Musical Monday: Road to Zanzibar (1941)

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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:
Road to Zanzibar (1941) – Musical No. 416

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Victor Schertzinger

Starring:
Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Una Merkel, Eric Blore, Douglass Dumbrille, Iris Adrian, Lionel Royce, Buck Woods, Leigh Whipper, Ernest Whitman, Noble Johnson, Joan Marsh, Luis Alberni, Ruby Dandridge (uncredited)

Plot:
Chuck (Crosby) and Fearless (Hope) are carnival performers traveling through Africa. Chuck always has a gimmick that is at the expense of Fearless’s health and safety, from being shot out of a cannon to wrestling an octopus. One of their antics causes them to go on the lamb when they burn down the carnival and the police are looking for them. They continue to get into more trouble when they meet Charles Kimble (Blore), who sells them a diamond mine. After paying Kimble all of their money, they learn Kimble is eccentric and the mine is a fake. They then run into two women in distress – Donna Latour (Lamour) and Julia Quimby (Merkel) – who may not need as much help as they think. The four then travel through the jungle in search of Donna’s sick father, or so they say.

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Musical Monday: Road to Singapore (1940)

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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:
Road to Singapore (1940) – Musical No. 156

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Victor Schertzinger

Starring:
Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Bob Hope, Charles Coburn, Judith Barrett, Anthony Quinn, Jerry Colonna, Edward Gargan (uncredited), Cyril Ring (uncredited), Steve Pendleton (uncredited)

Plot:
Josh Mallon V (Crosby) is in the Navy, but his wealthy father (Coburn) wants him to settle down and work at the shipping business and marry wealthy Gloria Wycott (Barrett). Josh brings his pal, Ace (Hope), to his and Gloria’s engagement party. At the party, I fight breaks out when Gloria’s brother (Pendleton) makes snide remarks. Josh and Ace then run away to Singapore. There, they meet beautiful Mima (Lamour). The two fight over Mima, while Josh’s family searches for him to bring him back to the United States.

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Musical Monday: What’s Cookin’ (1942)

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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:
What’s Cookin’? (1942) – Musical #812

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Edward F. Cline

Starring:
Gloria Jean, Leo Carrillo, Jane Frazee, Robert Paige, Charles Butterworth, Billie Burke, Donald O’Connor, Peggy Ryan, Grace MacDonald, Susan Levin, Franklin Pangborn, Charles Lane, Esther dale (uncredited)
Themselves: The Andrew Sisters, Woody Herman and His Orchestra, The Jivin’ Jacks and Jills (Donald O’Connor, Peggy Ryan, Grace MacDonald, Tommy Rall, Roland Dupree, Bobby Scheerer, Dottie Babb, Dolores Mitchell, Jack McGee, Grace MacDonald, Jane McNab, Jane McNab, David Holt, and Corky Geil)

Plot:
A group of young dancers (The Jivin’ Jacks and Jills) have no more money left to pay rent. As they are sneaking out of their boarding house, they meet another performer who is down on his luck, magician Marvo the Great (Carrillo).
At the same time they are getting kicked out of their boarding house, nightclub and radio singer Anne Payne (Frazee) moves to a large estate and feels lonely in the giant home, where she lives alone. Marvo and Anne used to work together and cross paths, and she expresses her loneliness. He fixes this by inviting the group of young dancers to live in her home.
Anne’s wealthy neighbor, Sue Courtney (Jean) overhears the young performers singing and dancing and comes over one day. Hearing that they are trying to get a gig, she tries to work her influence to get them onto a radio program sponsored by her wealthy aunt (Burke) and uncle (Butterworth).

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Musical Monday: Sweet Surrender (1935)

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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:
Sweet Surrender (1935) – Musical #811

Studio:
Distributed by Universal Pictures

Director:
Monte Brice

Starring:
Frank Parker, Tamara, Helen Lynd, Russ Brown, Arthur Pierson, Otis Sheridan
Themselves: Jack Dempsey, Abe Lyman

Plot:
When radio singer Danny O’Day (Parker) loses his job and dancer Delphine Marshall (Tamara) needs a rest, they both end up on a sea voyage to Paris. Delphine travels in disguise as a mousy woman named Martha so she isn’t bothered by fans. So thief Maize Marshall (Tamara) takes the opportunity to pose as Delphine in order to rob people. Meanwhile, Danny, who is smitten with Delphine, is trying to romance the wrong woman.

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Musical Monday: The Sun Comes Up (1949)

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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 Sun Comes Up (1949) – Musical #810

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Richard Thorpe

Starring:
Jeanette MacDonald, Pal the Dog, Claude Jarman Jr., Lloyd Nolan, Percy Kilbride, Margaret Hamilton, Lewis Stone, Nicholas Joy, Dwayne Hickman (uncredited)

Plot:
After experiencing tragedy in her household, singer Helen Winter (MacDonald) takes a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to be alone. She begrudgingly takes the family dog Lassie (Pal), though she blames the dog for the accident. While she spends time like a recluse, she is softened by a young boy Jerry (Jarman), who helps her around the rented house.

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Musical Monday: The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)

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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 Barkleys of Broadway (1949) – Musical #73

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Charles Walters

Starring:
Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Oscar Levant, Billie Burke, Gale Robbins, Jacques François, George Zucco, Clinton Sundberg, Inez Cooper, Carol Brewster, Wilson Wood, Hans Conried (uncredited), Dee Turnell (uncredited)

Plot:
Husband-and-wife performers Josh (Astaire) and Dinah Barkley (Rogers) are successful Broadway musicals stars. Dinah becomes restless with lighter musical theater and is convinced by producer Jacques Pierre Barredout (François) that she should try her hand at dramatic theater. The decision breaks up the Barkley marriage. However, while Dinah struggles with the new play, Josh watches from afar and finds a way to help.

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Musical Monday: The Big Broadcast of 1937 (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:
The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936) – Musical #526

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Mitchell Leisen

Starring:
Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Bob Burns, Martha Raye, Shirley Ross, Frank Forrest, Don Hulbert, Virginia Weidler (uncredited)
Themselves: Leopold Stokowski, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, Benny Fields

Plot:
Jack Carson (Benny) produces a radio show and is working to get Mr. and Mrs. Platt (Burns and Allen) to sponsor the show with their golf ball product. In the midst of signing their sponsorship, Jack discovers radio deejay Gwen Holmes (Ross), who sings along to his star singer, Frank Rossman (Forrest), and ribs his singing. Jack is not too pleased, and hires Gwen to keep her off of the radio, and publicity man, Bob Miller (Milland), woos her. However, they find that Gwen actually is a great singer and she quickly rises to fame.

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Musical Monday: Moonlight and Pretzels (1933)

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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:
Moonlight and Pretzels (1933) – Musical No. 809

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Karl Freund

Starring:
Roger Pryor, Mary Brian, Leo Carrillo, Lillian Miles, Herbert Rawlinson, Bobby Watson, William Frawley, Donald MacBride, Bernice Claire, Alexander Gray, Robert Young (uncredited)
Themselves: Jack Denny and His Orchestra, Frank and Milt Britton and His Band

Plot:
Songwriter George Dwight (Pryor) is down-on-his-luck and fired from a vaudeville show while performing in a small town. There, he meets Sally Upton (Brian), who hires him to work in her music store and encourages his songwriting. With her motivation, George successfully sells a song and heads to New York City, promising to write to Sally. While George climbs to fame and works with singer Elise Warren (Miles), he never writes to Sally, so she comes to New York.

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Musical Monday: Nice Girl? (1941)

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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:
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.

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Musical Monday: Are You With It? (1948)

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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:
Are You With It? (1948) – Musical #807

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Jack Hively

Starring:
Donald O’Connor, Olga San Juan, Martha Stewart, Lew Parker, Walter Catlett, Patricia Dane (billed as Pat Dane), Ransom Sherman, Louis Da Pron, Noel Neill, Julie Gibson, George O’Hanlon, Eddie Parks, Raymond Largay, Jody Gilbert, Howard Negley, Charles Bedell, Jimmie Dodd (uncredited), Sally Forrest (uncredited), Edward Gargan (uncredited),

Plot:
Milton Haskins (O’Connor) is a math wiz at the Nutmeg Insurance Company and rarely makes a mistake. But when one day he makes a decimal error, Milton leaves work feeling like a failure. He meets Goldie (Parker), who helps Milton become “with it” by hooking him up with a carnival and becoming a performer. Milton’s sweetheart, Vivian (San Juan), becomes concerned about Milton’s whereabouts and begins looking for him. Vivian also joins the carnival, and shortly after, strange and dangerous things begin to happen, and Milton begins to investigate.

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