A Yank in the R.A.F.
20th Century-Fox, 1942, B/W, 98 minutes, ***
Released February, 1942

Tyrone Power and Betty Grable are captivating in this romantic WWII drama. When slick, money-motivated pilot Tim Baker (Power) takes a high-paying job ferrying bombers across the Atlantic, he meets up with Carol (Grable), an old flame who sparks enough new heart that Baker joins England's R.A.F. just to be near her. But Carol is also pursued by another pilot - Baker's superior officer! And when Baker must begin flying bombing missions, life suddenly takes on far more meaning than ever before. Featuring actual aerial combat footage and Grable's classic musical numbers, A Yank in the R.A.F. is an engagingly dramatic love story.  [from back of DVD case]

The United States was reluctant to enter World War II, having instituted an isolationist policy after World War I. However, the country was split - especially when the bombing of London began. So many able-bodied American men went to England or Canada and signed up with the English Royal Air Force (R.A.F.). This is the basis of the title and plot of this film.

Produced by: Darryl F. Zanuck
Associate Producer: Lou Edelman
Directed by: Henry King
Screen Play by: Darrell Ware and Karl Tunberg
Original Story by: Melville Crossman
Lyrics and Music by: Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger
Musical Direction: Alfred Newman
Art Direction: Richard Day, James Basevi
Set Decorations: Thomas Little
Costumes: Travis Banton
Sound: Bernard Freericks, Roger Heman
Special Effects by: Fred Sersen
Director of Photography: Leon Shamroy
R.A.F. flying sequences photographed in England by Ronald Neame, Jack Whitehead, Otto Kanturek
Directed by Major Herbert Mason, M.C.
Film Editor: Barbara McLean

Cast: Tyrone Power [Tim Baker], Betty Grable [Carol Brown], John Sutton [Wing Commander Morley], Reginald Gardiner [Roger Pillby], Donald Stuart [Corporal Harry Baker], Ralph Byrd [Al], Richard Fraser [Thorndyke], Denis Green [Flight Lieutenant Redmond], Bruce Lester [Flight Lieutenant Richardson], Gilchrist Stuart [Wales], Lester Matthews [Group Captain], Frederic Worlock [Canadian Major], Ethel Griffies [Lady Fitzhugh], Fortunio Bonanova [Headwaiter], James Craven [Instructor], Morton Lowry [Squadron Leader], G. P. Huntley [Radio Operator], Stuart Robertson, Dennis Hoey [Intelligence Officers], Additional Cast: John Wilde [Graves], Claud Allister, Guy Kingsford [Officers], John Rogers [Chauffeur], John Hartley [Copilot], Eric Lonsdale [Radio Man], Alphonse Martell [Headwaiter], Lynne Roberts [Nurse at Boat], Gladys Cooper [Mrs. Pillby], Gavin Muir [Wing Commander], Gil Perkins [Sergeant], Crauford Kent [Group Captain], Lillian Porter [Chorus Girl], Maureen Roden-Ryan [Barmaid], Bobby Hale [Cab Driver], Forrester Harvey [Cubby], Charles Irwin [Uniformed Man], John Meredith [Cadet], Howard Davis [Air Raid Warden], Patrick O'Hearn [Navigator], Leslie Denison [Group Commander], Otto Reichow, Kurt Kreuger [German Pilots], Hans von Morhart [German Sergeant], Hans Schumm [German Soldier]

Musical Program: [0:13] Hi-Ya Love (sung by Betty Grable, danced by Chorus Girls); [0:25] Another Little Dream Won't Do Us Any Harm (sung and danced by Betty Grable and Chorus Girls)

Yankee Doodle Dandy
Warner Bros. - First National, 1942, B/W, 126 minutes, ****
Released June 1942

Biopic of the great George M. Cohan, early 20th century vaudevillian, composer, actor, producer. His songs are still familiar today. James Cagney does a magnificent job portraying the energetic Cohan. Full of great music.

Executive Producer: Hal B. Wallis
Associate Producer: William Cagney
Directed by: Michael Curtiz
Screen Play by: Robert Buckner and Edmund Joseph
Original Story by: Robert Buckner
Technical Advisor: William Collier, Sr.
Musical Director: Leo F. Forbstein
Lyrics and Music by: George M. Cohan
Orchestral Arrangements: Ray Heindorf
Dance Numbers Staged and Directed by: LeRoy Prinz and Seymour Felix
James Cagney's Dances Routined by John Boyle
Art Director: Carl Jules Weyl
Gowns by: Milo Anderson
Makeup Artist: Perc Westmore
Sound by: Everett A. Brown
Director of Photography: James Wong Howe
Montages by: Don Siegel
Film Editor: George Amy

Awards: Academy Awards for Best Actor (James Cagney), Best Score - Musical (Ray Heindorf and Heinz Roemheld) and Best Sound Recording (Nathan Levinson); Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Walter Huston), Best Director, Best Original Story (Robert Buckner), Best Film Editing (George Amy)

Cast: James Cagney [George M. Cohan], Joan Leslie [Mary], Walter Huston [Jerry Cohan], Richard Whorf [Sam Harris], Irene Manning [Fay Templeton], George Tobias [Dietz], Rosemary DeCamp [Nellie Cohan], Jeanne Cagney [Josie Cohan], Frances Langford [Singer], George Barbier [Erlanger], S. Z. Sakall [Schwab], Walter Catlett [Theatre Manager], Douglas Croft [George M. Cohan as a Boy of 13], Eddie Foy, Jr. [Eddie Foy], Minor Watson [Albee], Chester Clute [Goff], Odette Myrtil [Madame Bartholdi], Patsy Lee Parsons [Josie Cohan as a Girl of 12], Captain Jack Young [The President (Franklin D. Roosevelt)], Additional Cast: Audrey Long [Receptionist], Clinton Rosemond [White House Butler], Spencer Charters [Stage Manager in Providence], Dorothy Kelly, Marijo James [Sister Act], Henry Blair [George at Age 7], Jo Ann Marlowe [Josie at Age 6], Thomas Jackson [Stage Manager], Phyllis Kennedy [Fanny], Pat Flaherty [White House Guard], Leon Belasco [Magician], Syd Saylor [Star Boarder], William B. Davidson [New York Stage Manager], Harry Hayden [Dr. Lewellyn], Francis Pierlot [Dr. Anderson], Charles Smith, Joyce Reynolds, Dick Chandlee, Joyce Horne [Teenagers], Frank Faylen [Sergeant], Wallis Clark [Theodore Roosevelt], Georgia Carroll [Betsy Ross], Joan Winfield [Sally], Dick Wessel [Union Army Veteran], James Flavin [Union Army Veteran], Sailor Vincent [Schultz in "Peck's Bad Boy"], Fred Kelsey [Irish Cop in "Peck's Bad Boy"], Tom Dugan [Actor at Railway Station], Garry Owen [Army Clerk], Murray Alper [Wise Guy], Creighton Hale [Telegraph Operator], Ruth Robinson [Nurse], Eddie Acuff, Walter Brooke, Bill Edwards, William Hopper [Reporters], William Forrest, Edward Keane [Critics], Dolores Moran [Girl], Poppy Wilde, Leslie Brooks [Chorus Girls in "Little Johnny Jones" Number], Jerrie Lynne [Singer], Vivian Austin [Pianist], Sally Sweetland [singing voice of Mary]

Musical Program: [0:00] Overture: "The Yankee Doddle Boy" / "Mary's a Grand Old Name" (played by Orchestra behind titles); [0:06] Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean (played by Marching Band); [0:07] Keep Your Eyes Upon Me (The Dancing Master) (excerpt sung and danced by Walter Huston); [0:08] unidentified march (played by Marching Band as George Huston dashes to the boarding house to see his new baby); [0:11] Keep Your Eyes Upon Me (The Dancing Master) (excerpt sung and danced by Henry Blair); [0:12] While Strolling Through the Park One Day (excerpt sung and danced by Jo Ann Marlowe); [0:12] At a Georgia Camp Meeting (danced by James Cagney, Walter Huston, Rosemary DeCamp and Jeanne Cagney); [0:27] I Was Born in Virginia (sung and danced by James Cagney, Jeanne Cagney, Walter Huston and Rosemary DeCamp); [0:31] The Warmest Baby in the Bunch (sung and danced by Joan Leslie [dubbed by Sally Sweetland]); [0:35] Harrigan (sung and danced by James Cagney and Joan Leslie); [0:44] The Yankee Doodle Boy (excerpt sung by James Cagney); [0:46] The Yankee Doodle Boy / Good Luck Johnny / Little Johnny Jones (from "Little Johnny Jones") (sung and danced by James Cagney and Chorus); [0:52] All Aboard for Old Broadway (part of "Little Johnny Jones" sequence) (sung and danced by Chorus); [0:54] Give My Regards to Broadway (from "Little Johnny Jones") (sung by James Cagney and Chorus, danced by James Cagney); [0:58] Oh You Wonderful Girl / Blue Skies, Gray Skies / The Belle of the Barbers' Ball (medley / montage sung by James Cagney, Jeanne Cagney, Walter Huston and Rosemary DeCamp); [0:59] Mary's a Grand Old Name (spoken by James Cagney with Joan Leslie at the piano, then sung by Sally Sweetland dubbing for Joan Leslie); [1:08] Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway (sung by James Cagney); [1:09] Mary's a Grand Old Name (hummed by Irene Manning at the piano, then sung by Sally Sweetland dubbing for Joan Leslie); [1:12] Mary's a Grand Old Name (from "Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway") (sung by Irene Manning); [1:14] Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway / So Long, Mary (sung by Irene Manning and Chorus); [1:19] You're a Grand Old Flag (from "George Washington Jr.") (production number performed by James Cagney and Chorus, includes excerpts of Battle Hymn of the Republic, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, America (My Country 'Tis of Thee) and shorter excerpts of several other patriotic songs, sung by Chorus); [1:25] Like the Wandering Minstrel (sung by James Cagney and Ensemble behind travel montage); [1:40] Over There (sung by Frances Langford, James Cagney and Chorus); [1:43] Montage / medley "A George M. Cohan Potpouri" In a Kingdom of Our Own / Love Nest / Nellie Kelly, I Love You / The Man Who Owns Broadway / Molly Malone / Billie (sung by Frances Langford); [1:53] Jeepers Creepers (excerpt sung by young people at Cohan's home); [1:57] Off the Record (from "I'd Rather Be Right") (performed by James Cagney); [2:03] Over There (sung by James Cagney and Chorus as Cagney joins a parade passing by the White House); [2:04] The Yankee Doodle Boy (played by Orchestra behind end credits)

Yellow Submarine
King Features; Subafilms (U.K.), 1968, Color, 90 minutes, ***

When the happiness-hating Blue Meanie and his monstrous allies overrun Pepperland, it's John, Paul, George and Ringo (or, at least, their animated likenesses; actors supplied their voices) to the rescue in this psychedelic animated odyssey. Along with the previously unavailable "Hey, Bulldog," the Fab Four score includes "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," "When I'm 64," "Eleanor Rigby" and more; co-written by Erich Segal ("Love Story").

Producer: Al Brodax
Associate Producer: Mary Ellen Stewart
Director: George Dunning
Screenplay: Al Brodax, Lee Minoff, Erich Segal and Jack Mendelsohn (based on a story by Lee Minoff, from the song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney)
Music Director: George Martin
Art Direction: Heinz Edelmann
Special Effects: Charles Jenkins
Animation: Robert Balser and Jack Stokes
Cinematography: John Williams
Editor: Brian J. Bishop

Cast (voices): Singing Voices: The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr); Dialog voices: John Clive [John], Geoffrey Hughes [Paul], Peter Batten [George], Paul Angelis [Ringo / Chief Blue Meanie], Dick Emery [Lord Mayor / Nowhere Man / Max], Lance Percival [Old Fred]

Musical Program: Yellow Submarine (The Beatles); Hey Bulldog (The Beatles); Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles); Love You To (The Beatles); All Together Now (The Beatles); Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds (The Beatles); Think for Yourself (The Beatles); Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (The Beatles); With a Little Help from My Friends (The Beatles); Baby You're a Rich Man (The Beatles); Only a Northern Song (The Beatles); All You Need Is Love (The Beatles); When I'm Sixty-Four (The Beatles); Nowhere Man (The Beatles); It's All Too Much (The Beatles)

Yentl
Barwood / Ladbroke / United Artists, 1983, Color, 134 minutes, ***½
Released November 1983

Charming story of a young Eastern-European Jewish girl who poses as a boy so that she may become a student.

Though I'm not really a big Barbra Streisand fan, I think this film is beautifully made. And it makes me feel the frustration that many women must have felt (and still do) about being banned from learning. Amy Irving and Mandy Patinkin turn in fine performances and Streisand's singing is top-notch, as always. Streisand is genuinely warm and sincere in this role. I feel her passion. Her performance is outstanding.

Detractors of the film say it simply isn't realistic that a woman could get away with posing as a boy in order to study. Yes, it might be impossible for Barbra Steisand, but I think it's not impossible for some women. Besides, where is it written that people can't fantasize about things? This is the stuff of movies. Great film!

Setting: Eastern Europe, 1904 (filmed on location in Czechoslovakia)

Produced by: Barbra Streisand and Rusty Lemorande
Executive Producer: Larry DeWaay
Directed by: Barbra Streisand
Screenplay by: Jack Rosental and Barbra Streisand
Based on the novella Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer
Music by: Michel Legrand
Lyrics by: Alan and Marilyn Bergman
Music Orchestrated and Conducted by: Michel Legrand
Wedding Dance Choreography: Gillian Lynne
Musical Sequences Staged by: Ms. Streisand
Production Designer: Roy Walker
Art Director: Leslie Tomkins
Set Decorator: Tessa Davies
Costume Designer: Judy Moorcroft
Chief Makeup: Wally Schneiderman
Chief Hairdresser: Colin Jamison
Sound: Tim Blackham
Director of Photography: David Watkin
Special Effects: Alan Whibley
Film Editor: Terry Rawlings

Awards: Academy Award for Best Song Score; Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Amy Irving), Best Song ("Papa, Can You Hear Me?"), Best Song ("The Way He Makes Me Feel") and Best Art Direction/Set Decoration

Cast: Barbra Streisand [Yentl], Mandy Patinkin [Avigdor], Amy Irving [Hadass], Nehemiah Persoff [Reb Mendel "Papa"], Steven Hill [Reb Alter Vishkower], Allan Corduner [Shimmele], Ruth Goring [Esther Rachel], David De Keyser [Rabbi Zalman], Bernard Spear [Tailor], Doreen Mantle [Mrs. Shaemen], Lynda Barron [Peshe], Jack Lynn [Bookseller], Anna Tzelniker [Mrs. Kovner], Miriam Margolyes [Sarah], Mary Henry [Mrs. Jacobs], Robbie Barnett [Tailor's Assistant], Ian Sears [David], Frank Baker [Village Student], Anthony Rubes [Village Student], Renata Buser [Mrs. Shaemen's Daughter], Kerry Shale, Gary Brown, Peter Whitman, Danny Brainin, Jonathan Tafler, Teddy Kempner [Yeshiva Students]

Musical Program: [0:00] Overture (played by Orchestra behind opening scene); [1:10] Where Is It Written? (sung by Barbra Streisand); [0:20] Papa, Can You Hear Me? (sung by Barbra Streisand); [0:30] unidentified song (traditional Jewish folk song?) (sung by boys in wagon); [0:38] This Is One of Those Moments (sung by Barbra Streisand); [0:45] No Wonder (sung by Barbra Streisand); [0:52] The Way He Makes Me Feel (sung by Barbra Streisand); [1:10] No Wonder (sung by Barbra Streisand); [1:16] Tomorrow Night (sung by Barbra Streisand); [1:36] Will Someone Ever Look at Me That Way? (sung by Barbra Streisand); [1:42] No Matter What Happens (sung by Barbra Streisand); [2:03] A Piece of Sky (sung by Barbra Streisand)

Yolanda and the Thief
MGM, 1945, Color, 108 minutes, ***

Fred Astaire is an amiable wanderer and con-artist who takes a naive young girl (Lucille Bremer) "under his wing" in this charming MGM musical directed by Vincente Minnelli. With Frank Morgan, Mildred Natwick; songs include "Coffee Time."

Good film, often overlooked and very much underrated. One of my all-time favorite dance scenes is in this film: Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer dancing to "Coffee Time." The dream sequence is a wonderful production number. Principal cast turns in fine performances; Mildred Natwick is always a treat.

Produced by: Arthur Freed
Associate Producer: Roger Edens
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Screen Play by: Irving Brecher
Based Upon a Story by Jacques Thery and Ludwig Bemelmans
Songs: Arthur Freed and Harry Warren
Musical Director: Lennie Hayton
Orchestration: Conrad Salinger
Dances Staged by: Eugene Loring
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Jack Martin Smith
Set Decorations: Edwin B. Willis
Associate: Richard Pefferle
Miss Bremer's Gowns by: Irene
Costumes designed by: Irene Sharaff
Make-Up Created by: Jack Dawn
Recording Director: Douglas Shearer
Director of Photography: Charles Rosher
Special Effects: A. Arnold Gillespie, Warren Newcombe
Photographed in Technicolor
Technicolor Color Director: Natalie Kalmus
Associate: Henri Jaffa
Film Editor: George White

Cast: Fred Astaire [Johnny Parkson Riggs], Lucille Bremer [Yolanda], Frank Morgan [Victor Budlow Trout], Mildred Natwick [Aunt Amarilla], Mary Nash [Duenna], Leon Ames [Mr. Candle], Ludwig Stossel [School Teacher], Jane Green [Mother Superior], Remo Bufano [Puppeteer], Francis Pierlot [Padre], Leon Belasco [Taxi Driver], Chislaine Perreau [Gigi], Charles La Torre [Police Lieutenant], Michael Visaroff [Major Domo], Additional Cast: Andre Charlot [Dilettante], Gino Corrado [Hotel Lounge Waiter], Martin Garralaga [Police Official on Train], Torben Meyer [Town Official], Georges Renavent [Train Passenger], Marek Windheim [Train Steward], Trudy Erwin [singing voice of Lucille Bremer]

Musical Program: [0:03] This Is a Day for Love (Childrens' Chorus, Ladies' Chorus); [0:13] This Is a Day for Love (Chorus); [0:31] Angel (Trudy Erwin dubbing for Lucille Bremer); [0:40] Will You Marry Me (dream sequence ballet, danced by Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer and Chorus; segment sung by Trudy Erwin dubbing for Lucille Bremer); [1:04] Yolanda (sung by Fred Astaire); [1:27] Coffee Time (danced by Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer and Chorus; segment sung by Chorus)

You Can't Have Everything
20th Century-Fox, 1937, B/W, 100 minutes

Alice Faye plays struggling writer Judith Poe Wells, a direct descendant of Edgar Allan Poe. She meets Don Ameche by chance, and he happens to know a producer who helps her sell her first play. And, of course, Faye and Ameche end up falling in love. Film debut of Gypsy Rose Lee (Louise Hovick).

Producer: Lawrence Schwab
Director: Norman Taurog
Screenplay: Harry Tugend, Jack Yellen and Karl Tunberg (based on a story by Gregory Ratoff)
Music Director: David Buttolph
Music: Mack Gordon and Harry Revel
Choreography: Harry Losee
Art Direction: Duncan Cramer
Costume Design: Royer
Cinematography: Lucien N. Andriot
Film Editing: Hanson T. Fritch

Cast: Alice Faye [Judith Poe Wells], The Ritz Brothers [Themselves], Don Ameche [George Macrae], Charles Winninger [Sam Gordon], Louise Hovick (aka Gypsy Rose Lee) [Lulu Riley], David Rubinoff [Himself], Arthur Treacher [Bevins], Tony Martin [Bobby Walker], Phyllis Brooks [Evelyn Moore], Wally Vernon [Jerry], Louis Prima [Orchestra Leader], Tip, Tap and Toe [Specialty Dancers], George Humbert [Romano], Jed Prouty [Mr. Whiteman], Dorothy Christy [Blonde], Clara Blandick [Townswoman], Joan Davis [Dance Bit], Margaret Fielding [Miss Barkow], Robert Murphy [Alderman Barney Callahan], Inez Palange [Mrs. Romano], Lynne Berkeley [Joan], George Davis, Frank Puglia [Waiters], Paul Hurst [Truck Driver], Frank Yaconelli [Accordion Player], Nick Moro [Guitar Player], Gordon Elliott (aka Bill Elliott) [Lulu's Bathing Companion], Si Jenks [Janitor], Jane Kerr, Mary Gordon, Bonita Weber [Scrubwomen], Robert Lowery [Copilot], June Gale [Girl in YWCA], Hank Mann [Cab Driver], Jayne Regan [Stewardess], William Mathieson [Bagpiper], Thomas Pogue [Standee], Claudia Coleman [Matron in YWCA], Sam Ash [Publicity Agent], Howard Cantonwine [Tony]

Musical Program: You Can't Have Everything (sung by Alice Faye accompanied by David Rubinoff on violin, reprised by the Ritz Brothers); Afraid to Dream (Don Ameche; reprised by Alice Faye, Tony Martin and Chorus); The Loveliness of You (Tony Martin); Please Pardon Us We're in Love (Alice Faye; reprised by Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Charles Winninger and the Ritz Brothers); Danger - Love at Work (Alice Faye with Louis Prima); Long Underwear (sung and danced by the Ritz Brothers and Chorus); It's a Southern Holiday (Louis Prima and His Band); Rhythm on the Radio (danced by Tip, Tap and Toe with Louis Prima and His Band); Chopsticks (comedy number by The Ritz Brothers); Danse Rubinoff (violin solo by David Rubinoff); North Pole Sketch (The Ritz Brothers, Tony Martin and Ensemble)


Charles Winninger, Louise Hovick, Don Ameche, Alice Faye

You Were Never Lovelier
Columbia, 1942, B/W, 97 minutes, ***

Fred Astaire reteams with Rita Hayworth for this top-notch musical comedy. He falls for the ravishing Rita after her father (Adolphe Menjou) fixes them up. Score includes "Dearly Beloved" and "I'm Old-Fashioned."

Produced by: Louis F. Edelman
Directed by: William A. Seiter
Assistant Director: Norman Deming
Screen Play by: Michael Fessier & Ernest Pagano and Delmer Daves
Story by Carlos Olivari and Sixto Póndal Ríos ("Los Martes Orquideas")
Music by: Jerome Kern
Lyrics by: Johnny Mercer
Musical Director: Leigh Harline
Assistant: Paul Mertz
Musical Arrangements by: Conrad Salinger
Musical Arrangement of "The Shorty George" by Lyle (Spud) Murphy
Xavier Cugat Specialty "Chiu Chiu" by Nicamor Molinare
Dance Director: Val Raset
Art Director: Lionel Banks
Associate: Rudolph Sternad
Interior Decorator: Frank Tuttle
Gowns by: Irene
Music Recording by: P. J. Faulkner
Director of Photography: Ted Tetzlaff
Film Editor: William Lyon

Awards: Academy Award nominations for Best Score - Musical (Leigh Harline), Best Song ("Dearly Beloved") and Best Sound Recording

Cast: Fred Astaire [Robert Davis], Rita Hayworth [Maria Acuna], Adolphe Menjou [Edwardo Acuna], Leslie Brooks [Cecy Acuna], Adele Mara [Lita Acuna], Isobel Elsom [Mrs. Maria Castro], Gus Schilling [Fernando], Barbara Brown [Mrs. Delfina Acuna], Douglas Leavitt [Juan Castro], Catherine Craig [Julia Acuna], Kathleen Howard [Grandmother Acuna], Mary Field [Louise], Larry Parks [Tony], Stanley Brown [Roddy], Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra [Themselves], Lina Romay [Herself], Kirk Alyn [Groom], George Bunny [Flower Man], Ralph Peters [Chauffeur], Nan Wynn [singing voice of Rita Hayworth]

Musical Program: [0:00] Overture (played by Orchestra behind titles); [0:06] Chiu Chiu (sung by Lina Romay, Miguelito Valdes and Chorus with Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra); [0:13] Dearly Beloved (sung by Fred Astaire with Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra); [0:22] Wedding in the Spring (sung by Leslie Brooks and Adele Mara at the piano); [0:28] Dearly Beloved (sung and danced by Rita Hayworth [dubbed by Nan Wynn]); [0:35] Audition Dance (played by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra, danced by Fred Astaire; this number apparently has no formal title); [0:50] I'm Old Fashioned (sung and danced by Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth [Nan Wynn dubbing for Rita Hayworth]); [1:04] Shorty George (sung and danced by Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth with Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra [Nan Wynn dubbing for Rita Hayworth]); [1:12] Wedding in the Spring (sung by Lina Romay and Girls' Chorus with Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra, danced by Ensemble); [1:19] You Were Never Lovelier (sung by Fred Astaire); [1:31] These Orchids (sung by delivery boys); [1:33] You Were Never Lovelier (instrumental played by Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra)

You'll Never Get Rich
Columbia, 1941, B/W, 88 minutes, ***

A wonderful musical romp starring Fred Astaire as a choreographer who finds chorine Rita Hayworth has what it takes to be his dancing partner. Hoofing takes a back seat to Uncle Sam, though, when Astaire is drafted. "Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye," "Dream Dancing" and "The A-stairable Rag" are among the Cole Porter songs; with Robert Benchley, Ona Massen.

Produced by: Samuel Bischoff
Directed by: Sidney Lanfield
Assistant Director: Gene Anderson
Original Screen Play by: Michael Fessier, Ernest Pagano
Songs by: Cole Porter
Musical Director: M. W. Stoloff
Assistant: Paul Mertz Dances Staged by: Robert Alton
Art Direction: Lionel Banks
Costume Design: Robert Kalloch
Music Recording by: P. J. Faulkner
Director of Photography: Philip Tannura
Film Editor: Otto Meyer

Awards: Academy Award nominations for Best Score and Best Song ("Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye")

Cast: Fred Astaire [Robert Curtis], Rita Hayworth [Sheila Winthrop], John Hubbard [Tom Barton], Robert Benchley [Martin Cortland], Osa Massen [Sonya], Frieda Inescort [Mrs. Cortland], Guinn "Big Boy" Williams [Kewpie Blain], Donald MacBride [Top Sergeant], Cliff Nazarro [Swivel Tongue], Marjorie Gateson [Aunt Louise], Ann Shoemaker [Mrs. Barton], Boyd Davis [Colonel Shiller], Mary Currier [Costume Designer], Robert E. Homans [Stage Doorman], Sunnie O'Dea [Marjorie], Martha Tilton [Singer], Gwen Kenyon [Singer], Frank Ferguson [Justice of Peace], Emmett Vogan [Jenkins], Jack Rice [Jewelry Clerk], Hal K. Dawson [Information], Harry Burns [Foreigner], Patti McCarty [Young Girl], Edward McWade [Army Doctor], Lester Dorr [Photographer], Tim Ryan [Policeman], Frank Sully [Robert's Guard], Garry Owen [Robert's Guard], Paul Irving [Gen. Trafscott], Harry Strang [Colonel's Orderly], Eddie Laughton [Lieutenant], Dorothy Vernon [Kewpie's Mother], Stanley Brown [Draftee], Monte Collins [Sleeper], Paul Philips [Capt. Nolan], Harold Goodwin [Capt. Williams], Jack O'Malley [Sentry], Eddie Coke [Chauffeur], Larry Williams [Private], James Millican [Private], Forrest Prince [Soloist], Frank Wayne [Prisoner], Charles Anthony Hughes [Prisoner], Rudolph Hunter, John Porter, Lucius Brooks, Leon Buck [The Four Tones], Martha Tilton [singing voice of Rita Hayworth]

Musical Program: [0:04] Boogie Barcarolle (instrumental danced by Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth and Chorus); [0:14] Dream Dancing (instrumental danced by Fred Astaire and Rita Haymorth); [0:29] Shootin' the Works for Uncle Sam (sung and danced by Fred Astaire and Chorus Girls); [0:42] Since I Kissed My Baby Goodbye (sung by the Four Tones, danced by Fred Astaire); [0:51] March Milastaire (A-Stairable Rag) (instrumental danced by Fred Astaire); [0:58] So Near and Yet So Far (sung by Fred Astaire, danced by Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth); [1:21] The Wedding Cake Walk (sung by Martha Tilton dubbing for Rita Hayworth; danced by Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth and Chorus)

You're a Sweetheart
Universal, 1937, B/W, 96 minutes

Betty Bradley (Alice Faye) is the star of a show headed for Broadway. Don King (Ken Murray) is the producer, and he discovers - too late - that the show's Broadway opening night conflicts with a big charity event that is sure to attract all of the patrons. There seems to be no way around this disaster until waiter George Murphy suggests that they make the tickets very hard to find, which will make the public think that the show is sold out. So, Murphy poses as a rich man who has bought all the opening week tickets because of his love of Alice. Everything seems to be going fine at first, but then complications arise and things get sticky. Alice Faye is great as always, and there's plenty of good dancing and music.

Producer: B.G. DeSylva
Director: David Butler
Screenplay: Monte Brice and Charles Grayson (based on a story by Warren Wilson, William Thomas and Maxwell Shane)
Music Director: Charles Previn
Song Score: Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh (and others)
Choreography: Carl Randall
Art Direction: Jack Otterson
Cinematography: George Robinson
Film Editing: Bernard W. Burton

Awards: Academy Award nomination for Best Interior Decoration

Cast: Alice Faye [Betty Bradley], George Murphy [Hal Adams], Ken Murray [Don King], Charles Winninger [Cherokee Charlie], Andy Devine [Daisy Day], William Gargan [Fred Edwards], Frank Jenks [Harry Howe], Caspar Reardon [Cousin Caspar], Frances Hunt [Penny Norris], Donald Meek [Conway Jeeters], Andrew A. Trimble [Will Rogers], David Oliver [Yes-Man], Edna Sedgwick [Ballet Dancer], Bob Murphy [Bailiff], Oswald [Himself], Renie Riano [Mrs. Hepplethwaite], Bobby Watson [Defense Attorney], The Four Playboys, Malda and Ray, The Norville Brothers [Specialty Acts]

Musical Program: You're a Sweetheart (sung and danced by Alice Faye and George Murphy); My Fine Feathered Friend (Alice Faye); Broadway Jamboree; Oh, Oh Oklahoma; Scraping the Toast; So It's Love (Alice Faye); Who Killed Maggie? (finale number, Alice Faye)

Young at Heart
Arwin / Warner Bros., 1954, Color, 120 minutes, ***
Released December, 1954

Great musical/drama, based on the 1938 film "Four Daughters," with Frank Sinatra as a musician who comes to a small town to work with composer Gig Young and winds up stealing fiancee Doris Day from him. Top-notch score includes "Someone to Watch Over Me" and the title tune. With Dorothy Malone, Ethel Barrymore.

Produced by: Henry Blanke
Directed by: Gordon Douglas
Assistant Director: Al Alleborn
Screen Play by: Julius J. Epstein and Lenore Coffee
Adaptation by: Liam O'Brien
From a Story by: Fannie Hurst
Music Director: Ray Heindorf
Song Score: various
Art Director: John Beckman
Set Decorator: William Wallace
Wardrobe by: Howard Shoup
Makeup Artist: Gordon Bau
Sound by: Leslie G. Hewitt, David Forrest
Director of Photography: Ted McCord
Special Effects by: H. F. Koenekamp
In WarnerColor, Print by Technicolor
Color Consultant: Philip Jefferies
Film Editor: William Ziegler

Cast: Doris Day [Laurie Tuttle], Frank Sinatra [Barney Sloan], Gig Young [Alex Burke], Ethel Barrymore [Aunt Jessie], Dorothy Malone [Fran Tuttle], Robert Keith [Gregory Tuttle], Elisabeth Fraser [Amy Tuttle], Alan Hale, Jr. [Robert Neary], Lonny Chapman [Ernest Nichols], Frank Ferguson [Bartell], Additional Cast: Marjorie Bennett [Mrs. Ridgefield], John Maxwell [Doctor], William McLean [Husband], Barbara Pepper [Wife], Robin Raymond [Girl], Tito Vuolo [Fat Man in Car], Grazia Narciso [Fat Man's Wife], Ivan Browning [Porter], Joe Forte [Minister], Cliff Ferre [Bartender], Harte Wayne [Conductor], Celeste Bryant [Little Girl]

Musical Program: [0:00] Young at Heart (sung by Frank Sinatra behind titles; also recurring theme in background score); [0:11] Till My Love Comes Back to Me (sung by Doris Day); [0:26] Ready, Willing and Able (sung by Doris Day); [0:31] Hold Me in Your Arms (sung by Doris Day and Chorus); [0:51] Someone to Watch Over Me (sung by Frank Sinatra); [1:10] Just One of Those Things (sung by Frank Sinatra); [1:29] One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) (sung by Frank Sinatra); [1:36] There's a Rising Moon for Every Falling Star (sung by Doris Day); [1:53] You, My Love (sung by Frank Sinatra and Doris Day); [1:56] Young at Heart (sung by Frank Sinatra at end of film)

The Young Girls of Rochefort
Madeleine / Parc / Seven Arts, 1967, Color, 125 minutes, ***

Gloriously filmed musical romance from Jacques Demy ("The Umbrellas of Cherbourg") tells of twin sisters (played by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Francoise Dorleac) who long for love and a way out of the seaside town where their mother runs a small cafe. Gene Kelly, Michel Piccoli and Jacques Perrin are the men who enter their lives. With Danielle Darrieux and George Chakiris. In French with English subtitles.

see also: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Producers: Mag Bodard and Gilbert de Goldschmidt
Director: Jacques Demy
Screenplay: Jacques Demy
Musical Score: Michel Legrand
Song Score: Michel Legrand and Jacques Demy
Choreography: Norman Maen
Production Design: Bernard Evein
Set Decoration: Louis Seuret
Costume Design: Marie-Claude Fouquet, Jacqueline Moreau
Sound: Jean Gaudelet, Jacques Maumont
Cinematography: Ghislain Cloquet
Film Editing: Jean Hamon

Awards: Academy Award nomination for Best Score - Musical (Michel Legrand)

Cast: Catherine Deneuve [Delphine Garnier], Francoise Dorleac [Solange Garnier], George Chakiris [Etienne], Grover Dale [Bill], Gene Kelly [Andy Miller], Danielle Darrieux [Yvonne Garnier], Jacques Perrin [Maxence], Michel Piccoli [Simon Dame], Pamela Hart [Judith], Leslie North [Esther], Jacques Riberolles [Guillaume Lancien], Henri Cremieux [Dutrouz], Patrick Jeantet [Boubou], Genevieve Thenier [Josette], Rene Bazart [Pepe], Dorothy Blanck [Passerby], Agnes Varda [Nun], Daniel Mocquay [Sailor], Peter Ardran, Wendy Barry, Sarah Butler, Ann Chapman, Jane Darling, Tudor Davies, Lindsay Dolan, John MacDonald, Keith Drummond, Maureen Evans, Tara Fernando, Sara Flemington, Johnny Greenland, Leo Guerard, David Hepburn, Bob Howe, Alix Kirsta, Jerry Manley, Tony Manning, Tom Merrifield, Connel Miles, Albin Pahernik, Nicky Temperton, Barrie Wilkinson, Maureen Willsher [Dancers], Sue Allen, George E. Becker, W. Earl Brown, Ronald D. Hicklin, Frank Allen Howren, Thomas D. Kenny, Judith E. Lawler, Bill Lee, Diana K. Lee, Gilda Maiken, Gene Merlino, Joseph A. Pryor, Ronald T. Reeve, Sally Stevens, Sara Jane Tallman, Robert Tebow, Jackie Ward [Singers], Anne Germain [singing voice of Delphine Garnier], Claude Parent [singing voice of Solange Garnier], Romuald [singing voice of Etienne], Jose Bartel [singing voice of Bill], Donald Burke [singing voice of Andy Miller], Jacques Revaux [singing voice of Maxence], George Blaness [singing voice of Simon Dame], Christiane Legrand [singing voice of Judith], Claudine Meunier [singing voice of Esther], Jean Stout [singing voice of Guillaume Lancien], Olivier Bonnett [singing voice of Boubou], Alice Gerald [singing voice of Josette]

Musical Program: Chanson des Jumelles; Chanson de Maxence; De Delphine a Lancien; Nous Voyageons de Ville en Ville; Chanson de Delphine; Chanson de Simon; Marins, Amis, Amants ou Maris; Chanson d'Yvonne; Andy Amoureux; Chanson de Solange; Dans le Port de Hambourg; La Femme Coupée en Morceaux; Chant d'Andy; Les Rencontres; Chanson d'un Jour d'été; Toujours, Jamais; Le Pont Transbordeur (ballet générique); Arrivée des Camionneurs (ballet); Kermesse (ballet); Concerto (ballet); Départ des Forains (ballet)

Young Man with a Horn
Warner Bros., 1950, B/W, 112 minutes, ***

Classic melodrama stars Kirk Douglas as a driven trumpet player who devotes his life to music, to the exclusion of almost everything else. Doris Day and Lauren Bacall are the women in his life; Harry James performed Douglas' tunes.

The Doris Day Collection, Vol. 1 DVD Box Set (shown right) contains this film and Jumbo, Calamity Jane, The Glass Bottom Boat, Love Me or Leave Me, Lullaby of Broadway, The Pajama Game, Please Don't Eat the Daisies.

Producer: Jerry Wald
Director: Michael Curtiz
Screenplay: Carl Foreman and Edmund H. North
(based on the novel by Dorothy Baker)
Music Director: Ray Heindorf
Song Score: various
Art Direction: Edward Carrere
Dubbing: Trumpet playing dubbed by Harry James
Set Decoration: William Wallace
Costume Design: Milo Anderson
Sound: Everett A. Brown
Cinematography: Ted McCord
Film Editing: Alan Crosland, Jr.

Cast: Kirk Douglas [Rick Martin], Lauren Bacall [Amy North], Doris Day [Jo Jordan], Hoagy Carmichael [Smoke Willoughby], Juano Hernandez [Art Hazzard], Jerome Cowan [Phil Morrison], Mary Beth Hughes [Margo Martin], Nestor Paiva [Louis Galba], Orley Lindgren [Rick Martin as a Boy], Walter Reed [Jack Chandler], Jack Kruschen [Cab Driver], Alex Gerry [Dr. Weaver], Jack Shea [Male Nurse], James Griffith [Walt], Dean Reisner [Joe], Everett Glass [Man Leading Song], Paul E. Burns, Burk Symon [Pawnbrokers], Julius Wechter [Boy Drummer], Ivor James [Boy Banjoist], Larry Rio [Owner], Dan Seymour [Mike], Paul Dubov [Maxie], Keye Luke [Ramundo], Frank Cady [Hotel Clerk], Murray Leonard [Bartender], Dave Dunbar [Alcoholic Bum], Robert O'Neill [Bum], Hugh Murray [Doctor], Dick Cogan [Intern], Katherine Kurasch [Miss Carson], Bill Walker [Black Minister], Helene Heigh [Tweedy Woman], Ted Eckelberry [Elevator Boy], Hugh Charles, Sid Kane [Men]

Musical Program: Sweet By and By (Chorus); The Very Thought of You (sung by Doris Day accompanied by Harry James dubbing for Kirk Douglas on trumpet); Lovin' am (Shiek of Alabam) (sung by Hoagy Carmichael and Kirk Douglas); Too Marvelous for Words (sung by Doris Day); I May Be Wrong (But I Think You're Wonderful) (sung by Doris Day); With a Song in My Heart (sung by Doris Day); Excerpts of "Ain't She Sweet," "Can't We Be Friends," "Blue Room," "I Only Have Eyes for You," "Tea for Two," "The Man I Love," "What Is This Thing Called Love," "'S Wonderful," "Moanin' Low," "Shadow Waltz," "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Chinatown, My Chinatown," "Baby Face," "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," "Silent Night, Holy Night," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Limehouse Blues" and "Get Happy" used instrumentally.

Young People
20th Century-Fox, 1940, B/W, 78 minutes, ***
Released August 1940

Filmdom's pluckiest orphan, Shirley Temple, finds herself parentless once again, until retiring vaudevillians Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood adopt her. The family moves to a small town that doesn't take to "show folk," but Shirley sets out to change their feelings. Songs include "Tra-La-La," "Fifth Avenue" and the title tune.

Produced by: Harry Joe Brown
Directed by: Allan Dwan
Screen Play by: Edwin Blum and Don Ettlinger
Music and Lyrics by: Mack Gordon and Harry Warren
Dances Staged by: Nick Castle and Geneva Sawyer
Music Direction: Alfred Newman
Art Direction: Richard Day, Rudolph Sternad
Set Decorations: Thomas Little
Costumes: Gwen Wakeling
Sound: George Leverett, Roger Heman
Director of Photography: Edward Cronjager
Film Editor: James B. Clark

Cast: Shirley Temple [Wendy], Jack Oakie [Joe Ballantine], Charlotte Greenwood [Kit Ballantine], Arleen Whelan [Judith], George Montgomery [Mike Shea], Kathleen Howard [Hester Appleby], Minor Watson [Dakin], Frank Swann [Fred Willard], Frank Sully [Jeb], Mae Marsh [Maria Liggett], Sarah Edwards [Mrs. Stinchfield], Irving Bacon [Otis], Charles Halton [Moderator], Arthur Aylesworth [Doorman], Olin Howlin [Station Master], Billy Wayne [Stage Manager], Harry Tyler [Dave], Darryl Hickman [Tommy], Shirley Mills [Mary Ann], Diane Fisher [Susie], Bobby Anderson [Jerry Dakin], Additional Cast: Robert "Buddy" Shaw [Usher], Syd Saylor [Vaudevillian], Dell Henderson [Eddie's Father], Ted North [Eddie], Evelyn Beresford [English Woman], Billy Benedict [Boy]

Musical Program: [0:00] Overture: "Tra-La-La-La" (played by Orchestra behind titles); [0:01] The Mason Dixon Line (sung and danced by Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood); [0:04] On the Beach at Waikiki (sung by Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood, danced by Charlotte Greenwood, includes a hula by Shirley Temple [inserted from the film Curly Top, 1935]); [0:05] Baby Take a Bow (sung by Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood [with slightly modified lyric], then sung by Jack Oakie and Shirley Temple [with the help of a double and inserts of the "Baby Take a Bow" number from the film Stand Up and Cheer] -- cute number!); [0:09] Fifth Avenue (sung and danced by Jack Oakie, Charlotte Greenwood and Shirley Temple); [0:39] I Wouldn't Take a Million (sung by Jack Oakie); [0:45] Flow Gently, Sweet Afton (sung by Childrens' Chorus); [0:50] Young People (sung and danced by Shirley Temple and School Children); [0:57] Fifth Avenue (sung and danced by Jack Oakie, Charlotte Greenwood and Shirley Temple); [1:05] I Wouldn't Take a Million (sung by Shirley Temple); [1:15] Finale: Tra-La-La-La (sung and danced by Shirley Temple, Jack Oakie and Charlotte Greenwood)