I've only seen a few musicals including Donald O'Connor, mostly made by studios other than his home studio of Universal. But, I have to say this B&W film is just as entertaining as those glossier films with big name costars, directors and composers. Don and Lew Parker made a fantastic vaudevillian-like team. In the next few years, Don would be teamed with several other multitalented veteran male costars, such as Jimmy Durante and Gene Kelly, with equally entertaining results. Incredibly, this was Lew's only appearance in a Hollywood film! Initially, I thought he must be Ray Bolger, as they look and act much alike. Ray didn't appear in all that many films either, despite his 'scarecrow' fame. Even Louis Da Pron, who served as chief choreographer for probably all of Don's many films at Universal, gets to participate in the tap dancing show-off scene in the bar, with Don and Lew. Don does some pretty impressive dancing on table tops, including one leg on each of two separated tables! His face still had some remnants of his Mickey Rooney-like teenage look. In his '49 film "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", he already had his more distinctive mature look that most people are familiar with....Puerto Rico-derived Ogla San Juan replaces Don's standard song and dance partner and girlfriend, Peggy Ryan, of the years '42-45, who had retired for marriage. In the interim, Don had been cast in only one film, starring veteran songstress Deanna Durban.
Don(as Milton Haskins), a nerdy Harvard business school graduate and numbers-crunching whiz of the Nutmeg Insurance Company, and Lew(as Goldie McGoldrick), a marginal pan-handling employee with the local circus, meet at a city park bench, as both are feeling down and out.Lew suggests that Don invite him for a drink at the local bar. Lew is impressed when Don correctly predicts that the bar slot machine is due to spill the johnpot(er, jackpot) with the next nickel. After an informal tap-dancing show, Lew invites Don to try out for a job at the circus. Well, you can imagine what all Don could do in a circus. True, he was a 'failure' as Lew's planted assistant at the wheel of fortune, winning all the prizes trying to show the customers how easy it was. But, he stars in a number of well-received exotic song and dance numbers with some of the ladies, and later substitutes for some of the jailed specialty performers.Comes across as very Danny Kaye-like, in talent as well as looks. Meanwhile, his former? secretary and fiancé Vivian( a blond Olga) has come looking for him and, having failed to convince him that Nutmeg is willing to overlook his major calculating error, decides to try out the circus as Don's song and dance partner. Martha Sewart, as Bunny, also gets a couple of song and dance numbers, solo or with Don. In the last one, Vivian replaces Bunny half way through and the audience riots when Don pulls her off stage.In their final skit, Vivian sings the excellent catchy "I'm Looking for a Prince of a Fellow". Eventually, 'Super-Knight' Don, a spoof of superman, shows up. After a diversionary dancing fling with an evil enchantress, he slays The Black Knight after a mock sword fight, to win the lady's hand, as they sing and dance some more.
Eventually, Mr. Bixby, Don's boss at Nutmeg, arrives to find out what's going on with his 2 employees. Don says he doesn't want to leave the circus because he's having so much fun. Well, he finds a way to have his cake and eat it too. Seems the circus,in financial difficulty, has just been sold to a Mrs. Henkle. But suspicious Don has discovered that she used the money that Nutmeg paid out for her husband's phony assumed lethal disappearance to buy the circus. Thus, Nutmeg is awarded ownership of the circus, and Don and Vivian can continue their circus fun, as well as resuming their jobs for Nutmeg.At the insurance board meeting, the brass are astounded at Don's changed personality. This formerly quite nerdy fellow now comes at them like a circus barker!
The film title comes from a jive idiom the circus people used. If you worked for the circus you were 'with it'... The songs were all composed by Sidney Miller and Inez James, who did a commendable job, as did the choreographer Louis Da Pron, and the screenwriters, who had a prior novel and play to give them a flying start. Too bad Universal didn't splurge with Technicolor, as they did with Don's film of the next year "Yes Sir, That's My Bsby" , which was probably his first color film, and less deserving of this extra expense.
At present, you can see this film in its entirely at You Tube. Please check it out!
Don(as Milton Haskins), a nerdy Harvard business school graduate and numbers-crunching whiz of the Nutmeg Insurance Company, and Lew(as Goldie McGoldrick), a marginal pan-handling employee with the local circus, meet at a city park bench, as both are feeling down and out.Lew suggests that Don invite him for a drink at the local bar. Lew is impressed when Don correctly predicts that the bar slot machine is due to spill the johnpot(er, jackpot) with the next nickel. After an informal tap-dancing show, Lew invites Don to try out for a job at the circus. Well, you can imagine what all Don could do in a circus. True, he was a 'failure' as Lew's planted assistant at the wheel of fortune, winning all the prizes trying to show the customers how easy it was. But, he stars in a number of well-received exotic song and dance numbers with some of the ladies, and later substitutes for some of the jailed specialty performers.Comes across as very Danny Kaye-like, in talent as well as looks. Meanwhile, his former? secretary and fiancé Vivian( a blond Olga) has come looking for him and, having failed to convince him that Nutmeg is willing to overlook his major calculating error, decides to try out the circus as Don's song and dance partner. Martha Sewart, as Bunny, also gets a couple of song and dance numbers, solo or with Don. In the last one, Vivian replaces Bunny half way through and the audience riots when Don pulls her off stage.In their final skit, Vivian sings the excellent catchy "I'm Looking for a Prince of a Fellow". Eventually, 'Super-Knight' Don, a spoof of superman, shows up. After a diversionary dancing fling with an evil enchantress, he slays The Black Knight after a mock sword fight, to win the lady's hand, as they sing and dance some more.
Eventually, Mr. Bixby, Don's boss at Nutmeg, arrives to find out what's going on with his 2 employees. Don says he doesn't want to leave the circus because he's having so much fun. Well, he finds a way to have his cake and eat it too. Seems the circus,in financial difficulty, has just been sold to a Mrs. Henkle. But suspicious Don has discovered that she used the money that Nutmeg paid out for her husband's phony assumed lethal disappearance to buy the circus. Thus, Nutmeg is awarded ownership of the circus, and Don and Vivian can continue their circus fun, as well as resuming their jobs for Nutmeg.At the insurance board meeting, the brass are astounded at Don's changed personality. This formerly quite nerdy fellow now comes at them like a circus barker!
The film title comes from a jive idiom the circus people used. If you worked for the circus you were 'with it'... The songs were all composed by Sidney Miller and Inez James, who did a commendable job, as did the choreographer Louis Da Pron, and the screenwriters, who had a prior novel and play to give them a flying start. Too bad Universal didn't splurge with Technicolor, as they did with Don's film of the next year "Yes Sir, That's My Bsby" , which was probably his first color film, and less deserving of this extra expense.
At present, you can see this film in its entirely at You Tube. Please check it out!