The movie takes place behind the scenes of a fictional vaudeville play. The story centers on a recently divorced woman. She decides to use her alimony settlement to produce her own show. Unfortunately her chief backer insists on starring in it. She is saved by a talented man, who puts everything on risk to replace the talentless chief backer.
Director: Gregory Ratoff.
Stars: Don Ameche, Janet Blair, Jack Oakie, William Gaxton, Cobina Wright, Veda Ann Borg, Jaye Martin, Cyd Charisse, The Bricklayers, Teddy Wilson, Hazel Scott.
1944 Academy Awards – Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Original Song (Cole Porter).
1944 Academy Awards – Nominated for an Oscar for Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture (Morris Stoloff).
It’s really fun and truly in the mold of the golden era of Hollywood. The story line was written by Cole Porter who also composed the music and songs. The movie received two Academy Award nominations. One for best original musical score. The other award nomination was given for the best original song, namely, “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To.” The song was one of many tunes composed for the movie by Cole Porter.
While the production did not win either award for which it was nominated, to even be submitted for consideration served to highlight the strides that Columbia Pictures continued to make in Hollywood. The impressive acting, singing, and dancing of 22-year-old Janet Blair elevated her stature as a capable young performer. The skills of Don Ameche and Jack Oakie also capably demonstrated depth and experience. Many other cast members contributed to making this movie a fun and enjoyable experience. Of course, While not traditional cast members, The Bricklayers dog troop brought elements of vaudeville and levity to the final scenes. Considering that this movie was made during the middle of the Second World War, it perhaps allowed movie goers of the time to find a moment of relief from the great tragedies of the era.