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:
Johnny Doughboy (1942) – Musical #757

Studio:
Republic Pictures

Director:
John H. Auer

Starring:
Jane Withers, William Demarest, Henry Wilcoxon, Ruth Donnelly, Etta McDaniel, Jack Boyle (billed as Patrick Brooks), Joline Westbrook
Themselves as 20 Minus Club Members: Bobby Breen, Cora Sue Collins, Baby Sandy, Robert Coogan, Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer, George ‘Spanky’ McFarland, Kenneth Brown, Billy Lenhart, Grace Costello

Plot:
Sixteen-year-old actress Ann Winter (Withers) is sick of playing kid parts in films. Just as Ann leaves angrily for a two week vacation, the prize winner of the Ann Winters look-a-like contest, Penelope Ryan (also Withers) arrives to stay the weekend. Ann’s agent Harry (Demarest) asks Penelope to stand in for Ann while she’s gone.

While Penelope pretends to be Ann, former child stars of the 20 Minus Club want “Ann” to participate in a Junior Victory Caravan show for the war effort. Penelope wants to help but has to say no.

Meanwhile, through a series of events Ann finds herself at the cabin of playwright Oliver Lawrence (Wilcoxon), and she sets her hope high that she will get to be in an upcoming play of his.

Trivia:
• This was the first film made by Jane Withers after ending her seven-year association with Twentieth Century-Fox in 1941.
• Original story written by Frederick Kohner.
• Final film of Bobby Breen and Baby Sandy.
• Henry Wilcoxon was serving in the Coast Guard and accepted the role to film during a furlough. He donated his salary from the film to the Coast Guard Relief, according to a Sept. 14, 1942, news brief.
• Walter Scharf was nominated for an Academy Award for Achievement in Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture). Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld, who won for Yankee Doodle Dandy.
• The “20 Minus Club” of former child stars is a fictional club.

Highlights:
• Jane Withers
• The child stars in the 20 Minus Club

Notable Songs:
• “Baby’s a Big Girl Now” performed by Jane Withers
• “All Done, All Through” performed by the 20 Minus Club
• “It Takes a Guy Like I” performed by Jack Boyle and Jane Withers
• “Better Not Roll Those Blue, Blue Eyes” performed by Jack Boyle and Jane Withers
• “Johnny Doughboy Found a Rose in Ireland” performed by the Chorus

My review:
Since she was two years old, Jane Withers’s mother had aspirations that her young daughter would act; enrolling her in tap and singing lessons. Jane Withers appeared uncredited in films starting in 1932 at age 6 and hit it big in 1934 in age 8.

Though Withers acted well into the 1980s and 1990s, she hit the awkward time that all child stars experience—growing up and becoming a teenager. After he contract ended with 20th Century Fox at age 16, she made this week’s Musical Monday for Republic Pictures. In a way, aspects of this film were sort of “art imitating life.”

In JOHNNY DOUGHBOY (1942), Withers plays actress Ann Winters, a 16-year-old former child star who wants to play more adult film roles. She gets angry when she’s offered a child role for the film “Ann of Honeysuckle Farm.” As punishment, Ann drives off in her convertible on a vacation without sharing her location with anyone. As she leaves, Penelope “Penny” Ryan (also played by Withers) shows up. Penny won an Ann Winters look-a-like contest and the prize is to spend two weeks in her home. With Ann gone, her agent and guardians decides Penny should pose as Ann while they figure out what to do.

There are problems with this masquerade though. A group of former “has been” (their words, not mine) child performers — including Bobby Breen, Cora Sue Collins, Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer and George ‘Spanky’ McFarland — ask for Ann’s help in a variety show, the Junior Victory Caravan. They need a name like Ann to get anyone to pay attention to it, otherwise they will be turned down. Softhearted Penny wants to help, but she can’t agree on Ann’s behalf. Therefore, Penny has to find Ann.

While on her vacation, Ann runs out of gas near a cabin and stays the night. When the owner comes home, Ann realizes he is playwright Oliver Lawrence (Henry Wilcoxon). She wants to keep her child star identity a secret, so that he will take her seriously for an adult film role.

For a 62-minute story, JOHNNY DOUGHBOY (1942) has many moving parts. However, I had a great time watching this film. Jane Withers is hilarious as soon as the film opens, and it’s fun seeing her in a dual role—playing one bratty character and another sweet.

The cast is also excellent, from Ruth Donnelly, distinguished Henry Wilcoxon and the always reliable William Demarest. There are also fun cameo roles from teenage former-child stars as they appear in the fictional “20 Minus Club,” of former child movie stars who are “has beens” under 20 years old.

While I loved seeing these kids, I’ll admit, it was a little sad. Even though the club was fictional, unfortunately this was the final film of some of the child actors in the film. The plot point is also sad (and maybe a little cruel?) since these young people were actually struggling in their careers. Even more on the nose – they sing a song called “All Done, All Through” about how they are done in Hollywood! Geez.

I wasn’t familiar with Jack Boyle prior to this film, but enjoyed his singing and dancing. It’s a shame he didn’t go farther as a leading man. It appears several of his later roles are bit parts.

I saw some reviews that seemed to feel the Henry Wilcoxon character was creepy, like he was romantically involved with Jane Withers’s character. I didn’t view it that way — while she had a crush, to me he was just letting her stay at his cabin (with his servants as well, they weren’t alone), because the hotel she was going to was closed. But who knows, maybe I was just blinded by his charm. Interestingly, Wilcoxon donated his salary back to the war effort.

Overall, I had fun watching this movie and felt like I was smiling throughout. It was hilarious and had some great songs, and also some creative camera angles in the final Junior Victory Caravan.

I love watching teenage Jane Withers, because she has as much energy as she seemed to have her whole life.

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