Vera Vague Movies

Though released by 20th Century-Fox, Mohawk was produced independently by Edward L. Alperson, who also doubled as the film's musical composer. Scott Brady stars as an 18th century Boston artist, sent to Mohawk Valley to paint landscapes and portraits of Native Americans. Brady is forced to pack up his easel when he becomes embroiled in a war between the Indians and avaricious land baron John Hoyt. The villain intends to play both ends against the middle, then claim what's left when the Mohawks and settlers wipe each other out. Brady not only defies Hoyt, but also battles near-psychotic Mohawk warrior Neville Brand. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Johnny Mack Brown was nearing the end of his starring career when he appeared in the Monogram oater Dead Man's Trail. Brown and his youthful sidekick Jimmy Ellison come to the aid of imperiled Barbara Allen. At this point, Johnny was too long in tooth and thick around the middle to qualify as a romantic lead, hence the presence of Ellison. But when it came to fast action, Brown always delivered the goods. Featured among the second villains in Dead Man's Trail is stuntman supreme Dale Van Sickel (he's the fellow who drove the truck in Steven Spielberg's TV-movie classic Duel). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

...And it ended in London. This backstage yarn stars Jane Hylton as a talented dress designer who lets nothing get in the way of her success. As she rises in the fashion world, she loses contact with her own humanity. She also forgets that you meet the same people on the way up as on the way down. It Started in Paradise is a unusually plush, Lana Turner-esque production to come from a British studio in the early 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though Republic had decided to forego plans for an annual film edition of Earl Carroll's Vanities, their reciprocal deal with the Broadway impresario was still very much in effect in 1946: Hence the creation of the musical extravaganza Earl Carroll Sketchbook. The highly forgettable plot involves a serious composer named Tyler Brice (William Marshall) who "sells out" to write radio commercials. Artistically redeemed by heroine Pamela Thayer (Constance Moore), Brice decides to lend his talents-both as composer and singer-to producer Earl Carroll's newest nightclub revue (Richard Lane plays the Carroll character, here named Richard Starling). The Jule Styne-Sammy Cahn tunes are hardly classics, though "I've Never Forgotten" has possibilities. The film also revives Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler's "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues", first introduced in the 1932 edition of Vanities. TV prints of Earl Carroll's Sketchbook have been retitled Hats Off to Rhythm ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this musical romance, a young couple is still in love, but find themselves facing insurmountable turmoil in their relationship. They separate and head for Vegas for a quickie divorce. The wife is counseled by another that to save the union, she must make her husband jealous. She does, romantic mayhem ensues, and in the end, they reunite to form a rock-solid, happy marriage. Songs include: "A Dream Ago," "Moon over Las Vegas," "Faithful Flo," "So Goodnight," "A Touch of Texas," "You Marvelous You," "Oklahoma's One with Me," and "My Blue Heaven." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Bumbling high schooler Henry Aldrich (Jimmy Lydon) finds himself in hot water once more when he offends school principal Mr. Bradley (Vaughan Glaser). If Henry doesn't put Bradley in a good mood immediately, he won't be allowed to graduate with the rest of his class. Reasoning that Bradley needs a little romance in his life, Henry and his pal Dizzy (Charles Smith) try to arrange a marriage for their sourpussed principal. The most likely matrimonial candidate turns out to be a garrulous spinster known to one and all as "Blue Eyes" (the incomparable Vera Vague). But Henry and Dizzy had better smooth the course of True Love in a hurry: if he doesn't graduate from high school with honors, young Mr. Aldrich will lose a $5000 inheritance. Can there be any more complications in this 65-minute comedy? There sure can: a brassy blonde (Barbara Pepper) has also set her cap for poor Bradley! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Wally Brown and Alan Carney, RKO's own Abbott and Costello ripoffs, star in the comedy western The Girl Rush. As usual, Brown is cast as fast-talking Jerry Miles and Carney plays slow-witted Mike Strager. This time, Jerry and Mike are travelling showmen, stranded in San Francisco when the 1849 gold strike at Sutter's Mill commandeers all available transportation. Making the best of things, our heroes decide to stage a girl-filled musical revue for the entertainment-hungry miners. They also promise that the girls will prove to be excellent wives for the prospectors. Only one problem: where are the girls? This slapped-together effort would be utterly unmemorable were it not for the presence of Robert Mitchum, cast as a clever outlaw who at one point in the film disguises himself as a mail-order bride! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This musical features a number of old-time country music stars as it follows the exploits of a pretty dairy magnate who impersonates a worker to discover the shenanigans going on inside her plant. Songs include: "Cheese Cake," "Swing Your Partner" (Charles Henderson), "Cracker Barrel County" (Frank Loesser, Jule Styne), "Kiss Your Partner" (Dick Sanford, John Redmond, Frank Weldon), "Shug, Shug Yodel" (George "Shug" Fisher), "In the Cool of the Evening" (Walter Bullock, Styne). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Hi, Neighbor is a Republic "regional," spotlighting many of the 1942 stars of radio's Grand Ole Opry. Jean Parker and John Archer are among the rather mature coeds of a financially strapped college. In order to raise enough funds to remain open in the fall, the kids decide to turn the college into a vacation resort during the summer. Providing the necessary entertainment for such a venture are Jack Benny Show announcer Don Wilson, Bob Hope Show regular Vera Vague (aka Barbara Jo Allen), and country-western favorites Roy Acuff, Harry "Pappy" Cheshire and Lullubelle and Scotty. Hi, Neighbor was scripted by Dorrell and Stuart McGowan, of Death Valley Days fame. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Very much a product of its times, Priorities on Parade was disliked by everyone but the public when it was first released in 1942. The story takes place in a wartime aircraft plant, where a group of entertainers secure jobs putting on shows for the workers during lunch and dinner breaks. The troupe's duties also include a bit of spot-welding and assembly-line work as well, leading to a variety of mildly comic complications. Naturally, all plot roads lead to a big, morale-boosting musical finale, highlighted by choreographer Jack Donahue's precision-dance routines, wherein the entertainers elect to turn down a Broadway show in favor of defense-plant work (this is a fantasy, isn't it?) The four protagonists are played by zany Jerry Colonna, handsome Johnnie Johnston, and gorgeous Ann Miller (in a blonde wig) and Betty Rhodes, while Vera Vague supplies her usual dizziness as a Rosie-the-Rivetter type. The Frank Loesser-Jules Styne-Herb Magidson score includes the hit tune "You're in Love With Somebody Else But I'm in Love With You". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi