Storyline

Young and inexperienced Nancy Peterson leaves her hometown of Pelican Falls, Vermont, to try to make it big on Broadway. Along the way, she meets Hannah Holbrook, Joyce Campbell and S.F. "Foxy" Rogers, three struggling and starving chorines who are heading back to New York after a disastrous run on a showboat in Vermont. In New York, Nancy also meets baritone Dan Carter, who is thinking about heading back to his hometown of Denver after two years of getting nowhere on Broadway. Beyond meeting Nancy, what Hannah, Joyce, Foxy and Dan also have in common is that they are each represented by Lou Conway, a somewhat shyster of an agent who relies on the good-natured if somewhat reluctant funding of local deli owners Leo and Harry to advance Hannah, Joyce, Foxy and Dan's careers. Regardless, Hannah loves Lou, the two who are engaged. To appease most specifically Dan, Lou comes up with his latest scheme to make his name known to the public: move to a new medium - television - by getting him a spot on Bob Crosby's variety show, which requires not just Dan singing, but a complete act with four pretty and talented chorines backing him up. Dan and the four girls agree, especially after Dan runs into Dennis McGiven, Bob Crosby's producer, who as much as guarantees Dan such a spot if the act is good. As Dan and the girls prepare a routine, what they are unaware of is that Dennis McGiven was not who he appeared, but was a plant by Lou to further the scheme. All Lou has to do is get Dan and the girls really onto the show. In the process of rehearsals, Dan and Nancy fall in love. But it may all fall apart if their professional aspirations cannot be met by Lou, or if some misunderstandings come to pass because of Lou's swindle.—Huggo

Plot Keywords

broadway manhattan new york city, taxi, cigarette smoking, cat, shouting, theatrical agent, singer, television show, trapeze, trapeze artist, suitcase, times square manhattan new york city, manhattan new york city, new york city, bus, police car, police officer, parade, crying woman, fried chicken

Short Review

I would highly recommend this movie as it's my favorite musical. It may be made by RKO, but what you're watching is essentially an MGM musical; MGM loaned some of their rising stars and supporting role actors/actresses for this extravagant Howard Hughes production. Additionally Busby Berkley, who arranged song/dance numbers in many MGM musicals, directed the dance sequences for this film. MGM rarely let Janet Leigh sing in their movies, and as a result I was unaware of her good voice until I saw her sing in this film! And speaking of MGMs restrictions, that leads to what makes this movie different than an MGM musical; it includes that Howard Hughe's signature touch of spice (most evident in Janet Leigh's wardrobe). Most of the songs in the soundtrack for this film are pretty well-known generic songs, but there are a few oddball gems like "The Worry-Bird Song" which includes Ann Miller's extremely talented tap dancing and "Baby You'll Never Be Sorry" appropriately sung by Eddie Bracken and Gloria De Haven.

Trailer

Streaming Service

1. Amazon Video : Rent from $1.99, Or $0.00 with a Prime membership