Musical Monday: Out of Sight (1966)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Out of Sight (1966) – Musical #847

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Lennie Weinrib

Starring:
Jonathan Daly, Karen Jensen, Robert Pine, Carolyne Barry (billed as Carole Shelyne), Wende Wagner, Maggie Thrett, Deanna Lund, Norman Grabowski, John Lawrence, Jimmy Murphy, Richard Dawnson (uncredited)
Themselves: Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Turtles, Freddie and The Dreamers, Dobie Gray, The Knickerbockers, The Astronauts

Plot:
Villainous Big D (Lawrence) has a plan to get rid of teenagers and their rock n’ roll music. Beach partier Sandra (Jensen) overhears the plot, and the only thing she can think of to do is enlist the help of top secret agent John Stamp. However, she taps the wrong person for the job, and gets his butler, Homer (Daly), to help instead.

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Musical Monday: The Milkman (1950)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
The Milkman (1950) – Musical #846

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Charles Barton

Starring:
Donald O’Connor, Jimmy Durante, Piper Laurie, Joyce Holden, William Conrad, Henry O’Neill, Paul Harvey, Jess Barker, Elisabeth Risdon, Frank Nelson

Plot:
Wealthy Roger Bradley (O’Connor) wants a job, but his father (O’Neill) who owns a milk company. Roger goes to work as a milkman for a competing milk company, where milkman Breezy Albright (Durante) takes him under his wing. Complications arise when Roger falls for the daughter of his employer (Laurie) and can’t expose who he is. He then gets mixed up with a murderous gambling ring.

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Watching 1939: Bridal Suite (1939)

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In 2011, I announced I was trying to see every film released in 1939. This new series chronicles films released in 1939 as I watch them. As we start out this blog feature, this section may become more concrete as I search for a common thread that runs throughout each film of the year. Right now, that’s difficult.

1939 film:
Bridal Suite (1939)

Release date:
May 26, 1939

Cast:
Annabella, Robert Young, Billie Burke, Walter Connolly, Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Arthur Treacher, Virginia Field, Felix Bressart, Sig Arno (uncredited), Robert Blake (uncredited), Mary Beth Hughes (uncredited), Mitchell Lewis (uncredited),

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Wilhelm Thiele (billed as William Thiele)

Plot:
Wealthy playboy Neil McGill (Robert Young) has missed his wedding to Abbie Bragdon (Field) twice. While Neil’s father (Lockhart) is furious and feels his son is spoiled, Mrs. McGill (Billie Burke) thinks there has to be an underlying health reason for his behavior. Mrs. McGill takes Neil to the Swiss Alps so he can be treated by Dr. Grauer (Connolly) for amnesia. Dr. Grauer immediately knows nothing is wrong with Neil. Neil also meets the doctor’s ward, Luise Anzengruber (Annabella), who he falls for.

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Musical Monday: Merry Andrew (1958)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Merry Andrew (1958) – Musical #241

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Michael Kidd

Starring:
Danny Kaye, Pier Angeli, Salvatore Baccaloni, Noel Purcell, Robert Coote, Patricia Cutts, Rex Evans, Walter Kingsford, Peter Mamakos, Rhys Williams, Tommy Rall, Richard Anderson (uncredited), Frank Jenks (uncredited), John Dodsworth (uncredited)

Plot:
School teacher Andrew Larabee (Kaye) wants to be taken seriously by his father, the headmaster (Purcell) and asks if he can go on an archaeological excursion to find the missing statue of Greek mythology figure, Pan. When Andrew travels to where he believes the statue is located, a circus is performing on the spot where he would like to dig. Andrew friends the circus family, and falls in love with performer, Selena (Angeli). The problem is Andrew is engaged to be married to someone else.

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Musical Monday: Sweethearts on Parade (1953)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Sweethearts on Parade (1953) – Musical #844

Studio:
Republic Pictures

Director:
Allan Dwan

Starring:
Ray Middleton, Lucille Norman, Eileen Christy, Bill Shirley, Estelita Rodriguez (billed as Estelita),
Clinton Sundberg, Harry Carey Jr., Irving Bacon, Leon Tyler, Marjorie Wood, Mara Corday, Elinor Donahue (uncredited), Mimi Gibson (uncredited)

Plot:
Kathleen Townsend (Norman) and her daughter, Sylvia (Christy), live a quiet and peaceful life in Kokomo, Indiana in the late 1800s. Sylvia misses having a father, Cam Ellerby (Middleton), who Kathleen left when Sylvia was a baby due his philandering ways. Years later, Cam and his traveling medicine show comes to Kokomo, the three are reunited.

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Watching 1939: Two Thoroughbreds (1939)

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In 2011, I announced I was trying to see every film released in 1939. This new series chronicles films released in 1939 as I watch them. As we start out this blog feature, this section may become more concrete as I search for a common thread that runs throughout each film of the year. Right now, that’s difficult.

1939 film:
Two Thoroughbreds (1939)

Release date:
Dec. 8, 1939

Cast:
Jimmy Lydon, Joan Leslie (billed as Joan Brodel), Arthur Hohl, Marjorie Main, J.M. Kerrigan, Selmer Jackson, Spencer Charters, Paul Fix, Bob Perry, Al Ferguson, Frank Darien, Paul Harvey
Animals: Rex the Dog, Crystal Jack the Horse

Studio:
RKO Radio Pictures

Director:
Jack Hively

Plot:
When thieves steal the horse, Larkspur, from her stable, her colt runs after and gets loss. David Carey (Lydon) finds the colt while working on his Aunt Hildy (Main) and Uncle Thaddeus’s (Hohl) farm. David’s parents are dead and his Aunt and Uncle are not kind to him, but let him keep the colt, believing it could bring them money. When David meets Wendy (Leslie), he realizes the colt belongs to her family and fears they will think he’s the thief.

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Musical Monday: I’ll Get By (1950)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
I’ll Get By (1950) – Musical #843

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
Richard Sale

Starring:
June Haver, William Lundigan, Gloria DeHaven, Dennis Day, Thelma Ritter, Steve Allen, Danny Davenport, Harry Antrim
Himself: Harry James
Cameos: Jeanne Crain, Dan Dailey, Reginald Gardiner, Victor Mature

Plot:
William Spencer (Lundigan) is a song plugger with aspirations of getting into the publishing business. When he runs across songwriters Freddy Lee (Day) and Chester Dooley (Davenport), they buy into his business. They realize they need to promote their music with singers. They meet singing duo, Liza Martin (Haver) and Terry Martin (DeHaven), who agree to sing thor songs. As Spencer and Lee rise to fame a song publishers, Liza and Terry feel they are more career driven than caring about anything else.

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Musical Monday: Rhythm in the Clouds (1937)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Rhythm in the Clouds (1937) – Musical #842

Studio:
Republic Pictures

Director:
John H. Auer

Starring:
Patricia Ellis, Warren Hull, William Newell, Richard Carle, Zeffie Tilbury, Charles Judels, Robert Paige, Joyce Compton, Suzanne Kaaren, Esther Howard, Eddie Parker (billed as Ed Parker), James C. Morton

Plot:
Judy Walker (Ellis) is an aspiring composer and is down-on-her luck. When she’s evicted, she concocts a scheme to stay in the posh apartment of composer Phil Hale (Paige). While staying in the apartment, Judy and her wall neighbor, lyricist Bob McKay (Hull) have a feud about both being too loud – though neither has seen each other. Walker and McKay begin to work together on the radio without knowing that they are their hated neighbors.

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Musical Monday: Happy Go Lucky (1943)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Happy Go Lucky (1943) – Musical #841

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Curtis Bernhardt

Starring:
Mary Martin, Dick Powell, Betty Hutton, Rudy Vallee, Eddie Bracken, Mabel Paige, Eric Blore, Clem Bevans, Irving Bacon (uncredited), Dorothy Dandridge (uncredited), Kay Linaker (uncredited), Lillian Randolph (uncredited)
Themselves: Rita Christiani, Sir Lancelot

Plot:
Marjory Stewart (Martin) travels to Trindad posing as an heiress trying to hunt for a wealthy husband, with the help of her friend, Bubbles Hennessy (Hutton). She meets Pete Hamilton (Powell), who is also financially down-on-his-luck. Pete quickly figures out Marjory is a phony, but offers to help her catch a real millionaire, the stuffy Alfred Monroe (Vallee). All the while, Pete’s pal, Wally Case (Bracken) is outrunning Bubbles.

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Musical Monday: San Francisco (1936)

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It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
San Francisco (1936) – Musical #220

Studio
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director
W.S. Van Dyke

Starring
Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, Spencer Tracy, Jack Holt, Jessie Ralph, Ted Healy, Shirley Ross, Harold Huber, Irving Bacon (uncredited), Dennis O’Keefe (uncredited), Jason Robards Sr. (uncredited)

Plot:
After her tenement building is destroyed in a fire, Mary (MacDonald) needs work. She finds a job as a singer for Barbary Coast saloon owner, Blackie (Gable). When Mary is offered a chance to sing grand opera, which is her dream, Blackie is reluctant to let her leave.

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