Wanting a break from his overzealous fans, a famous movie star hires a Hawaiian plantation owner to switch places with him for a few weeks.Wanting a break from his overzealous fans, a famous movie star hires a Hawaiian plantation owner to switch places with him for a few weeks.Wanting a break from his overzealous fans, a famous movie star hires a Hawaiian plantation owner to switch places with him for a few weeks.
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson
- Washington
- (as Eddie Anderson)
Sig Ruman
- Psychiatrist
- (as Sig Rumann)
Kealohu Holt
- Native Dancing Girl
- (as Kealoha Holt)
Andy Iona's Orchestra
- Musical Group
- (uncredited)
Roy Atwell
- Bearded Man on Ship
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFinal film appearance of George Burns and Gracie Allen together.
- GoofsWhen Brooks Mason and George Smith (both played by Robert Young) shake hands, George leans forward slightly, revealing a misalignment between George's right arm and his shoulder. That's the only reveal of the otherwise undetectable trick photography.
- ConnectionsEdited into I Dood It (1943)
- SoundtracksHonolulu
(1939)
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Gus Kahn
Played during the opening credits and at the end
Sung by Gracie Allen (uncredited) and The Pied Pipers (uncredited)
Danced by Eleanor Powell (uncredited)
Featured review
An enigma if there ever was one.
(Spoilers, sort of) Why do I use the word enigma? Because MGM never seemed to know exactly what to do with the great Eleanor Powell. Not unlike the swimming Esther Williams, Powell's films were a kind of specialized musical entertainment where the most uncanny situations had to be dreamed up to show off her tap-dancing skills. And while she was a premier tap dancer- and a better dancer than an actress, she usually danced alone- unlike her male counterparts (Astaire, Kelly, et al) who were usually given dancing partners who doubled as their love interests. In this film, Powell's co-star is the non-dancing Robert Young, who's given a rather foolish subplot in a dual role as a movie star and his double who create havoc when they switch identities. And that's all there is to it. George Burns and Gracie Allen, billed as the second leads, play more apart than they do together. Powell's dance numbers, of course, are sensational: A stair-step routine paying homage to Bill Robinson (while the blackface makeup is startling, the dancing itself is terrific); a shipboard dance with a skipping rope as a prop; and the piece-de-resistance: an all-out grass skirt hula done in two parts: first as a barefoot native dance, then as an ultra-smooth tap sequence done with silver tap shoes. Powell may have been the only woman dancer to dance with her whole body: lots of arm movements, knee bends, splits, high kicks, and puree-speed turns. It's a fun film to watch just for this incredible number.
helpful•311
- movibuf1962
- Nov 24, 2003
- How long is Honolulu?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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