Zeus

Writers:

Paul Gerard Smith, Warren Wilson, Lee Sands, Fred Rath

The Andrews Sisters, Grace McDonald, Dan Dailey, Charles Butterworth, Walter Catlett, William Frawley, Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, The Jivin' Jacks And Jills

 

Songs include:

Pennsylvania Polka
by Zeke Manners and Lester Lee
Sung by The Andrews Sisters

You're Just a Flower From An Old Bouquet
Written by Gwynne Denni and Lucien Denni
Sung by The Andrews Sisters

Who Do You Think You're Fooling?
Written by Ray Stillwell and Ray Gold
Sung by The Andrews Sisters

The New Generation
Written by Walter Donaldson
Sung by The Andrews Sisters

Jiggers the Beat
Written by Sid Robin and Al Lerner
Sung by Dan Dailey

This is one of several Universal musical comedies in '42 that combined the very popular Andrew Sisters with other young musical talent, including teenage Don O'Connor and Peggy Ryan and sometimes Gloria Jean, who is missing from this film. The prior "What's Cooking", which included Gloria Jean, is generally regarded as more interesting, but don't count this one out! It's lots of fun too, with lots of comedic dialogue along with the musicals. The second half turns into a Marx Brothers or Lucy-styled zany comedy.

About every musical of this era needed a new-found romantic couple or two to end the film with. Cute blond Grace McDonald and tall handsome Dan Dailey, as the Orchestra leader, are that couple in this film. Although their romantic development occupies only a tiny portion of the film, their dance and kiss in the finale suggests a future as a couple. Both Grace and Dan had an extensive background in vaudeville and Broadway as singer/dancers before their film careers. Like the Astaires, Grace formed a vaudeville team with her brother Ray, who also had a film career. Along with Dan, they were important players in the Broadway hit, "Babes in Arms", later featuring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney in the film version. Ray would later marry Don O'Connor's constant film companion of this era: Peggy Ryan, featured in the present film. Unfortunately, Dan's considerable vaudevillian talents were little utilized in film before he entered military service, although he did a song and dance near the end of this film. After the war, Fox immediately made him a star leading man, mostly in musical comedies. He also costarred in the MGM musical comedy "It's Always Fair Weather", with Gene Kelly. In '49, he cut several records with The Andrew Sisters". A dozen years after the present film, he would again costar with Don O'Connor in the Fox musical comedy "There's No Business Like Show Business". Unfortunately, they didn't get along then, as Don's wife was in the process of switching to being Dan's wife!

Region 0 (ALL), will play in any DVD player, English, 65 minutes, Black and White, Universal Pictures, very good print.