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).
Comet Over Hollywood 