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:
Nice Girl? (1941) – Musical #808

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
William A. Seiter

Starring:
Deanna Durbin, Franchot Tone, Robert Stack, Robert Benchley, Walter Brennan, Helen Broderick, Ann Gillis, Anne Gwynne, Elisabeth Risdon, Nana Bryant, Georgia Billings, Tommy Kelly, Marcia Mae Jones, Frank Sully (uncredited)

Plot:
Prof. Oliver Dana (Benchley) is a professor living with his three daughters: actress Sylvia (Gwynne), boy crazy Nancy (Gillis) and practical Jane (Durbin), who helps her father with his experiments. Everyone considered Jane as a reliable nice girl, including her unromantic boyfriend, Don (Stack), who cares more about cars than love. When famed traveler and researches Richard Calvert (Tone) comes to town to meet with Professor Dana, the three sisters are all smitten with the young professor. When it’s time for Richard to leave, Jane fixes it so that he will miss his train and that she’ll have to drive him back to New York City, so that Don and everyone will no longer dismiss her as just a nice girl.

Trivia:
• Based on the play “Nice Girl?” by Phyllis Duganne, was was presented by the 1929 senior class of New York’s American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
• Released in Feb 1941 before the United States joined World War II, the movie included different endings for the United States and Great Britain releases. In the Great Britain release, Durbin ended the film singing ‘There’ll Always Be an England,” while in the United States release, she sang the song “Thank You, America.” For South American film releases, she sang “Thank You, America” in Spanish.
• The original ending was to have Deanna Durbin and Robert Stack getting married. However, when the draft was introduced, the film was changed to have Stack enlisting.
• Durbin’s second film with Robert Stack. Their first film was FIRST LOVE (1939)
• Working title was “Love Last.”
• The end of the film was shot at Fort MacArthur in California.

Highlights:
• Deanna Durbin
• Durbin, Ann Gwynne and Ann Gillis interacting
• Adorable young Robert Stack

Notable Songs:
• “The Lights of Home” performed by Deanna Durbin
• “Perhaps” performed by Deanna Durbin
• “Love at Last” performed by Deanna Durbin
• “Thank You, America” performed by Deanna Durbin
• “There’ll Always Be an England” performed by Deanna Durbin

My review:
We watch movies because of how we connect with them or how they make us feel long after they are over. Nearly Twenty-four hours after watching this week’s Musical Monday, NICE GIRL? (1941), I still felt a happy glow after it ended.

In the film, Durbin plays Jane Dana, who is in fact a nice, reliable girl. Her sisters are flibbertigibbets: Her oldest sister, Sylvia (Anne Gwynne) is an actress who is always rehearsing around the house and sleeping until late hours, and Nancy (Ann Gillis) is 14-year-old and boy crazy. Jane helps her professor father (Robert Benchley) with his experiments. Jane also is frustrated by her longtime boyfriend, Don (Robert Stack), who is always working on his car and is more interested in carburetors than being romantic with Jane. The Dana household is turned on its ear academic professor, Richard Calvert (Franchot Tone), comes to visit. The three sisters are smitten, but Sylvia and Nancy are the most shocked when Jane gussies herself up for Richard. To shock Don, Jane arranges to drive Richard back to his New York City home. When she returns home, it has the appearance that she stayed all night with him, making people wonder if she really is just a “nice girl.”

It’s not just the comedic fun that NICE GIRL? offers that provided a continued cozy feel long after it was over. It was the quaint small town. The three sisters, just like my own. The homey feel of the Dana household. Watching this feels like waking up on a summer day in your childhood room with nothing to do but play outside.

Outside of the happy feeling, NICE GIRL? is tons of fun. For starters, I love a title that includes punctuation.

In addition to being thoroughly wonderful, NICE GIRL? (1941) was released at an interesting time, which you can glean while watching the film. Released in February 1941, the United States hadn’t yet entered World War II, but it was had been raging in Europe since Sept. 1939.

When the draft began in the United States in Oct. 1940 under the Selective Training and Service Act, the ending to this film was adjusted. Originally, Durbin and Stack’s characters were going to get married. Instead, the ending was changed to have Stack joining the Army.

An alternate ending was also filmed and shown in different areas. In the United States, the ending had Deanna Durbin singing “Thank You, America,” but for British audiences, Durbin sang “There’s Always Be an England.” In DVD and VHS releases, you can see both of these endings.

As for the performances, it should come of no surprise that Comet Over Hollywood loves Deanna Durbin. I’ve written it over and over, and I’m going to say it again, at the risk of sounding like a broken record. Isn’t Deanna Durbin an angel? Durbin exhibits a sincerity and warmth that makes her feel so genuine in every role, and it’s incredibly endearing. And NICE GIRL? (1941) is no exception. There’s a scene where all she is doing is sitting as a wallflower at a Fourth of July dance talking to an elderly couple, while her boyfriend is off fixing a car. Something about it was so sweet and genuine that I almost wanted to cry!

Durbin turned 19 years old at the start of the production of this film, and has the opportunity to be a little more grown up in this film. This includes donning a very glamorous get-up midway through the film. Durbin also sings a few lovely tunes in the film as well. She’s both a natural at comedy, music and drama.

As for the rest of the cast, they are all also wonderful. Ann Gillis is hilarious as the boy crazy sister, who also talks too much. Anne Gwynne is perfect as the stunning older sister trying to be an actress.

Robert Benchley is a great highlight in this. Benchley was known for his humor, and is also scene in a number of comedic film shorts. But here, while he’s funny, he’s also subdued in a way I haven’t seen him before. It is really nice. I loved the father/daughter scenes between Benchley and Durbin, especially when he had a relieved laugh when his daughter shared what actually happened when she was gone all night.

And oh my goodness, Robert Stack is just so precious. He’s so stunningly handsome that his role of a clueless young man wrapped up in car repair is hilarious. I love the running gag of him wanting to wipe his greasy hands on his clothes. I’m currently rewatching Stack in the original “Unsolved Mystery” episodes, and what a juxtaposition to see these back-to-back! Of note: NICE GIRL? is not the film that Stack gave Durbin her first on-screen kiss. That was FIRST LOVE (1939).

Last but not least, is Franchot Tone. I adore Tone and think he’s wonderful in this. He plays this role so well, like he’s chuckling the whole time. I personally think Tone is an underrated actor.

I also can’t forget Helen Broderick and Walter Brennan, who are wonderful in every film but maybe weren’t given enough to do here. Broderick gets great screen time at the beginning, but was hoping for more of her wisecracks throughout the film.

The set design on this film is also just incredibly cozy. Also, I have to note how amazing Franchot Tone’s sister’s closet was.

As you can see, I loved this film, and the golden glow it left me with when it was over. Sometimes, the simplest way to find happiness is watching a movie. The best thing? This film is currently easy to find and even has a BluRay release so you can enjoy it too.

Review note: In an era where dubbing vocals was the norm, let me make it clear that Deanna Durbin is doing her own operatic singing. In fact, she became famous for having that big voice as such a young person. This should go without say, but I mention this, because I’ve been asked before if she was dubbed.

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