writers_reign
For Swing fans there are six good reasons to watch this movie and they are the half dozen platters spun by DJ Beverly Ross (Ann Miller) which include The Mills Brothers, Count Basie, Bob Crosby, Duke Ellington, Freddy Slack/Ella Mae Morse and Frank Sinatra. The plot is very secondary to the talent on display albeit the gimmick - Miller loads a platter onto the turntable, sets it spinning, lowers the stylus and we 'dissolve' to that actual artist performing the respective number in full. There is also another act, The Radio Rogues, a trio of impressionists active from 1935 who featured in several Columbia shorts who offer ho hum carbons of Clark Gable, Amos n' Andy, Lum and Abner, Ben Bernie, Kate Smith et al. Essentially it's a nostalgia trip for Senior citizens but none the worse for it.
Neil Doyle
Built around a thin plot which serves as an excuse to parade a bunch of then current pop bands, singers and comedy acts, this little programmer from Columbia spotlights ANN MILLER in the central role as a disc jockey who directs her show at the U.S. Armed Services.She gets involved with two young soldiers--WILLIAM WRIGHT (who resembles John Carroll) and DICK PURCELL, has frequent disagreements with her radio boss, and ends up as the feature attraction in a service show where she displays her tap-dancing skills. The plot, almost non-existent, serves as a prop to show some of the performers whose records she plays for the soldiers--including Count Basie, Duke Wellington, Frank Sinatra, Bob Crosby, The Radio Rogues and The Mills Brothers.In a strictly subordinate role is LARRY PARKS, only a few years away from stardom in "The Jolson Story", but here a virtual unknown as a fellow soldier. IRENE RYAN has a small role as a ditsy secretary.The acts are standard stuff, except for singer FRANK SINATRA who does a standout job on "Night and Day" and performs before the camera with remarkable ease and poise a few years before becoming a major film star.Pleasant WWII musical gets a lift from the musical numbers, but it's strictly second-rate as a substantial musical.
kdafe
The plot lines are thin, but what carries this movie is the music. It is a wartime movie, from a time when people felt more patriotic, so if that isn't your cup of tea then skip this one. If you have no problem with wartime movies and swing/big band music, then you're in for a treat. I caught myself sitting back and tapping my feet to this gem. Even a glimpse of some of the greats like, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, the oh so young Frank Sinatra and the Mills Brothers is a good thing! Also, watch for Irene Ryan, better known for her role as Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies.
aberlour36
This is a truly awful "B" movie. It is witless and often embarrassing. The plot, the basic "making into show business" routine, is almost nonexistent. In fact, the film is merely an excuse to push the war effort and highlight some popular music groups of 1942, including the Mills Brothers, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Bob Crosby, and Freddy Slack. Each group gets about the standard three minutes, the exception being the Mills Brothers, who for some reason warranted two numbers. Ann Miller doesn't get to dance until the last couple of minutes of the film, and she has little to do but strut her stuff amid a barrage of patriotic propaganda.The most interesting moment in the film, in my view, occurred in the Duke Ellington segment. The band appears to be playing in a train, standing in awkward positions. (In the deep South at the time, the band was segregated in railroad cars when traveling.) Johnny Hodges is seen next to Duke, and Harry Carney may also be identified. In the last moments of the film, trumpeter/violinist Ray Nance rushes down the aisle to the camera and does an "uncle Tom," bugging his eyes and wiggling his head the way Willy Best did in many films. For modern viewers, especially jazz fans, this homage to segregation is sad indeed. Some movies go best unseen.
AD
