaving, and tries to get there ahead of him, but he is faster. From then on, it’s one big mess as everyone tries to figure out what’s going on!

Romance On The High Seas was originally planned with the hopes of starring either Judy Garland or Betty Hutton. When both of them proved unavailable, then one of those “it could only happen in Hollywood” star discoveries happened. Doris Day, who had mainly been a band singer up to that point, was getting ready to leave Hollywood after a series of career and personal failures. But, the night before she planned to leave, she sang at a Hollywood party, where lyric writer Sammy Cahn heard her and suggested that she try auditioning for director Michael Curtiz. It took a few attempts, since she broke down in tears partway through her first audition, but she got the role, and the rest, as they say, is history!

Certainly much ado is made of this being actress Doris Day’s first movie, and she really proves to be worth seeing in this movie, even if she is fourth-billed! I will admit, her performance doesn’t seem as good as you might expect from her later movies, but she does well enough that it doesn’t detract from the movie. She gets a few fun songs, particularly the Oscar-winning tune “It’s Magic” which became one of her biggest hits. And, of course, she’s supported by a great cast, including Jack Carson in one of his more likable roles, S. Z. “Cuddles” Sakall, who is always fun to see, and (love him or hate him) Oscar Levant, who is, well, Oscar Levant. You won’t find the plot to be that original or great, but the material is good enough. I enjoyed seeing it for the first time (again, Doris Day was the appeal here), and it’s one I would certainly recommend trying out!

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Warner Archive Collection. The new Blu-ray boasts a 4K scan of the original nitrate Technicolor negatives. I’ll tell you, this new restoration is definitely a “WOW!” From the opening credits onward, you’re in for a treat! The color looks so vivid, just as it should for a movie in 3-strip Technicolor. Had this been a movie I had seen before, then, like last year’s 3-strip Technicolor Blu-ray release of Summer Stock, I would be giving this movie a bump up in the rating, it just looks that great! But, whatever the rating for the movie itself, Warner Archive gave it a great transfer, and it is certainly the best way to see this movie!

Film Length: 1 hour, 39 minutes

My Rating: 8/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) – Jack Carson – My Dream Is Yours (1949)

Janis Paige – Silk Stockings (1957)

It Happened On Fifth Avenue (1947) – Don DeFore

Doris Day – My Dream Is Yours (1949)

Oscar Levant – An American In Paris (1951)

Christmas In Connecticut (1945) – S. Z. “Cuddles” Sakall – My Dream Is Yours (1949)

The Sky’s The Limit (1943) – Eric Blore – The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad (1949)

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What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2019) with… Swing Time (1936)

If you’re looking for “a fine romance,” then look no further than the classic Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie Swing Time!

Dancer John “Lucky” Garnett (Fred Astaire) returns to his hometown to marry his fiancee, Margaret Watson (Betty Furness), but the other dancers in the act prevent him from getting to the wedding on time. However, Lucky is able to convince Margaret and her father to try again if he can make $25,000. Lucky goes to New York with his buddy, Pop (Victor Moore), where he meets dance teacher Penny Carrol (Ginger Rogers). While trying to get acquainted in a dance lesson, he accidentally gets her fired, so he tries to get her job back for her. In doing so, he not only gets her job back, he manages to get her an even better offer performing with him at the Silver Sandal nightclub. However, their employment is delayed when nightclub owner Mr. Simpson (Pierre Watkin) loses the contract of his orchestra and its leader, Ricardo Romero (Georges Metaxa), gambling with Dice Raymond (John Harrington), the owner of another nightclub. Lucky manages to win back the orchestra when he goes to Raymond’s club to gamble. Meanwhile, Lucky is falling in love with Penny and is trying not to make $25,000 so he doesn’t have to go back and marry Margaret.

Well, as you can see, the plot doesn’t make a huge amount of sense. But, it’s an Astaire/Rogers movie, and you’re not here for the plot! To be fair, though, I’m not sure how much of the plot’s issues relate to how much society has changed in the time since this movie was made. As I said, though, with an Astaire/Rogers film, you’re generally enjoying the music and the dancing! And what a score, with music provided by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, including such songs as “Pick Yourself Up,” “The Waltz In Swing Time,” “A Fine Romance,” “Bojangles Of Harlem,” “Never Gonna Dance” and the Oscar-winning classic, “The Way You Look Tonight.”

Of course, the three dance duets (“Pick Yourself Up,” “The Waltz In Swing Time” and “Never Gonna Dance”) are the big highlights of the movie! “Pick Yourself Up” starts us off well, with a fun song where Ginger is trying to “teach” Fred how to dance (utilizing some dance steps that would make an appearance in all three routines), and, going into the dance routine, we see her impressed with his abilities that he had been hiding from her only a few moments before. “The Waltz In Swing Time” gives us more progression in their relationship, as we see a fun dance showing off how well they could combine ballroom and tap dancing together! But “Never Gonna Dance” is a masterpiece (well, to me, it is!) showing off their dramatic abilities as they split up, believing they will never dance again, with reprises of “The Way You Look Tonight” and “The Waltz In Swing Time” included as part of the music. Just an absolutely beautiful dance routine (and one that made my “Top 10 Dance Routines” list)!

To be fair, the movie’s not perfect. The main sour note for most would probably be the song and dance for “Bojangles Of Harlem.” Supposedly a “tribute” to African-American dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, it ends up coming off quite differently. Considering Bill Robinson was known for being one of the first African-American performers to NOT wear blackface, Fred’s use of it comes across poorly, never mind the fact that his style of dancing is nothing NEAR what Bill did. And it’s not a simple case of just skipping the song to get past the blackface, as Fred is still wearing it for a few minutes while the story keeps going. Personally, I still get some enjoyment out of the dancing (and the music is catchy, too), especially when Fred goes solo apart from the female chorus, and we get what is the first time he used special effects to enhance his dancing onscreen, as we see him dance off against his own shadows. I do think that the blackface was a mistake on Fred’s part, as I have otherwise gotten the impression that he did respect African-American performers, working with a few and having high praise for the Nicholas Brothers’ dance in the 1943 musical Stormy Weather. In spite of this moment, though, I still would EASILY recommend this movie, as it is just so much fun to watch!

This movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Criterion Collection. With regard to the new, restored transfer, I would say it looks great to me. Sure, it’s not as crisp and clear as some would like, but, considering the original camera negative, which would have yielded the best results, is long gone (and apparently was in bad shape when Criterion licensed the movie for their laserdisc release nearly thirty years ago), this is probably as good as we can hope for. I like it, and I certainly see a lot of improvement over the Warner DVD released about a decade ago, so this recent release comes highly recommended by me (and I personally would, at this point, already be willing to call it the release of the year)!

Film Length: 1 hour, 44 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

*ranked #1 in Top 10 Disc Releases Of 2019

**ranked #3 in Top 10 Movies Watched In 2019

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Follow The Fleet (1936) – Fred Astaire – A Damsel In Distress (1937)

Follow The Fleet (1936) – Ginger Rogers – Vivacious Lady (1938)

Victor Moore – Ziegfeld Follies (1945)

Top Hat (1935) – Helen Broderick – Nice Girl? (1941)

Top Hat (1935) – Eric Blore – Music In My Heart (1940)

Follow The Fleet (1936) – Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers (screen team) – Carefree (1938)

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What’s Old Is A New Release Again (2019) with… Road To Zanzibar (1941)

Time to hit the road again! This time we’re on the Road To Zanzibar, again with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour!

Carnival performers Chuck Reardon (Bing Crosby) and “Fearless” (Hubert) Frazier (Bob Hope) have to go on the run after they accidentally burn down a carnival. Instead of buying tickets to go back home, Chuck Reardon buys what turned out to be a phony diamond mine.  When Fearless sells it to a dangerous man, they end up on the run again. They run into Donna Latour (Dorothy Lamour) and Julia Quimby (Una Merkel), a pair of con artists who persuade Chuck and Fearless to take them on a safari to find Donna’s “father” (who is in reality a millionaire that Donna wants to marry). Thing is, while on safari, both Chuck and Fearless fall in love with Donna, and she starts to develop feelings for one of them (and if you know the series, you can guess which one).

For the second film in the Road series, more of the series’ trademarks are falling into place. Bing and Bob bring back their “patty-cake” routine from Road To Singapore, acknowledging that film when, in the first of the two times they use it in this movie, the guy they try to use it on gets them first. Then, of course, there are those marvelous quips by both Bing and Bob, not to mention we see their type of relationship more solidified. Admittedly, this is probably the most politically incorrect movie in the series, in between the background images for the opening credits and the cannibalistic African tribe that they have to deal with.

Personally, I really enjoy this movie and all its wonderful comedic moments. One moment would definitely have to be when Fearless Frazier has to fight a gorilla (ok, so it’s just a person in a gorilla suit). It’s an amusing fight, with Chuck periodically lighting matches from outside the cage to distract the gorilla (although he distracts Fearless at least once). Then, of course, there’s the song “It’s Always You,” which mocks the moments in musicals where the background music just comes out of nowhere. I could easily list quite a few more, but I do like this movie and would easily recommend it (at least, if you can get past the politically incorrect stuff).

This movie has been made available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber (and has been available on DVD for years from Universal Studios). The transfer on the new Blu-ray looks about as good as I’ve ever seen the movie, with only a few scratches here and there, and is the way I would certainly recommend seeing the movie.

Film Length: 1 hour, 32 minutes

My Rating: 8/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Road To Singapore (1940) – Bing Crosby – My Favorite Blonde (1942)

The Ghost Breakers (1940) – Bob Hope – Caught In The Draft (1941)

Road To Singapore (1940) – Dorothy Lamour – Caught In The Draft (1941)

Sullivan’s Travels (1941) – Eric Blore – The Sky’s The Limit (1943)

Road To Singapore (1940) – Bob Hope/Dorothy Lamour (screen team) – Caught In The Draft (1941)

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Thoughts From The Music(al) Man (2018) on… The Sky’s The Limit (1943)

Fred Astaire: “Couldn’t I be the fellow who never gets his name mentioned? The one they call a friend? You know, uh, Ginger Rogers and friend?”
–The Sky’s the Limit

Here we are again for another Fred Astaire musical, the 1943 movie The Sky’s The Limit, also starring Joan Leslie and Robert Benchley.

In this movie set during the second World War, Fred Astaire plays Fred Atwell, a Flying Tiger on leave for ten days. Finding himself stuck going on a personal tour due to the success of his squadron, he decides to leave and have some fun instead. Going incognito as Fred Burton, he comes to New York, where he meets Joan Manion (Joan Leslie), a photographer for Eyeful Magazine, who wants to do more than just fluff photos of celebrities at the clubs. He follows her around, and tries to ask her out on a date. At first, she resists him, but she slowly warms up to him. While out working at the canteen for servicemen, Fred runs into some of his squadron, whom he tries to convince not to tell who he is. Running into them reminds him his leave is nearly over, and of what he has to return to, so Fred decides to try helping Joan’s boss, who also has feelings for Joan.

Admittedly, this movie barely qualifies as a musical, with only three new songs from the songwriting team of Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. These songs include My Shining Hour, A Lot In Common With You, and One For My Baby (And One More For The Road). My Shining Hour is first sung in a nightclub, and later used as background music for a romantic duet between Fred and Joan. A Lot In Common With You is a performance from Fred and Joan at the serviceman’s canteen, where she works sometimes. One For My Baby, however, is the highlight of the movie. It’s Fred’s tap solo, and it is considered one of his best solo routines. It’s done in a bar, as he is smarting over the loss of Joan, and ends up smashing up a lot of drinking glasses and the bar’s mirror, before paying the bar owner and leaving.

The movie itself was intended as a bit of a departure for Fred. Up to this point, critics complained that he was more or less playing the same type of character, and he attempted to change that. Obviously, he is a bit of a stalker for the first part of the movie, which may bother some of the ladies, but I’d like to think he makes up for it in the second half, when he is reminded of the war he has to go back to, and tries to help her boss out. This is a wonderful movie, and one I do recommend if you have the chance to see it!

The movie is available on DVD from Warner Archive Collection.

Film Length: 1 hour, 30 minutes

My Rating: 10/10

*ranked #4 in Top 11 Movies Watched in 2018

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

You Were Never Lovelier (1942) – Fred Astaire – Ziegfeld Follies (1945)

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) – Joan Leslie – Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)

I Married A Witch (1942) – Robert Benchley – Road To Utopia (1946)

Robert Ryan – On Dangerous Ground (1951)

Sullivan’s Travels (1941) – Eric Blore – Romance On The High Seas (1948)

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