Copyright 1955 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Roxy: 22 July 1955. U.S. release: July 1955. U.K. release: September 1955. Australian release: 8 December 1955. 8,046 feet. 89 minutes.
SYNOPSIS: Two burlesque dancers, fleeing from a murderer, hole up in a co-ed college.
NOTES: Fox's 34th CinemaScope picture. Although neither she nor anyone else realized it at the time, this was Betty Grable's last movie. She then went on the stage, into nightclub acts and appeared on a number of TV shows. Film debut of Orson Bean — but not of Sheree North who had made three other movies ("Excuse My Dust", "Here Come the Girls" and "Living It Up") prior to this one. Third film version of "She Loves Me Not". Paramount turned the play into a Bing Crosby vehicle in 1934, with Miriam Hopkins and Kitty Carlisle; then into an Allan Jones musical in 1942 with Ann Miller and Judy Canova, re-titled "True to the Army". The original stage play opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on 20 November 1933 and ran 367 performances. Howard Lindsay directed Burgess Meredith, John Beal (who had two songs) and Polly Walters.
COMMENT: Very much a filmed stage play — two filmed stage plays at that — with lots more dialogue than even the CinemaScope screen can comfortably handle. Johnson doesn't help. Not only is his direction typically dull and snail-paced, but he lines up his players so carefully on their marks, articulating their every syllable so slowly, thus ensuring that every word of his deathless dialogue be not only clearly heard but meditated upon and digested by even the least nimble-witted audience. Also on the debit side, the color is a bit murky, yet it is occasionally revealing enough to zero in on unflattering layers of facial make-up.
But all in all, the movie, despite its many shortcomings, is still fairly entertaining. Our praises for this turnaround must go almost entirely to the efforts of a super-talented cast. True, Betty Grable, despite top billing, is rather ill-served and has little to do. She does have a short introductory dance number, but leaves the climactic "Shake, Rattle and Roll" entirely to newcomer Sheree North (whom Fox's publicity machine had been assiduously building up as a dumb blonde replacement for Marilyn Monroe). She's absolutely great as the zombied Curly Flagg.
Charles Coburn is also an absolute delight — especially in his scenes with Sheree North and Fred Clark. Most agreeable too are Tommy Noonan, Orson Bean (in his cellar full of cats — a really delightful running gag), Alice Pearce, and Charlotte Austin (daughter of singing star, Gene Austin), who had previously appeared in "The Farmer Takes a Wife", "Gorilla at Large", "Desiree" and "Daddy Long Legs". She is very nice indeed as Coburn's secretary.
SYNOPSIS: Two burlesque dancers, fleeing from a murderer, hole up in a co-ed college.
NOTES: Fox's 34th CinemaScope picture. Although neither she nor anyone else realized it at the time, this was Betty Grable's last movie. She then went on the stage, into nightclub acts and appeared on a number of TV shows. Film debut of Orson Bean — but not of Sheree North who had made three other movies ("Excuse My Dust", "Here Come the Girls" and "Living It Up") prior to this one. Third film version of "She Loves Me Not". Paramount turned the play into a Bing Crosby vehicle in 1934, with Miriam Hopkins and Kitty Carlisle; then into an Allan Jones musical in 1942 with Ann Miller and Judy Canova, re-titled "True to the Army". The original stage play opened on Broadway at the 46th Street Theatre on 20 November 1933 and ran 367 performances. Howard Lindsay directed Burgess Meredith, John Beal (who had two songs) and Polly Walters.
COMMENT: Very much a filmed stage play — two filmed stage plays at that — with lots more dialogue than even the CinemaScope screen can comfortably handle. Johnson doesn't help. Not only is his direction typically dull and snail-paced, but he lines up his players so carefully on their marks, articulating their every syllable so slowly, thus ensuring that every word of his deathless dialogue be not only clearly heard but meditated upon and digested by even the least nimble-witted audience. Also on the debit side, the color is a bit murky, yet it is occasionally revealing enough to zero in on unflattering layers of facial make-up.
But all in all, the movie, despite its many shortcomings, is still fairly entertaining. Our praises for this turnaround must go almost entirely to the efforts of a super-talented cast. True, Betty Grable, despite top billing, is rather ill-served and has little to do. She does have a short introductory dance number, but leaves the climactic "Shake, Rattle and Roll" entirely to newcomer Sheree North (whom Fox's publicity machine had been assiduously building up as a dumb blonde replacement for Marilyn Monroe). She's absolutely great as the zombied Curly Flagg.
Charles Coburn is also an absolute delight — especially in his scenes with Sheree North and Fred Clark. Most agreeable too are Tommy Noonan, Orson Bean (in his cellar full of cats — a really delightful running gag), Alice Pearce, and Charlotte Austin (daughter of singing star, Gene Austin), who had previously appeared in "The Farmer Takes a Wife", "Gorilla at Large", "Desiree" and "Daddy Long Legs". She is very nice indeed as Coburn's secretary.