Classic Films in Focus: MOON OVER MIAMI (1941)

Walter Lang’s musical comedy is another of the frothy, fun Technicolor amusements produced by Fox during the early 1940s, with the usual assortment of studio players and plenty of eye candy in the form of pretty girls, glamorous costumes, and lively dance sequences. This one actually has more plot than several of its peers, but Moon Over Miami (1941) also benefits from very winning performances by its leading ladies and supporting cast. Fans of Betty Grable will find a lot to like in her turn as the gold-digging heroine, and other notable performers include Carole Landis, Don Ameche, and Robert Cummings, with scene-stealing appearances by character actors Charlotte Greenwood and Jack Haley. Intentionally light and airy, Moon Over Miami promises nothing more than a good time, which it dutifully and energetically delivers.

Grable and Landis star as sisters Kay and Barbara Latimer, who leave Texas for Miami with a plan to snag a wealthy husband for Kay. With their aunt Susan (Charlotte Greenwood) posing as their maid, the girls take up residence in a posh resort, where Kay soon meets the suitably rich Jeff Boulton (Robert Cummings) and his friend, Phil McNeil (Don Ameche). The two men compete relentlessly for Kay’s attention, but Jeff also attracts Barbara’s admiration, and Kay has to choose which suitor to lure into a proposal. All the while, the truth about the girls’ finances and intentions threatens to get out, especially with hotel waiter Jack (Jack Haley) constantly hanging around Susan.

The classic narrative structure of the romantic comedy dictates the course of this story, which has its obligatory pairs of lovers, counterpoint clowns, and Forest of Arden atmosphere. Grable and Ameche, as the primary leads, are of course destined to be together, although their road to union proves riddled with potholes shaped like dollar signs. Landis and Cummings make a more subdued secondary couple; her quiet interest in him is telegraphed early on, but it takes his flighty character a long time to see what’s right in front of him. Of the four principal actors, Landis has the smallest role but also the most nuanced one; disguised as her sister’s secretary in glasses and sensible shoes, Barbara is more introverted than Kay but also kinder, more thoughtful, and more sincere. The funny stuff happens when Greenwood and Haley get together; their big number, “Is That Good?” is a highlight of the picture, with Greenwood launching into her signature high kicks and Haley making those most of his big, expressive eyes.

The movie includes a number of memorable dance sequences, thanks to the efforts of choreographer Hermes Pan, who makes his own appearance on screen as Betty Grable’s partner during the “Kindergarten Conga” piece. Grable does part of the dance for “You Started Something” sitting down, which is an entertaining twist on the usual routines; her partners during this segment are the impressive specialty dancers, the Condos Brothers, who appear again in the Seminole dance near the end of the picture. Don Ameche’s performance of the song, “I’ve Got You All to Myself,” is also fun because it opens a zany montage of the two rivals constantly horning in on each other’s dates with Kay, which culminates with a memorable shot of a shirtless Robert Cummings underwater. Ameche actually sings quite a bit in this picture, more than any other performer, but his delivery is predictably good, and his songs are well-integrated into the flow of the story.

Walter Lang also directed Betty Grable in Tin Pan Alley (1940), Song of the Islands (1942), and Coney Island (1943); he earned his only Oscar nomination for directing The King and I (1956). For more of Betty Grable, Don Ameche, and Charlotte Greenwood, try Down Argentine Way (1940); Grable also stars with Carole Landis in I Wake Up Screaming (1941) and Four Jills in a Jeep (1944). Robert Cummings has memorable roles in Kings Row (1942), Saboteur (1942), and Dial M for Murder (1954). The world remembers Jack Haley as the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz (1939), but he also appears with Betty Grable in Pigskin Parade (1936) and with Don Ameche in Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938).

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: I WAKE UP SCREAMING (1941)

Betty Grable is not an actress one normally associates with film noir, but she makes an unusual foray into Dark City in H. Bruce Humberstone's 1941 picture for Fox, I Wake Up Screaming. Nobody ever actually does wake up screaming in the movie, and the ill-chosen title is not the only weakness in evidence, but the picture is watchable and offers an interestingly twisted tale of passion, murder, and suspense.

Grable plays good girl Jill Lynn, whose beautiful and ambitious sister, Vicky (Carole Landis), has just been murdered. The chief suspect in the case is Frankie Christopher (Victor Mature), a promoter who was helping Vicky become a star, but Frankie insists that he had nothing to do with Vicky's death. Both Frankie and Jill fall under the relentless watch of imposing cop Ed Cornell (Laird Cregar), who refuses to believe that Frankie might be innocent. As they struggle to find Vicky's real killer, Frankie and Jill must come to grips with their feelings for one another, and their blossoming romance might prove the weakness that finally helps Cornell to pin the crime on Frankie.

The dialogue in I Wake Up Screaming can't compare to that of the real masterpieces of noir, where lines get thrown like so many daggers in a deadly circus act. Double Indemnity (1946) it is not. The film was adapted from a novel by Steve Fisher with the screenplay by Dwight Taylor, who mostly wrote scripts for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers but also penned Pickup on South Street (1956), a much more highly regarded example of noir style. There's also an obsessive and rather bizarre use of an instrumental version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" for the film's musical backdrop. You'll get tired of hearing it by the time the picture ends.

On the plus side, Laird Cregar is a smoldering menace as the relentless cop, and Elisha Cook, Jr., always great, appears in a small but crucial role. Victor Mature is fun to watch, although his heavy features constantly raise suspicion that he might actually be the killer, and that might be the whole point of casting him in the first place. Carole Landis makes a lovely and cold-hearted foil to Grable's good sister, and Alan Mowbray and Alyn Joslyn have interesting roles as Frankie's slippery friends.

If you like Betty Grable, see her in her natural element in Down Argentine Way (1940) and How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). You'll find Victor Mature in My Darling Clementine (1946), Kiss of Death (1947), and The Robe (1953). Don't miss Laird Cregar in The Black Swan (1942), Heaven Can Wait (1943), and The Lodger (1944). Elisha Cook, Jr. turns up in all kinds of classic movies, but makes his most memorable appearance in The Maltese Falcon (1941). For more from director Bruce Humberstone, try To the Shores of Tripoli (1942), Wonder Man (1945), or Happy Go Lovely (1951).

An earlier version of this review originally appeared on Examiner.com. The author retains all rights to this content.