Innocuous Fox wartime musical made at the height of Betty Grable ’s career is almost devoid of spark or inspiration in all departments. Betty sings, dances & lies her way into the arms of a tabloid ‘war hero of the day,’ The End. There’s a specialty dance duo (The Condos Bros) worth seeing, Martha Raye demos her alarming combo of swinging pipes & desperation shtick, plus you get a look at one of those pathetic WWII substitute leading men (John Harvey) the studios tried out while their stars were off in uniform somewhere. From today’s perspective, note how much more attractive Grable looks when she's in her deglamorized mode as part of the story. And have a listen to Richard Schickel’s commentary; talk about phoning it in! Hope he at least cashed his check.
No comments:
Post a Comment