Lady Be Good (1941)

Lady Be Good is a film I have wanted to see for a while because Eleanor Powell is in it and if you follow this blog you will know I am a huge fan of Eleanor Powell. I can watch the woman dance all day she was amazing and always blows my mind every time I watch one of her numbers. Lately I have also become a huge fan of Ann Sothern so Lady Be Good was so much fun to sit through. Besides Powell and Sothern Lady Be Good is an enjoyable MGM musical.

            The film starts off with Dixie Crane (Sothern) on the witness stand in court being asked about her husband Eddie (Robert Young). Dixie and Eddie wrote songs together. The story flashes back to how she became Eddie writing partner. He had been working with someone and that person was not working for him. Dixie had been brought up to where Eddie was working. He played some of his tune he had written and she came up with lyrics for it. After this meeting Dixie quit her job as a waitress in a restaurant and soon she and Eddie were married.

            Back in court her friend Marilyn (Powell) is asked to testify. She is best friends with Dixie and Eddie. She is a dancer and was in one of their shows. Marilyn testifies that her friends’ relationship flopped because Eddie went Park Avenue and their friends were divided between the people who knew them and now after they were famous. Again the story flashes back to a party. At this party was more concerned with the rich people that were there. Dixie got fed up with Eddie. She tells him “Let’s shake hands and call it quits.” Dixie wants to work and not stand around with the people he likes. Eddie does not even put up a fight he does not even contest the divorce and does not show up to court.

            After the divorce Eddie is all alone in his apartment. His room is messy because the servants quit. He calls Dixie to come over. She gets excited and goes right over. They make small talk. They realize they still love each other. Eddie confesses he just called her over to help him to call an employment agency for new servants. Dixie starts cleaning for him and as she is cleaning Eddie plays a new song he has written. Dixie gets idea for lyrics as he plays.

            Eddie and Dixie’s friend Red (Red Skelton) meets up with their friend Buddy Crawford who sings all their songs. Red meets with Buddy and Dixie at a club. Eddie finds out that Dixie is out with Buddy at the club. Bill goes to the club with some of his new friends. He finds Bill after he has performed their new song and he punches him saying that Dixie is his wife. He wants Dixie to leave with him and when she says no he storms out. The next day he sends her several things of flowers. Eddie goes to her place she shares with Marilyn. Marilyn is the only one home. Dixie comes back when Eddie is still there. He pleads with her to write songs with him again. That night they write a new song together.

            Their new song “Lady Be Good” becomes a gigantic hit. After a party Eddie asks Dixie to get married again. Dixie does not want to figuring they work well as writing partners not as a married couple. Marilyn, with Buddy’s help, wants to get Eddie and Dixie back together. She wants Buddy to make Eddie jealous by sending Dixie a diamond ring figuring “When she gets the ring she thinks it will be from Eddie.” Buddy comes over after Marilyn gets the ring. Marilyn was on the phone with Eddie. She tells him about the ring. Eddie freaks out and says he is coming over to the apartment with a gun. When Eddie comes over Marilyn covers for Dixie who is hiding in the apartment and says that Buddy is there to see her. Eddie leaves but he tries to sneak quietly back in. Marilyn knows Eddie came back in and pretends to passionately kiss Buddy. Buddy starts to get fresh with Marilyn and she calls for Dixie to come and help her. Eddie is upset with Dixie but they talk things out. They eventually get married again.

            Dixie wants to work on a new show right away while Eddie wants to go on a honeymoon. She tells him she will live with Marilyn while they work on the new show. Dixie wants to get divorced again. The judge does not give them a divorce this time since they got back together the last time. This time things work out for Dixie and Eddie.

            The story sounds like a melodrama but trust me it is much better than I have explained it. There were very cute scenes with all the characters and some funny lines.

            I loved this cast. Before this film I had only ever seen Ann Sothern in Maisie Goes to Reno where she was this tough chick with a wonderful attitude and was so funny. In this film Sothern is more serious but completely wonderful. Robert Young in the films I have seen him in has been charming and perfect. I liked him and Sothern together they made a great pair (I had seen this film before I saw Young and Sothern in Maisie. I was very happy to see them together again in Maisie). Eleanor Powell gets top billing but she is barely in the film. Her first dance number does not come until over ten minutes into the film. Powell in her few scenes was very good. I liked her with character with the character of Buddy Crawford. Powell was adorable and cute plotting to get Dixie and Eddie back together. She had two great numbers in this film. The first number was the dance version of “Lady Be Good” where she dances with a dog. According to IMDB Powell did not like the dogs that the studio had auditioned so she bought a dog off a propman and trained the dog to do the dance herself. The dog was fantastic if the story is true Powell did a great job training it. The second is one of my favorite dances I have seen Powell do. The dance is called Fascinatin’ Rhythm. It starts off with Powell tap dancing to the beat of a few pianos with her taps providing another beat. It is so amazing. I had seen the number before I saw the film and I was floored. Powell’s dancing was just brilliant no female dancer then or now can compare to her. Red Skelton, Virginia O’Brien, and Lionel Barrymore are barely in the film, even less than Eleanor Powell. O’Brien plays Red’s girlfriend who eats all the time (a girl after my own heart) and sings one song. Lionel Barrymore is the judge so he really only has three scenes in the whole film.

            Lady Be Good has now become one of my favorite classic films and one of my favorite musicals. I just enjoyed every minute of it. I loved the music, Eleanor Powell’s dancing, Ann Sothern’s acting (and even her singing. She sang the song “The Last Time I Saw Paris”), Robert Young’s adorableness, the story, the costumes, just everything about it. Lady Be Good is currently available on DVD in a pack along with Born to Dance (which is also an entertaining musical with Eleanor Powell). Powell’s dance numbers are available to view on Youtube. If you are a fan of MGM’s musicals you will enjoy Lady Be Good. 

Broadway Melody 1940 (1940)

“The more I know about women, the less I know about women.”

“Maybe someday you'll learn they're not all the same.”

            Broadway Melody of 1940 is the last of the Broadway Melody films that began in 1929. Like most musicals (and films from the thirties and forties) there is a mistaken identity plot which I am constantly complaining about. Here it works out pretty well and does not get annoying.

            Johnny Brett (Fred Astaire) and King Shaw (George Murphy) are dancers at a nightclub in New York City. They long to become famous Broadway stars but until then they have to work in a club and try to keep a collections agency off their backs. At the club one night is a Broadway producer named Bob Casey (Frank Morgan). He likes the dance Johnny and King do. He especially likes Johnny who he thinks is the better dancer. After the show Casey goes up to Johnny. Johnny thinks Casey is someone from the collections agency looking for him. Instead of giving his real name Johnny says he is King Shaw so that when he is served with papers they will have been given to the wrong man. Casey and his young partner Bert Matthews made Clare Bennett (Eleanor Powell) a famous Broadway star. Her shows are huge successes. Bert is now looking to cast someone as Clare’s leading man. Casey told about meeting a guy named King Shaw.  

            Johnny and King live together in a small apartment. Johnny is all ready to go out to casting offices to look for work. King is still in bed with a bad hangover. While Johnny is out King gets a phone call that Casey told Bert all about him and now Bert wants to meet him. At the casting office Clare walks in with Bert. Johnny is love struck. After every performance at the club he sneaks in to see Clare perform at her show. The secretary tells everyone who is waiting to leave the office Bert does not want to see anyone that day. Johnny leaves in one elevator and King comes up the other. King makes it to Bert’s office and is offered the job.

            King tells Johnny about his meeting with Bert and being offered the job. He tells his best friend and dancing partner that he was not sure if he wanted to take the job since that would mean Johnny would not have one. Johnny encourages his friend that this opportunity should not be missed he has to be in the show.

            Things go really well for King. Bert makes it so that King will be seen around town with Clare to create buzz about him for the show. The night before rehearsals are to begin Bert talks Clare into staying home since the following day is going to be busy. She calls King up with the excuse that she has a headache and cannot go out. King is furious and goes out for the entire night. Clare calls King again this time Johnny picks up the phone and accidentally tells her he loves her.

            The next day King is late for rehearsals due to a bad hangover. Both Clare and Johnny make excuses for him but their excuses do not match. Bert dismisses the crew for lunch. Thinking that no one is watching him Johnny dances around on stage to a musical number from the show with a dance he had made up and told King to do. Clare stands off stage watching him. When he finishes his dance Clare tells him she likes his new version better. The two go out to lunch and have a good time together. At the theater everyone is waiting for Clare to return even King who is not happy with his friend for going out with his leading lady. Johnny tells his friend that he has gotten too big for himself with the little fame he has achieved and walks out not wanting to talk to him anymore.

            Opening night Johnny has to say good luck to his friend as a ritual. When he gets to King’s dressing room King is blinding drunk. Johnny tries to get King to get moving before the opening curtain but to no use. Johnny goes on stage for the number and dances with Clare. King comes to with Johnny’s help. Being a good caring friend Johnny lies and tells King that he (King) went on stage and did a great job even though he was drunk. Clare is furious with King. The next day she goes to see her new partner and tells him he does not deserve the credit for Johnny’s work.

            For the next show King writes a note to Clare that he promises not to get drunk and sends her flowers. He stumbles into the room and is again blinding drunk. Clare comes up with the idea to find Johnny and have him in the show. She finds him in the dance hall and drags him to the theater. Meanwhile King is in Casey’s office passed out on the couch. When Casey leaves he suddenly gets up and has a smile on his face. His drunkenness was a ploy to get Johnny on stage with Clare.

            Johnny and Clare dance Begin the Beguine and become a hit.

            Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire were the perfect dance partners. Honestly no one ever danced better with Astaire than Powell did. They were such total perfectionists and professional dancers that every move they did together was completely in sync. There was not one foot fall, twist, turn, clap that was off. As actors they were a bit mismatched but as dancers they were heaven. Their dance to Begin the Beguine was beautiful. I have read that it is considered one of the greatest tap performances to be put onto film. From beginning to end of the dance there is no arguing with that consideration it was flawless and beautiful. Now, I think Powell was an alright actress she was more a dancer than anything else. Usually I think her acting is pretty good but in this film her acting was not too great. I am so used to seeing Powell this cute adorable woman and she was angry and yelling! Do not have a problem with that but it was weird seeing Powell so bad and charged up. She even hit George Murphy in the face in one scene. Astaire was nothing to talk about either he played the same love sick little boy-type character he always played. George Murphy was so-so. He was also a dancer and he was good but my god was he so out of sync with Powell and Astaire! Frank Morgan was a riot. He played a bumbling mess of a character and was so funny.

            Broadway Melody of 1940 is not the best of the Broadway Melody films. The story was fair and as usual in these films there are always scenes that do not need to be in it they do nothing to move the story along whatsoever. If you love musicals you have to see Broadway Melody of 1940 especially the Begin the Beguine dance it is one not to be missed.

Ship Ahoy (1942)

“I feel like Mata Hari. I hope I don’t end up like her.”

            I have been dying to watch musicals lately. I have not been going through a hard time with anything in my life that I would need cheering up with a happy peppy musical. I do not know where this yearning to watch musicals is coming from! I think it may be coming from the fact that my one friend and I have said over and over again every time we see each other that we want to watch Singin in the Rain. We would have watched it together by now but our one friend is the bummer she hates musicals. I know we can always get together just the two of us but we love our other friend too much to keep her out of the loop (never let it be said I am a bad friend!). Luckily TCM aired the musical Ship Ahoy! with one of my absolute favorite dancers and actresses Eleanor Powell. I was in heaven the entire time.

            Tallulah Winters (Powell) is a dancer with The Tommy Dorsey Band. After a show she is taken down to a headquarter for some questioning. When she gets there a man asks her to do something for the country. He wants her to take a small magnetic land mine to Puerto Rico with her troupe, no one will suspect her of anything while she is traveling with a troupe. Tallulah proudly accepts the mission for her country. When Tallulah leaves two more men come out. They are all enemy agents working against the United States. One of them got the idea from a book by the author Merton Kibble (Red Skelton).

            Merton is in the middle of writing three stories at one time. He has three typists and a piano player to set the mood of his stories. Merton is a hypochondriac he thinks he has every disease known to man. He has his friend Skip (Bert Lahr) call the doctor. The doctor has enough of Merton and tells Skip that he will stop by in the morning and hangs up. Skip stays on the phone pretending the doctor is still talking to him. Skip says out that Merton needs a vacation somewhere. Merton fights against going at first but then gives in.

            Tallulah and her friend Fran (Virginia O’Brien) are on the same ship bound for Puerto Rico as Merton. Merton was sitting on Tallulah’s deck chair when they first meet. That night they run into each other again. Tallulah wants to go down to the dining room and dance. Merton does not want to dance he says he cannot breathe. He shows Tallulah a breathing technique where he stretches his arms out. She does the technique with him and stretches her arms out to him. Tallulah puts her arms around Merton and she starts to dance with him on the deck. From that moment on they are with each other until the early hours of the morning.   

            While Tallulah is having a good time with Merton, there are American operatives on the ship looking for the mine. They have searched the whole ship, every single room, and they cannot find the mine. Tallulah has it hidden in a radio she bought before she got on the ship.

            Skip is having a fabulous time on the ship. He is after Fran like there is no tomorrow. In the city he was at every single show the company played just to see her. Fran sees him as an annoyance. Luckily for her Skip has been living it up with all the single women on the ship. Tallulah, Merton, Fran and Skip go to a dance. Merton starts singing to Tallulah then Fran starts singing to Skip until she gives him a big brush off. After the dance Fran and Skip go to his room. She tries to play the radio that Tallulah has the mine in and obviously it does not work. Back in the room, Tallulah is frantic looking for the radio. Fran had enough of Skip especially after Merton came back to the room without knocking. Fran left the radio in Skip and Merton’s room. Skip tells Merton he got a message from their editor that he needs the rest of his book. Merton dictates the story and decides to end his famous female character. Tallulah is outside the room she thinks Merton is talking bad about her about how she is just a fling and nothing. She does not know he is talking about his character. Upset she has the porter get the radio.

            Merton comes to visit Tallulah before they leave the ship. She tells him everything between them is over. He tries to win her back and while is going to win her back he falls down the stairs. When he lands his case comes out of his hand. Tallulah winds up taking his case by accident and he takes hers. Merton cannot understand why every time he walks across metal his case gets stuck to it.

            The American operative never find the mine. They start to think the troupe has something to with the transportation of the device. They figure someone put up a lot of money just to send them to a small dive.

            That night after the show Tallulah is to meet the person to exchange the mine. When she gets back to her room and looks in her case she realizes Merton has hers. Tallulah asks the front desk for the key to Merton’s room. The person at the front desk realizes they made a mistake. Tallulah gets into Merton’s room and not too long after the house detective comes in. He tells her that Merton was only registered to the room with Skip. Tallulah thinks quickly on her feet and says she is Merton’s wife. Merton comes back to the room. He has no idea what is going on because he is so happy to see Tallulah again. They manage to convince the house detective that they are married and he leaves. Tallulah goes into Merton’s room and takes the mine. She manages to sneak out the back door. Poor Merton thinks she jumped out the window for a minute and then follows her out the hotel.

            Tallulah gets the mine to the bad guys. She tells them of her mix up and now the bad guys think that Merton knows about the mine and is the enemy spy. Tallulah is taken away just before Merton and Skip come into the room. Now the two men are taken prisoner. Well, Merton and Skip manage to cleverly get away from the bad guys and then fall down a service opening in a ship. They eventually make it out of that jam too and quite hysterically.

            One of the operative named Bennett finds Tallulah with the bad guys. He figured out that she has been used and goes to save her. Unfortunately he is taken prisoner too. The bad guy tells Tallulah that she is to perform her number and then come back to them without talking to anyone. In the middle of her routine Tallulah sees Merton. When they were on the ship they were sitting by a wireless station office and she knew what the operators were tapping out because she had to learn Morse Code for a routine. Now on stage she taps out a message. Merton does not know what she is trying to say. Another one of the American operatives is sitting at the table that Merton is standing near when he mentions the code. The operative manages to get her attention and ask her to tape out her message (watch clip here). The agent, Merton, and Skip get the mine and get away. Merton and Skip were trying to get away from the bad guys on a life boat. Two henchmen lift the ropes of the boat. Tallulah comes just in time and holds the two henchmen up. Merton and Skip row the boat to the middle of the ocean. They are lifted up on a submarine. The submarine is American.

            I loved the cast of this film so much. I cannot get enough of Eleanor Powell. Her dancing is so amazing. She was awesome with her tapping. She hit the floor so hard and was incredible with making and keeping the rhythm of the songs. All her dance numbers were fantastic. There was one where she danced to a song that had a bit of Spanish flare. Her costume looked so good on her in that number. Powell’s acting was much better than her earlier films she looked a more comfortable outside her dancing numbers and she did not seem like she was just reading her lines like she sometimes did in her earlier films. I went nuts in the scene where Powell holds the gun on the two henchmen. It was just cool seeing her with a gun. She seriously looked like she could have played a femme fatale in a Noir. I can see Powell in a Noir film. It would have been interesting to see her in one with her husband Glenn Ford. Red Skelton I had seen in a film or two before this and he was pretty funny. When I first saw that Skelton was one of the stars I thought he was going to go over the top. He was not too much he just right for the character. Skelton and Powell were odd paired together but they worked so well they were so cute as a couple. Bert Lahr I was so excited to see because I have only ever seen in The Wizard of Oz. He was hysterical chasing after Virginia O’Brien. Virginia O’Brien no matter what I see her in always makes me laugh. Her dry sense of humor and the way she says her lines cracks me up. I was dying when she was singing to Bert Lahr. Frank Sinatra makes his film debut here. He does not act he is just the band singer. Dear goodness he was adorable.

            Ship Ahoy! was so much fun to watch. The musical/dance numbers were fantastic. The acting was great. When I think of musicals I think of MGM. When other studios made musicals they were never the same as MGM’s. Although Ship Ahoy! is not a well known MGM musical today it is one of their best and most fun I have watched. Maybe whenever I buy this my one friend and I can sit through it some time together. Maybe by that time we can get our other friend into musicals.