Breezy little musical, a B’way transfer from the M-G-M Arthur Freed unit, about movie star Lucille Ball slumming at a Military Prep School Prom with a young cadet as a publicity stunt. Mayhem & mix-ups to follow. Pretty adorable at first (all those young academy boys & their dates, it's WWII HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL!) in spite of a so-so Hugh Martin/ Ralph Blane score* (‘Buckle Down, Winsocki!’ best known), but enthusiastically delivered in spiffy Big Band arrangements (Harry James playing at the prom) & sharply routined by dance director Charles Walters. It runs out of steam before it ends, but there’s good fun spotting fresh, debuting faces, many straight from the B’way run. Like June Allyson, Nancy Walker, most of the leading cadets (look for floppy-haired pal Kenny Bowers), and that ambitious chorus boy Stanley Donen, seen partnering Allyson in her ‘Barrel House’ dance number while behind the scenes, assisting Walters just as he had assisted Gene Kelly staging the dances when he appeared in the B’way show. And still a teenager! Lucy doesn’t get a lot to chew on, and is dubbed in her one song, but what a looker!, towering above the rest of the cast. Best of all, B’way afficionados get a rare shot a seeing classy B’way leading man William Gaxton, go-to star for the likes of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin & Richard Rodgers over a long stage career, who hardly left a trace on film or records. Playing Ball’s slippery agent, he doesn’t get a song, but this middle-aged movie novice is amazingly expert up there. Too bad Bob Hope & Bing Crosby took all his big B’way roles in the movies.
DOUBLE-BILL: Freed figured out the Rah-Rah college musical three years later when he got debuting scripters Betty Comden & Adolph Green to remake GOOD NEWS as a fond ‘20s period piece.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: *Next year, Martin & Blane partnered for Freed on MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. That’s ‘partnered’ since this team didn’t actually collaborate, working on songs separately but publishing as a duo. Sounds odd until you remember that’s also how Lennon/McCartney did it in Beatles’ days.
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