The draw for this film is definitely Lucille Ball, a number of years before she took the country by storm in "I Love Lucy". I've always been of the opinion that she looked gorgeous in her movie roles, and with the Techicolor format here, it's more than apparent. However the hairstyles of the era didn't do her justice in this picture, especially in her first appearance of the film. Whoever was in charge of wardrobe didn't do a good job either with the tan outfit when she first arrived at Winsocki. How does tan go with bright red hair?
Miss Ball's personality is a bit off-putting as well, as she arrives on scene at the Winsocki Military Institute somewhat under duress. Attempting to salvage her career in film (in the story line), her agent (William Gaxton) thought it a good idea to accept a young cadet's invitation to be his date at the annual dance. The publicity will do wonders for her career, he says. As the story progresses, Lucy warms up her character and winds up compassionately supporting her military escort (Tommy Dix as Bud Hooper).
I guess you'd have to call this a musical; there's the opening 'Buckle Down Winsocki' tune to get you into the spirit of things, and later numbers feature both song and dance routines. The surprise performance of the film is Nancy Walker in an unglamorous role as 'Blind Date' Nancy, making lemonade out of every lemon thrown her way. She teams with a couple more future stars, June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven, in a lively rendition of 'The Three B's', as in Barrelhouse, Boogie-Woogie and The Blues, each actress featured with her own portion of the presentation. I liked that number the best.
Lending musical support to the effort was Harry James and His Music Makers. James belts out a lively 'Flight of the Bumble Bee' on his bugle, undoubtedly meant to feature his nimble fingers. Later he does a humorous dance number with Walker, who displays a remarkable talent for not falling down considering the tempo and almost impossible steps she was required to make. Very entertaining.
The military uniforms look sharp and the girls look great in their white prom dresses. There's your usual hi-jinks in a flick of this sort keeping things light and humorous. If you're in the mood for a lively and upbeat good time, this is a pretty good way to go.
Miss Ball's personality is a bit off-putting as well, as she arrives on scene at the Winsocki Military Institute somewhat under duress. Attempting to salvage her career in film (in the story line), her agent (William Gaxton) thought it a good idea to accept a young cadet's invitation to be his date at the annual dance. The publicity will do wonders for her career, he says. As the story progresses, Lucy warms up her character and winds up compassionately supporting her military escort (Tommy Dix as Bud Hooper).
I guess you'd have to call this a musical; there's the opening 'Buckle Down Winsocki' tune to get you into the spirit of things, and later numbers feature both song and dance routines. The surprise performance of the film is Nancy Walker in an unglamorous role as 'Blind Date' Nancy, making lemonade out of every lemon thrown her way. She teams with a couple more future stars, June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven, in a lively rendition of 'The Three B's', as in Barrelhouse, Boogie-Woogie and The Blues, each actress featured with her own portion of the presentation. I liked that number the best.
Lending musical support to the effort was Harry James and His Music Makers. James belts out a lively 'Flight of the Bumble Bee' on his bugle, undoubtedly meant to feature his nimble fingers. Later he does a humorous dance number with Walker, who displays a remarkable talent for not falling down considering the tempo and almost impossible steps she was required to make. Very entertaining.
The military uniforms look sharp and the girls look great in their white prom dresses. There's your usual hi-jinks in a flick of this sort keeping things light and humorous. If you're in the mood for a lively and upbeat good time, this is a pretty good way to go.