Tag Archives: Musical Monday

Musical Monday: Sweet and Low-Down (1944)

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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.

sweet and low downThis week’s musical:
Sweet and Low-Down (1944) – Musical #713

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
Archie Mayo

Starring:
Benny Goodman (as himself), Linda Darnell, Jack Oakie, Lynn Bari, James Cardwell, Dickie Moore, Allyn Joslyn, John Campbell, Roy Benson, Buddy Swan (uncreated), Gloria Talbot (uncredited), Terry Moore (uncredited), Mae Marsh (uncredited), Beverly Hudson (uncredited), Dorothy Vaughan (uncredited)
Themselves: Morey Feld, Jess Stacy and Sid Weiss

Plot:
Benny Goodman (himself) and his band are performing in his hometown, when a child convinces him — by stealing his clarinet — to come listen to his trombone-playing brother, Johnny Birch (Cardwell). Goodman invites Birch to join his band, but Birch’s hot temper sometimes hinders his success. Goodman’s singer Pat Stirling (Bari) takes a liking to Birch, as does socialite Trudy Wilson (Darnell). Though Trudy meets Johnny under dubious settings — posing as a 14-year-old girl while she’s taking her nephew (Moore) to a military school prom.

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Musical Monday: Rose Marie (1954)

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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.

rose marie2This week’s musical:
Rose Marie (1954) – Musical #349

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Mervyn LeRoy

Starring:
Howard Keel, Ann Blyth, Fernando Lamas, Bert Lahr, Ray Collins, Marjorie Main, Joan Taylor, Chief Yowlachie, Thurl Ravenscroft (uncredited)

Plot:
Rose Marie (Blyth) is living in the Canadian wilderness after her father dies. Mountie Sergeant Mike Malone (Keel) seeks out Rose Marie and takes her into his care, as she was left in his responsibility. After viewing her as a kid, Sergeant Malone realizes she’s not a child and falls in love with her. Then, Rose Marie meets trapper Jim Duvall (Lamas), and Rose Marie falls in love with him.

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Musical Monday: Holiday in Havana (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:
Holiday in Havana (1949) – Musical #712

holiday in havana

Studio:
Columbia Pictures

Director:
Jean Yarbrough

Starring:
Desi Arnaz, Mary Hatcher, Ann Doran, Steven Geray, Sig Arno, Ray Walker, Minerva Urecal, Nacho Galindo

Plot:
When the night club’s singer quits and follows his girlfriend, a bus boy who wants has dreams of leading his own band, Carlos (Arnaz), gets his chance to perform. The band hopes for a woman to sing and dance with them, and popular singer Lolita (Hatcher) is recommended. However, after a misunderstanding with Lolita, Carlos turns it down, believing that she is rude. However, Lolita (under the name Dolores) does perform with the band and the two fall in love.

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Musical Monday: Viva Las Vegas (1964)

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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:
Viva Las Vegas – Musical #340

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
George Sidney

Starring:
Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, Cesare Danova, William Demarest, Nicky Blair

Plot:
Lucky Jackson (Presley) is a down-on-his-luck race car driver who is making ends meet as a singing waiter in Las Vegas. All the while, he has hopes to compete in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Meanwhile, he meets swim instructor Rusty (Ann-Margret) and the two fall in love.

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Musical Monday: Fireball 500 (1966)

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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.

fireball 500

This week’s musical:
Fireball 500 – Musical #710

Studio:
American International Pictures

Director:
William Asher

Starring:
Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Annette Funicello, Chill Wills, Julie Parrish, Harvey Lembeck, Sandy Reed, Michael Nader, Mary Hughes, Salli Sachse, Patti Chandler, Luree Holmes, Linda Brent

Plot:
Stock car racer Dave Owens (Avalon) travels from California to North Carolina to compete in stock car racing. His racing rival in the south is Leander Fox (Fabian). Dave gets mixed up in moonshine running — along with Leander — after meeting Martha (Parrish), who convinces Dave to run moonshine for her. The law catches up with Dave and says if he doesn’t play ball, his racing career will be jeopardized.

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Musical Monday: Easy to Love (1953)

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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.

Easy to LoveThis week’s musical:
Easy to Love (1953) – Musical #108

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Charles Walters

Starring:
Esther Williams, Van Johnson, Tony Martin, Carroll Baker, John Bromfield, Edna Skinner, King Donovan, Paul Bryar, Benny Rubin (uncredited),
Cameo: Cyd Charisse

Plot:
Ray Lloyd (Johnson) manages the Cypress Gardens resort, filled the water skiing and swimming shows, and beautiful girls in bathing suits and evening gowns. He has decided to remain successful, he must remain single and unmarried. One of his swimming performers Julie Hallerton (Williams) — while she feels overworked — is also in love with Ray. When she thinks Ray is inviting her on a fun trip to New York City, she finds it is all work, until she meets singing star Barry Gordon (Martin). While Barry sweeps Julie off her feet, Ray isn’t too sure he likes it.

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Musical Monday: Garden of the Moon (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.

garden of the moonThis week’s musical:
Garden of the Moon (1938) – Musical #406

Studio:
Warner Bros.

Director:
Busby Berkeley

Starring:
Pat O’Brien, Margaret Lindsay, John Payne, Johnnie Davis, Melville Cooper, Isabel Jeans, Mable Todd, Penny Singleton, Dick Purcell, Curt Bois, Granville Bates
Themselves: Jimmie Fidler

Plot:
When Rudy Vallee and his band are in a wreck, the Garden of the Moon nightclub doesn’t have any entertainment scheduled to perform. The tyrannical nightclub manager John Quinn (O’Brien) is convinced by his press agent Toni Blake (Lindsey) to hire an unknown band lead by Don Vincente (Payne). Don and John butt heads, especially as John wants to replace Don with Rudy Vallee two weeks after they start. Toni works on a publicity campaign to get Don in John’s good graces.

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Musical Monday: Bernardine (1957)

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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.

bernardineThis week’s musical:
Bernardine (1957) – Musical #695

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
Henry Levin

Starring:
Pat Boone, Terry Moore, Dick Sargent, Janet Gaynor, Dean Jagger, Ronnie Burns, James Drury, Walter Abel, Natalie Schafer, Isabel Jewell, Edit Angold (uncredited), Lavina Caparella (uncredited), Hooper Dunbar (uncredited), Ernestine Wade (uncredited), Carole Ann Campbell (uncredited)
Himself: Jack Costanzo

Plot:
A group of high school seniors and friends — Arthur Beaumont (Boone), Sanford Wilson (Sargent) and Griner (Burns) — have a secret club and also have made up an imaginary dream girl, Bernardine. Sanford often strikes out on dates until he meets telephone operator Jean (Moore), saying that she is their Bernadine. Sanford’s friends double-cross his new romance.

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Musical Monday: Gold Diggers in Paris (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.

gold diggers parisThis week’s musical:
Gold Diggers in Paris (1938) – Musical #708

Studio:
Warner Bros.

Director:
Ray Enright

Starring:
Rudy Vallee, Rosemary Lane, Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins, Gloria Dickson, Melville Cooper, Mabel Todd, Fritz Feld, Edward Brophy
The Golddiggers: Rosella Towne, Carole Landis, Janet Shaw, Peggy Moran, Diana Lewis, Lois Lindsay, Poppy Wilde
Themselves: The Schnickelfritz Band

Plot:
Terry Moore (Vallee) runs a nightclub with Duke Dennis (Jenkins) in New York City and is in debt. The nightclub owners and their dancers are confused with the Academy Ballet of America by Maurice Giraud (Herbert), who invites them to Paris for a ballet showcase and a high dollar contract. Terry and Duke jump at the chance, feeling it may solve their financial troubles. However, they find trouble in Paris when the real Academy Ballet of America run by Padrinsky (Bois) works to expose them as phonies.

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Musical Monday: Double Trouble (1967)

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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.

double troubleThis week’s musical:
Double Trouble (1967) – Musical #707

Studio:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director:
Norman Taurog

Starring:
Elvis Presley, Annette Day, John Williams, Yvonne Romain, Chips Rafferty, Norman Rossington, Leon Askin

Plot:
Singer Guy Lambert (Presley) is on tour abroad, where he meets Jill (Day). At first he doesn’t know that Jill is both wealthy and only 17 years old. He tries to avoid her, which should be a cinch since he’s leaving on his tour. But Jill follows him, and so does Claire Dunham (Romain). In addition to his love troubles, he somehow gets mixed up with jewel thieves.

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