Tag Archives: Collegiate Musicals

Musical Monday: Freshman Year (1938)

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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 800. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
Freshman Year (1938) – Musical #857

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Frank McDonald

Starring:
Constance Moore, William Lundigan, Dixie Dunbar, Mark Daniels (billed as Stanley Hughes), Ernest Truex, Frank Melton, Marc Cramer, Don Defore (uncredited), Alan Ladd (uncredited), Fay McKenzie (uncredited), Arthur O’Connell (uncredited),
Themselves: Tommy Wonder, The Lucky Seven, The Murtagh Sisters, The Diamond Brothers

Plot:
As the school year begins at Carleton College, the freshman class tries to navigate their new collegiate life. Particularly, Bob Potter (Lundigan), Jay Hill (Daniels) and Tex Hodges (Melton). The trio hopes to get asked to pledge with an elite fraternity, but when only Bob is asked, he declines in solidarity with his friends. Bob also developes a money making scheme that backfires. When a student flunks their exam, they can pay $10 to retake it. Bob creates flunk insurance to help with the $10 fee, but when everyone flunks a test, Bob finds himself $800 in the hole. Their girlfriends (Dunbar, Moore) hatch a plan for the student to put on a show to earn the money back.

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Musical Monday: Sweetie (1929)

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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:
Sweetie (1929) – Musical #821

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Frank Tuttle

Starring:
Nancy Carroll, Helen Kane, Jack Oakie, Stanley Smith, William Austin, Stuart Erwin, Joseph Depew, Wallace MacDonald
Specialty performers: The King’s Men

Plot:
Biff Bentley (Smith) is the star football player at Pelham University in North Carolina. He’s engaged to chorus girl Barbara Pell (Carroll), and Biff is planning to elope with Barbara. But at the last minute, when Barbara arrives, Biff decides to stay at school to help the team. Shortly after, Barbara learns that she has inherited Pelham University. Still smarting from her heartbreak, she decides to take this opportunity to get back at Biff and the football team.

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Musical Monday: Let’s Go Collegiate (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.

let's go collegiateThis week’s musical:
Let’s Go Collegiate (1941) – Musical #748

Studio:
Monogram Pictures

Director:
Jean Yarbrough

Starring:
Frankie Darro, Marcia Mae Jones, Jackie Moran, Keye Luke, Gale Storm, Frank Sully, Mantan Moreland, Billy Griffith, Barton Yarborough, Frank Faylen, Marguerite Whitten, Paul Maxey, Tristram Coffin

Plot:
The Rawley University rowing team is eagerly awaiting a star stroke for the crew, Bob Terry. But when Terry is drafted into the Army, the team’s coxswain, Frankie (Darro) and his teammates Tad (Moran) and Buck (Luke), think fast for a replacement. Instead of coming clean to their classmates and girlfriends, Bess (Jones) and Midge (Storm), they decide to hire someone to play the role of Bob Terry. Frankie and Tad see Hercules Bevans (Sully) loading a truck and think he will be perfect for the job as Bob Terry. However, their plan does not run smoothly, as Hercules is rough around the edges, needs to be tutored in his classes and rowing, and their girlfriends fall for him.

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Musical Monday: Start Cheering (1938)

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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:
Start Cheering (1938) – Musical #665

start cheering

Studio:
Columbia Pictures

Director:
Albert S. Rogell

Starring:
Charles Starrett, Jimmy Durante, Walter Connolly, Joan Perry, Craig E. Earle (billed as Professor Quiz), Gertrude Niesen, Raymond Walburn, The Three Stooges, Broderick Crawford, Hal Le Roy, Ernest Truex, Virginia Dale, Chaz Chase, Minerva Urecal
Themselves: Jimmy Wallington, Louis Prima and His Band,

Plot:
Movie star Ted Crosley (Starrett) decides he’s done with films and wants to enroll in college, trying to keep the university a secret to avoid publicity. Unfortunately, Hollywood executives follow Ted and make his collegiate experience a publicity stunt, which doesn’t make Ted popular with the rest of the students.

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