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:
Stars on Parade (1946) – Musical #835

Studio:
All-American

Director:
Joseph Seiden

Starring:
Milton Wood, Francine Everett, Jane Cooley, Duke Williams, Claire Graham, Lou Swarz, Dan Michaels, Jimmy Wills
Themselves: Bob Howard, Ray Greene, Eddie South, Una Mae Carlisle, Phil Moore and his Orchestra (The Phil Moore Four)

Plot:
When Johnny Bennett (Wood) is drafted to serve in World War II, he leaves his sister Jane (Cooley) in charge of his radio station. While she has tried to carry on without him, the radio station has lost advertisers. When he returns, Johnny tries to revive the station. When radio star Lucille Nester (Graham) is stranded in town when her car breaks down, she begins to woo Johnny, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Patty (Everett), who has waited on his return from the war.

Trivia:
• First film of Milton Wood and Una Mae Carlisle
• Only film of Jane Cooley, Ray Greene, Eddie South, Claire Graham
• Final film of Dan Michaels
• STAR ON PARADE (1946) is what is known as a “race film,” which is a film that has an all-African American cast and was released between 1915 and 1950. These films were usually produced outside of the Hollywood studio system.

Highlights:
• Eddie South performing on the violin
• Bob Howard’s imitation of a player piano

Notable Songs:
• “Don’t Cry” performed by Francine Everett
• “T’ain’t Yours” performed by Una Mae Carlisle
• “Falling Down Blues” performed by The Phil Moore Four

My review:
Often in older films, characters played by Black actors either played serviceworker roles or their roles perpetuated stereotypes. This included speaking in particular ways, being lazy or afraid of their own shadows.

From 1915 to 1950, Black actors appeared in films that gave them characters with more dignity. Known as “race film,” these movies were made outside of the mainstream studio system and featured casts made up of all Black performers. While the films were often lower budget, the characters in the stories were often everyday people and avoided many of the stereotypes and caricatures of mainstream films.

STARS ON PARADE (1946) is an example of a “race film” and also a film that closes with a musical revue.

The film begins with a soldier returning home from World War II. When he was drafted, Johnny Bennett (Wood) left his sister Jane (Cooley) in charge of his radio station. While she has tried to carry on without him, the radio station has lost advertisers. When he returns, Johnny tries to revive the station. When radio star Lucille Nester (Graham) is stranded in town when her car breaks down, she begins to woo Johnny, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Patty (Everett), who has waited on his return from the war. The group is able to recruit top tier performers to save the radio station.

The film is interesting and features Francine Everett, who is always a highlight. Many of the actors were only in a handful of films or this was their only appearance.

Something I noted that I thought was odd is that they clearly tried to put lighter makeup on the faces of the Black actors. You could tell their makeup was too light, because it wasn’t blended at the jaw line, especially in the case of Milton Wood.

What’s really intriguing and fun about this film is being introduced to these wonderful musical acts. I wasn’t familiar with violinist Eddie South before this film. I loved seeing South perform and then looking him up and learning more. I also really enjoyed Bob Howard and his musical performances.

But my favorite performance was by The Phil Moore Four. “I got the blues so bad it hurts my feet to walk.” What a lyric!

STARS ON PARADE (1946) may not actually feature any stars you are well familiar with, but it’s a great time.

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