Author Archive: Retro

An argument between a serviceman and his girlfriend is patched up with the aid of a well-known radio program.

Failed vaudvillian inherits a struggling ranch and must put on a fund-raising musical revue to make it a success. The movie that started it all for Ozzie & Harriet. Dir. Frank McDonald

Compilation of early shorts featuring Bing Crosby.

To get back at a thieving dancer, a bookie becomes her manager, gets her into a Gilbert & Sullivan show and forces her to give him her income. Written by Andrew L. Stone. Songs by Gilbert & Sullivan include: “The Mikado”, “Patience”, “Pirates of Penzance”, and “Ruddigore”. Dir. Andrew L. Stone

Ted Gregory is trying to be the first black producer to mount a show on Broadway, but he has trouble with his star singer.

Henny, talent scout for the Margaret Ames Film Agency in Hollywood, mistakes Judy and Marian, the understudies, for Eileen and Betty, the real stars of a Broadway show and signs them up for movies. Margaret, furious with Henny for the blunder, fires him—but only temporarily. Another agent, Marty Allen, once married to and still in love with Margaret, signs Betty and Eileen. Henny arrives with Judy and Marian, and the nightclub manager asks Henny to emcee the show. Though he is not sure himself what they can do, Henny introduces the girls and they make a hit in a dramatic sketch. (Simmer down, it’s just a Monogram movie, and their nightclub attendees can react anyway director Phil Karlstein/Karlson wants them to.) Big-time movie producer R. J. signs them to a film contract. So, what does this have to do with the title, “A WAVE, a WAC and a Marine”? Because Judy joins the WAVES, Marian [...]

Musicians enlist to put on shows for the troops, but they end up fighting instead. Songs include: “Zip Your Lip”, “I Must Have Priorities on Your Love”, “Don’t Fool Around with My Heart”, “The Yanks are Coming”, and “There Will Be No Blackout of Democracy”. Dir. Alexis Thurn-Taxis

Con man makes his money by promoting phony charity shows, then running off with the money, but his assistant catches on and tries to stop him before he can rip off an orphanage. Songs include: “Tequila”, “I’m Just a Weakie”, “What Fools These Mortals Be”, & “When A Fella’s Got a Girl”. Dir. Lew Landers

Jane Colwell, an associate professor at an agricultural college, thinks that a trained mule she has been working with needs a rest and takes him to her farm. There she finds a film company shooting on location. After many complications, the mule is featured in the film, and Jane wins the heart of Mike Burton, the film’s producer.