Kindly disregard all those negative reviews, unless Phil Silvers or Carmen Miranda truly make you ill, or Perry Como's mellow personality sends you to sleep in the first act. This is an entertaining musical comedy. Sure, the script is outrageously daffy, but that's part of the comedy. We have 4 talented stars: Vivian Blaine, in addition to the above mentioned. Also, a little known male lead and love interest for Vivian in Michaeal O'Shea. He looks the part of an iron-jawed sergeant, is pleasant company and can carry a tune when called upon. Yes, Silvers tends to steal the show with his daffy comedy and penchant to want to run things. Among other things,he is a mad-capped inventor. His kitchen gadgets tend to spray everyone with water, batter or broken dishes. He turns Carmen's mouth into a radio receiver and loudspeaker, picking up army maneuver transmissions. Actually, this is just an elaboration on Carmen's mysterious ability to pick up certain radio transmissions. Later, he turns her mouth into a radio transmitter, after a frightening initial failure, so they can influence army maneuvers.
Vivian, in her first lead role, is in top form and does a great job with her singing and dancing routines, as well as participation in the story, After beginning with the theme song, she sings the beautiful ballad "Wouldn't it be Nice if We Could Fall in Love". Gradually, O'Shea, Carmen and Silvers join in. Serviceman Perry Como, in his film debut, sings a couple of mellow love ballads, including "I Wish We Didn't Have to Say Goodnight" and "I'm Getting Nowhere With You". Vivian also sings these, either then or later. Carmen does a couple of her Samba routines, with supporting dancers. The second one was supposed to be a mix of samba and boogie, but I saw only minimal influence of the latter. Neither production was among her best. Shelia Ryan, who played the competing love interest for the male lead in "The Gang's All Here", has the same thankless role in this film. She's portrayed as a bossy perfectionist who shows up unexpectedly as the fly in the ointment, and wants to run the show. Some reviewers complain that one of the usual Fox male leads should have been in O'Shea's place. However, this film was released during the height of US involvement in the war. Having a relatively unknown and uncharismatic actor play the role of the soldier love interest for the female star made it easier for the ordinary soldier in the audience to identify with him. This same thinking applied to the previous "The Gang's All Here" Besides, we had Como as a bona fide male singer, as well as Silvers, who could contribute to the musical numbers.
The plot involves 3 previously unacquainted cousins(Carmen, Vivian and Silvers, all single and with show business talents), who inherit a large but very rundown plantation and manor house in KY, which happens to be next to an army base where war games are being staged. They contract with the army to fix up the place so that their wives and girlfriends can live there.It also sometimes serves as army headquarters during war games. Of course, the wives and girlfriends all turn out to be show girls, and the servicemen all turn out to be musicians! Thus, to help pay for the renovation, they stage shows and dances. But, Shelia Ryan's character spitefully almost wrecks this arrangement. Silvers helps to save the situation, as he performs an impromptu delaying comedy and song routine, until a bigger commanding officer arrives to turn things around. It's too bad Carmen and Silvers weren't together in more films. They would have made a great comedy team, both about equally daffy. See them again in "If I'm Lucky", but their comedy is not nearly as effective, as Como takes up too much screen time, and the comedic script wasn't nearly as good.
Vivian, in her first lead role, is in top form and does a great job with her singing and dancing routines, as well as participation in the story, After beginning with the theme song, she sings the beautiful ballad "Wouldn't it be Nice if We Could Fall in Love". Gradually, O'Shea, Carmen and Silvers join in. Serviceman Perry Como, in his film debut, sings a couple of mellow love ballads, including "I Wish We Didn't Have to Say Goodnight" and "I'm Getting Nowhere With You". Vivian also sings these, either then or later. Carmen does a couple of her Samba routines, with supporting dancers. The second one was supposed to be a mix of samba and boogie, but I saw only minimal influence of the latter. Neither production was among her best. Shelia Ryan, who played the competing love interest for the male lead in "The Gang's All Here", has the same thankless role in this film. She's portrayed as a bossy perfectionist who shows up unexpectedly as the fly in the ointment, and wants to run the show. Some reviewers complain that one of the usual Fox male leads should have been in O'Shea's place. However, this film was released during the height of US involvement in the war. Having a relatively unknown and uncharismatic actor play the role of the soldier love interest for the female star made it easier for the ordinary soldier in the audience to identify with him. This same thinking applied to the previous "The Gang's All Here" Besides, we had Como as a bona fide male singer, as well as Silvers, who could contribute to the musical numbers.
The plot involves 3 previously unacquainted cousins(Carmen, Vivian and Silvers, all single and with show business talents), who inherit a large but very rundown plantation and manor house in KY, which happens to be next to an army base where war games are being staged. They contract with the army to fix up the place so that their wives and girlfriends can live there.It also sometimes serves as army headquarters during war games. Of course, the wives and girlfriends all turn out to be show girls, and the servicemen all turn out to be musicians! Thus, to help pay for the renovation, they stage shows and dances. But, Shelia Ryan's character spitefully almost wrecks this arrangement. Silvers helps to save the situation, as he performs an impromptu delaying comedy and song routine, until a bigger commanding officer arrives to turn things around. It's too bad Carmen and Silvers weren't together in more films. They would have made a great comedy team, both about equally daffy. See them again in "If I'm Lucky", but their comedy is not nearly as effective, as Como takes up too much screen time, and the comedic script wasn't nearly as good.