Classic Films in Focus: FOUR JILLS IN A JEEP (1944)

Directed by William A. Seiter, Four Jills in a Jeep (1943) is a fictionalized account of the real USO adventures of four Hollywood stars - Kay Francis, Carole Landis, Martha Raye, and Mitzi Mayfair - who travel to various parts of the globe to entertain the troops during World War II. Although it lacks the sheer entertainment value of other wartime revues like Hollywood Canteen (1944), Four Jills in a Jeep offers a uniquely realistic account of the ways in which stars helped the war effort by using their fame and talents to boost morale. Classic film fans can also enjoy musical performances from top Fox stars like Alice Faye and Carmen Miranda, although the four patriotic ladies who really undertook this trip together provide the picture’s greatest appeal.

Each of the four stars plays herself, with Kay Francis taking the lead as the group’s mother figure and Martha Raye providing the comic relief. Carole Landis is the singer of the bunch, and Mitzi Mayfair is the energetic dancer. Together, the women embark on an overseas tour that includes London and North Africa, and along the way they encounter bad weather, bombing, blackouts, and even romance.

While many of the wartime morale pictures are revues with narrative bits thrown in, Four Jills in a Jeep is more a story with musical segments scattered throughout. Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra provide the accompaniment for most of the performances, and each of the four stars gets her opportunity to shine, but the women’s experiences prove more interesting than the songs and dances. It’s clear early on that the trip is a lot more challenging than they expected, but they gamely persevere, and their patriotism is genuine and affecting. Much of the romance is manufactured for the picture, but Carole Landis really did meet and marry a soldier during the tour. Sadly, by 1945 the two would divorce, and in 1948 the 29 year old actress ended her own life with a drug overdose. Her tragic story makes Landis the most moving presence in this film, since we see her recapturing moments of great happiness and demonstrating the real talent that would be lost with her premature death. Landis, by the way, also wrote the book version of Four Jills in a Jeep, although she had some help from a ghostwriter.

Several male costars support our leading ladies by taking the roles of soldiers, including Phil Silvers as Eddie, who functions as the group’s guide and assistant. Eddie also provides some additional comic relief, especially in his attempts to court Martha Raye, who rebuffs him every time. Singer Dick Haymes has better luck as Dick Ryan, an old flame of Mitzi’s who rekindles their romance and ultimately makes very good use of an otherwise harrowing moment in a North African trench. John Harvey, meanwhile, stands in for Carole Landis’ real life beau, Captain Thomas C. Wallace, as the handsome Ted Warren. Kay Francis enjoys a more muted romance with an English Army doctor, but most of the picture’s narrative attention focuses on the love lives of Landis and Mayfair. Haymes, with an excellent voice, gets the lion’s share of the screen time devoted to the men since he actually sings more songs than any other performer in the film.

In addition to brief appearances by Alice Faye and Carmen Miranda, you’ll also find Betty Grable and George Jessel. William A. Seiter also directed Stowaway (1936), You Were Never Lovelier (1942), and One Touch of Venus (1948). Kay Francis, a major leading lady of the Pre-Code era, stars in Man Wanted (1932), Jewel Robbery (1932), and Trouble in Paradise (1932). See more of Carole Landis in I Wake Up Screaming (1941) and Topper Returns (1941). The preternaturally flexible Mitzi Mayfair never made another feature film, but Martha Raye can also be found in Hellzapoppin’ (1941), Pin Up Girl (1944), and Monsieur Verdoux (1947). For a much more recent story of women’s experiences entertaining wartime troops, try The Sapphires (2012).

Classic Films in Focus: THAT NIGHT IN RIO (1941)

Don Ameche fans can get a double dose of the charismatic leading man in That Night in Rio (1941), a frothy musical romance costarring Alice Faye and Carmen Miranda. Directed by Irving Cummings, this South American story features Ameche playing not one but two characters, which drives a complicated plot of romantic substitutions and mistaken identity. Technicolor splendor enhances its lively musical numbers, and the supporting cast includes familiar character actors S.Z. Sakall, J. Carrol Naish, and Leonid Kinskey. Like many of the Fox musicals of the wartime era, That Night in Rio is a fun escape from the seriousness of real life, light on substance but rich with music and glorious color.

Ameche stars in a dual role as American entertainer Larry Martin and aristocratic ladies’ man Baron Duarte. When the baron lands in financial trouble and leaves town, his anxious colleagues hire Larry to impersonate him, but Larry uses the opportunity to flirt with the beautiful baroness, Cecilia (Alice Faye). Meanwhile, Larry’s jealous girlfriend, Carmen (Carmen Miranda), turns up at the baron’s estate and recognizes Larry in disguise. When the real baron returns, he and Larry take turns pretending to be one another, much to the confusion of the baroness.

With its jealous lovers and character doubles, That Night in Rio has something of the air of a Shakespearean forest romance, although it was actually adapted from a play called The Red Cat. Ameche certainly seems to be enjoying himself in both roles, and he’s particularly debonair as the Baron, replete with monocle and distinguished, silver-streaked hair. The set-up ensures that Ameche will get both girls by the film’s end, no matter how the pairings sort themselves out, or perhaps it ensures that each girl will get an Ameche, since the two women are pretty aggressive - if sometimes surreptitiously so - in pursuing their partners. Alice Faye and Carmen Miranda make good foils to one another; Faye’s cool blonde look and deep, dreamy voice contrast perfectly with Miranda’s hot Latin energy, and each has plenty of opportunity to shine in musical numbers. Miranda, however, definitely wins in the spectacle contest; few performers were ever more perfectly formed for Technicolor, and Miranda’s wild outfits and oversized personality practically leap off the screen during her songs.

The identical protagonists provide That Night in Rio with an excuse for lively visual hijinks to go along with its music and romance. When Larry and Baron Duarte appear together, the film indulges in fun effects shots that still look very convincing some 70 years later, although a few scenes are clearly using a stand-in actor for the character not facing the camera. One gag involves the baron, Larry, and a very confused J. Carrol Naish with a dressing screen around which the two men swap places. Reacting to the ongoing confusion are the very funny S.Z. Sakall and Curt Bois as the baron’s nervous associates, who get a lot more than they bargained for when they employ Larry’s unique services. Leonid Kinskey, whom viewers will recognize as Sascha in Casablanca (1942), appears as Pierre, an amorous Frenchman who hopes in vain to impress the baroness as a potential lover.

The Red Cat was also adapted by Hollywood as the 1951 film, On the Riviera, starring Danny Kaye in the double lead. For more of Don Ameche and Alice Faye, see In Old Chicago (1937), Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938), and Lillian Russell (1940). Faye and Carmen Miranda both appear in Weekend in Havana (1941), The Gang’s All Here (1943), and Four Jills in a Jeep (1944). Irving Cummings also directed Ameche and Miranda in Down Argentine Way (1940); for more of his work, see the Shirley Temple films Curly Top (1935) and Little Miss Broadway (1938) or yet another Faye and Ameche picture, Hollywood Cavalcade (1939). Look for various combinations of the director and the three stars with other usual suspects like Betty Grable and Tyrone Power.