Two Girls and a Sailor (1944)

Two Girls and a Sailor is another of those all-star, no-plot wartime musicals turned out by the bushel basket in the 1940s. Its lack of nuance does not lessen its entertainment value in the least. Gloria DeHaven and June Allyson play a couple of well-meaning sisters who stage their own USO shows in their apartment for the benefit of visiting servicemen. They'd like to expand their show, so GI Van Johnson, who happens to be a millionaire, buys an empty factory and has it converted into a canteen. A trivial love triangle develops, but who cares? Bring on the stars! In the case of Two Girls and a Sailor, the celebrity lineup includes Jimmy Durante, Lena Horne, Jose Iturbi, Xavier Cugat, Grace Allen (performing her immortal "Concerto for Index Finger"), Harry James, Helen Forrest, and, in an amusing uncredited cameo, Buster Keaton (Also: keep a sharp eye out for Ava Gardner) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi