Tag Archives: musicals

Musical Monday: Scared Stiff (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.

scared stiff

This week’s musical:
Scared Stiff (1953) – Musical #797

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
George Marshall

Starring:
Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lizabeth Scott, Carmen Miranda, George Dolenz, Dorothy Malone, William Ching, Paul Marion, Jack Lambert, Tony Barr, Leonard Strong, Henry Brandon, Earl Holliman (uncredited)
Cameo appearances: Bob Hope, Bing Crosby

Plot:
Mary Carroll (Scott) has inherited an estate in Cuba, but throughout her travels, she receives death threats and notes of warning. Before sailing to Cuba, Mary meets performers Larry Todd (Martin) and Myron Mertz (Lewis). Larry believes that he killed someone in New York at Mary’s hotel, so Larry and Myron stowaway on the ship for Cuba. Once they arrive at the home, that’s believed to be haunted, the trio tries to figure out who is behind the warnings.

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Musical Monday: Pardon My Rhythm (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.

This week’s musical:
Pardon My Rhythm (1944) – Musical #819

Studio:
Universal Pictures

Director:
Felix E. Feist

Starring:
Gloria Jean, Patric Knowles, Evelyn Ankers, Marjorie Weaver, Walter Catlett, Mel Tormé,
Patsy O’Connor, Ethel Griffies, Jack Slattery, Linda Reed,
Himself: Bob Crosby, The Mel-Tones

Plot:
Teenage Jinx Page (Jean) is smitten with drummer Ricky O’Bannon (Tormé), who also is the bandleader for a teenage big band. Jinx supports and funds the band from buying them uniforms to allowing them to practice at her house. Ricky wows bandleader Bob Crosby (himself) and Crosby tasks his lead singer, Dixie Moore (Weaver), to woo Ricky so that he will join Crosby’s band. Jinx is jealous of Dixie, so she tries to find someone else to romance Dixie. Jinx enlists her father, playwright Tony Page (Knowles), which complicates his own engagement to Julia (Ankers).

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Musical Monday: Playing Around (1930)

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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:
Playing Around (1930) – Musical #796

playing around2

Playing Around, lobbycard, from left: Chester Morris, Alice White, 1930. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)

Studio:
First National Pictures, distributed by Warner Bros.

Director:
Mervyn LeRoy

Starring:
Alice White, Chester Morris, William Bakewell, Richard Carlyle, Marion Byron, Maurice Black, Lionel Belmore, Shep Camp, Ann Brody, Nellie V. Nichols, George ‘Gabby’ Hayes (uncredited), Carolynne Snowden (uncredited), Doris McMahon (uncredited)

Plot:
When Sheba Miller (White) and her boyfriend Jack (Bakewell) are at a nightclub, Sheba enters a “best legs” contest, judged by club patron, Nickey Solomon (Morris). Sheba wins and Nickey begins wooing Sheba, making her toss Jack to the curb. Sheba believes Nickey is wealthy playboy, but the way he earns his money isn’t as honest as she thinks.

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Musical Monday: The Proud Valley (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.

The Proud Valley, poster, Paul Robeson, 1940. (Photo by LMPC via Getty Images)

This week’s musical:
The Proud Valley (1940) – Musical #801

Studio:
Ealing Studios

Director:
Pen Tennyson

Starring:
Paul Robeson, Edward Chapman, Simon Lack, Rachel Thomas, Edward Rigby, Dilys Thomas, Janet Johnson, Charles Williams, Jack Jones, Dilys Davies, Clifford Evans, Allan Jeayes, George Merritt, Edward Lexy

Plot:
American David Goliath (Robeson) leaves his ship when he arrives in Wales. He hops on a freight and ends in a small town. Hearing a choir, conducted by Dick Parry (Chapman), David stops to sing outside to sing along. Dick Parry is stunned by David’s beautiful voice and hopes he will sing with the miner choir in competition. Dick also invites David to come stay with his family and helps him get a job with him in the coal mines. When disaster strikes the mines and closes them down, David helps by walking with the miners to London to get them open and working again.

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Musical Monday: Scott Joplin (1977)

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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:
Scott Joplin (1977) – Musical #800

Studio:
Produced by Motown Pictures, Distributed by Universal Pictures

Director:
Jeremy Kagan

Starring:
Billy Dee Williams, Clifton Davis, Art Carney, Margaret Avery, Eubie Blake, Godfrey Cambridge, Otis Day, Mabel King, Taj Mahal, Spo-De-Odee, Samuel Fuller, Seymour Cassel, David Healy, Lionel Richie (uncredited)

Plot:
Composer Scott Joplin (Williams) works his way up from being pianist in a brothel, known as “a Professor,” to becoming a successful composer — transforming the landscape of music with ragtime hits. While largely known as a genius, Joplin wants to be seen as a high-brow composer and works to compose his opera, “Treemonisha.” His life and career are hindered by heartache and tragedy, like an illness and death of a child.

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Musical Monday: Oh, You Beautiful Doll (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:
Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949) – Musical #798

Studio:
20th Century Fox

Director:
John M. Stahl

Starring:
Mark Stevens, June Haver, S.Z. Sakall, Charlotte Greenwood, Gale Robbins, Jay C. Flippen, Andrew Tombes, Eduad Franz, Robert Gist (uncredited), Ray Walker (uncredited), Victor Sen Yung (uncredited)

Plot:
A biographical film about composer Alfred Breitenbach (Sakall), who became known as Fred Fisher for his Tin Pan Alley songs. In the film, Alfred has ambitions of composing great music, such as an opera. However, he and his family — wife Anna (Greenwood) and daughter Doris (Fisher) — are very poor. Song plugger Larry Kelly (Stevens) meets Alfred by accident and hears some of his music. Larry jazzes up portions of Alfred’s opera and writes lyrics to it, making Alfred’s music a success with mainstream music, where he is credited as Fred Fisher. Alfred struggles with being known and becoming famous off music he doesn’t like, though he and his family are living more comfortably. Outside of this, Larry and Doris are also falling in love.

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Musical Monday: Incendiary Blonde (1945)

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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:
Incendiary Blonde (1945) – Musical #411

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
George Marshall

Starring:
Betty Hutton, Arturo de Córdova, Charles Ruggles, Bill Goodwin, Barry Fitzgerald, Albert Dekker, Mary Phillips, Eduardo Ciannelli, Frank Faylen (uncredited), Catherine Craig (uncredited), Johnny Johnston (uncredited), Catherine Craig (uncredited)
Themselves: Maurice Rocco, The Maxellos

Plot:
Biographical film on the life and career of performer and speakeasy owner, Texas Guinan (Hutton). Guinan was known as “queen of the nightclubs” in the 1920s. The film shows Guinan leaving home to work in a Wild West Show and then working her way up to fame through Broadway shows, films and then a leading nightclub entertainer. Along the way, Guinan pines for Bill Romero Kilgannon (de Cordova).

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Musical Monday: Song of Nevada (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.

This week’s musical:
Song of Nevada (1944) – Musical #777

song of nevada2

Studio:
Republic Pictures

Director:
Joseph Kane

Starring:
Roy Rogers, Trigger, Dale Evans, Thurston Hall, John Eldridge, Mary Lee, Lloyd Corrigan, Forrest Taylor, George Meeker, Emmett Vogan, LeRoy Mason, Bob Nolan, Si Jenks (uncredited), Ruth Roman (uncredited)
Themselves: Sons of the Pioneers

Plot:
Wealthy John Barrabee (Hall) is discouraged that his daughter Jennie (Evans) has “left the prairie for Park Avenue,” especially now that she’s engaged to snooty Rollo Bingham (Eldridge). Barrabee leaves New York City to head back out west to Nevada. During the flight, the plane makes an emergency landing and Barrabee wanders off, meeting Roy Rogers (himself) and his friends. He’s having such a good time with Roy, that Barrabee misses his flight which crashes; leading the newspapers and Jennie to believe that he’s dead. As soon as his death is announced Rollo begins liquidating Barrabee’s estate. Barrabee and Roy hatch a plan to keep Jennie out west where she belongs.

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Musical Monday: Juke Box Rhythm (1959)

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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.

juke box rhythmThis week’s musical:
Juke Box Rhythm (1959) – Musical #360

Studio:
Columbia Pictures

Director:
Arthur Dreifuss

Starring:
Jo Marrow, Jack Jones, Frieda Inescort, Brian Donlevy, Marjorie Reynods, Hans Conried, Karin Booth, Fritz Feld, Edgar Barrier, Robert Banas (uncredited)
As themselves: George Jessel, Earl Grant Trio, The Nitwits, Johnny Otis, The Treniers, Wally Stewart

Plot:
Princess Ann (Morrrow) travels from Europe to buy her coronation wardrobe in New York City. Her proper aunt, Countess Margaret (Inescort), disapproves of the trip and rock and roll music. When Ann sneaks out to listen to rock music in the hotel, she briefly dances with Riff Manton (Jones) and they are photographed. Riff’s dad, George Manton (Donlevy), is trying to put on a show, but with no funds. Riff’s father and mother (Reynolds) are having marital issues and Riff is worried is dad will go to another wealthy woman (Booth) for money. As a way to bring them together, Riff woos Princess Ann with hopes that he can make money for his parents.

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Musical Monday: Boarding House Blues (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.

boarding house bluesThis week’s musical:
Boarding House Blues (1948) – Musical #767

Studio:
All-American Pictures

Director:
Josh Binney

Starring:
Mom Mabley (billed as Jackie Mabley), Dusty Fletcher, Marcellus Wilson, Marie Cooke, Augustus Smith, Johnny Lee, Emory Richardson, Harold Cromer, Sidney Easton, Freddie Robinson, John “Spider Bruce” Mason, John Riano
Specialty Acts: Lucky Millinder and His Band, Una Mae Carlisle, Bull Moose Jackson, Berry Brothers, Lewis and White, Anistine Allen, Paul Breckenridge, Stump and Stumpy (James Cross and Eddie Hartman), Lee Norman Trio, Henry “Crip” Heard

Plot:
Mom (Mabley) runs a boarding house of entertainers in Harlem, and shares with her tenants that they are broke and the land lord is going to kick them. To help raise money for rent, the boarders put on a show.

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