Barbara Whiting Movies

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This jerry-built Allied Artists musical is also known as Showtime, Fresh From Paris. The film's plot is constructed around a single evening's performance at Hollywood's Moulin Rouge (don't expect the level of nudity you'd see in real Parisian show). Forrest Tucker plays a threadbare entrepreneur who wants to open up his own dinner theatre. His "angel" is Lloyd Corrigan, ostensibly an eccentric millionaire but actually merely eccentric. The singing Whiting sisters-Margaret and Barbara--slightly overshadow the film's "official" leading lady Martha Hyer. Most of the onstage acts are surprisingly tame, notably the Sportsmen Quartet. Filmed in a fast five days, Paris Follies of 1956 could not help but make back its cost within a week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Forrest Tucker, Margaret Whiting, (more)

Dragnet: The Big Poison: 1954

The police receive a report that an elderly couple, Walter and Kate Apperson, are missing. Detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) find traces of cyanide in the couple's breakfast dishes. Can it be that the Apperson's dissolute nephew has been up to no good? In one scene set in a barbershop, Sgt. Friday gets his hair cut while questioning a witness! This episode was inspired by the Dragnet radio broadcast of September 7, 1950 ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dangerous When Wet: 1953

Esther Williams stars in this button-cute musical about a health-conscious family of swimmers who fall in with con man Windy Weebe (Jack Carson). The Higgins family decides to swim the English Channel in order to raise money to purchase a prize bull for their Arkansas farm. As she practices for the English Channel swim, Katie Higgins (Esther Williams) gets lost in the fog and is rescued by wealthy wine merchant Andre Lanet (Fernando Lamas), and she falls for him hard. The film is distinguished by a climactic English Channel swim and an animated underwater cartoon sequence with Williams and animated MGM contract players Tom and Jerry reprising the Arthur Schwartz and Johnny Mercer tune "In My Wildest Dreams." ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas, (more)

Rainbow 'round My Shoulder: 1952

In this musical, a determined young woman with stars in her eyes defies her auntie and heads for Hollywood where she gets a messenger job at a major studio in hope of being discovered. Her dreams are soon realized and she is signed to appear in an upcoming film. Her snooty aunt is appalled and outraged until the picture's stars offer to perform at the aunt's charity ball. Songs include: "There's a Rainbow Round My Shoulder" (Dave Dreyer, Billy Rose, Al Jolson), "Bye Bye Blackbird" (Mort Dixon, Ray Henderson), "She's Funny That Way" (Neil Moret, Richard Whiting), "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" (Harry Barris, Ted Koehler, Billy Moll), "The Last Rose of Summer"(Thomas Moore, R.A. Milliken), "Wonderful, Wasn't It?" (Hal David, Don Rodney), "Girl in the Wood" (Neal Stuart, Terry Gilkyson), and "Pink Champagne" (Bob Wright, George Forrest). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Frankie Laine, Billy Daniels, (more)

Beware, My Lovely: 1952

Adapted from the stage thriller The Man (itself based upon a half-hour radio drama), Beware My Lovely is a taut suspenser tailor-made for the talents of Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan. Lupino plays a pretty widow who impulsively hires handyman Ryan to look after her house. She soon learns Ryan is a dangerous schizophrenic, but by the time she comes to this realization she is unable to escape her house. The tension mounts apace, leading to an unexpected but quite logical finale. Produced by Lupino's then-husband Collier Young, Beware My Lovely was released by RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, (more)

I Can Get It for You Wholesale: 1951

Money, romance, betrayal, double-dealing -- who knew making dresses could be so interesting? Harriet Boyd (Susan Hayward) is a fashion model who has landed plenty of work with a Seventh Avenue dress-making concern. However, Harriet knows that she can't be a model forever, so she is trying to turn her dreams of being a dress designer into reality. She knows that you have to be tough to succeed in the garment industry, but "tough" is practically Harriet's middle name; the ruthless would-be garment mogul lures salesman Teddy Sherman (Dan Dailey) and production whiz Mr. Cooper (Sam Jaffe) from the company and starts her own shop. Harriet has a genuine talent for designing dresses that look good on ordinary women, and the firm soon develops a solid customer base, but the more luxurious and lucrative department stores are looking for something more upscale. J.F. Noble (George Sanders), who runs one such chain, tells Harriet he'd be interested in carrying her merchandice if she was willing to create a line of designer-style gowns. Teddy is against the idea, feeling it doesn't play on their strengths and would be bad for the company in the long run. Harriet, however, is determined to make a name for herself, and when Teddy and Cooper won't allow her out of their deal, she begins making gowns for Noble on the sly. Once the deal with Noble is sealed, Harriet informs Teddy and Cooper that they have no choice but to go along with her; this does not sit well with either of them, especially Teddy, who has become romantically involved with Harriet, though she toys with Noble out of self-interest. I Can Get It for You Wholesale (also released as Only the Best) was based on a novel by Jerome Weidman; the book was later adapted into a Broadway musical, which is best remembered today for providing Barbra Streisand with her first big break in show biz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Susan Hayward, Dan Dailey, (more)

City Across the River: 1949

This slightly bowdlerized version of Irving Shulman's The Amboy Dukes was used by Universal-International to showcase several of its new male contractees. Set in the slums of Brooklyn, the film follows the exploits of the Amboy Dukes, a teenaged street gang. Foremost among the Dukes is Frank Cusack (Peter Fernandez), who loses all opportunity to escape his grim existence when he accidentally kills his high-school teacher. The film tries to demonstrate that the so-called "code of the streets"--never rat on a pal--is possibly more destructive than any brass knuckle or switchblade. Maxwell Shane and Dennis Cooper's screenplay resists any temptation to sentimentalize the kids or trivialize their plight; the closest the film comes to comedy relief are the shattered romantic illusions of the near-moronic Crazy Perrin. Prominent among the supporting players are Thelma Ritter as Frank Cusack's anguished mother, Stephen McNally as a community center counselor, and Anthony (Tony) Curtis as the leather-jacketed gang leader. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Stephen McNally, Thelma Ritter, (more)

Carnival in Costa Rica: 1947

This musical romance is set in the beautiful South American country and chronicles the love affair between a betrothed couple who secretly have fallen in love with other people. The young man loves a nightclub chanteuse, while the woman wants a handsome coffee-buyer. Now they must somehow let their constantly bickering parents know. Songs include: "Qui Pi Pia," "I'll Know It's Love," "Another Night Like This," "Mi Vida, Costa Rica," and "Rhumba Bomba." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Dick Haymes, Vera-Ellen, (more)

Centennial Summer: 1946

Otto Preminger directed this romantic musical (something of a change of pace for the rather serious-minded director) set in Philadephia in 1876. The upcoming Centennial Exposition is the talk of the town, and sisters Julia (Jeanne Crain) and Edith (Linda Darnell) find themselves romantic rivals when they both fall for Philippe (Cornel Wilde), a suave Frenchman in town for the celebration. Their mother Harriet (Dorothy Gish) might offer more advice if she weren't busy looking after her husband Jesse (Walter Brennan), who is busy tinkering with inventions that he's convinced will make him a rich man. Jerome Kern composed the film's'score and co-wrote several songs, including "Up with the Lark," "The Right Romance," and "All Through the Day." It was the last film work he would complete prior to his death in 1945. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Jeanne Crain, Louis Austin, (more)

Home Sweet Homicide: 1946

Based on a novel by Craig Rice, Home Sweet Homicide is a delightful blend of domestic comedy and murder mystery. Peggy Ann Garner, Dean Stockwell and Connie Marshall play Dinah, Archie and April Carstairs, the precocious offspring of widowed mystery writer Marian Carstairs (Lynn Bari). When a real-life murder occurs, the kids join forces to solve the crime over their mother's objections. It isn't that Dinah, Archie and April are all that interested in serving the cause of justice: it's simply that they want to play matchmaker for Marian and handsome homicide lieutenant Bill Smith (Randolph Scott). The revelation of the killer will come as no surprise to dyed-in-the-wool mystery movie fans, but this shouldn't spoil the fun. Incidentally, the actor billed as "John Shepard" is actually Shepperd Strudwick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Starring:: Peggy Ann Garner, Randolph Scott, (more)

Junior Miss: 1945

Adapted from the high school drama-class perennial by Jerome Chodhorov and Joseph Fields, Junior Miss stars Peggy Ann Garner as a troublesome teenager. Garner means well, but can't help meddling in the affairs of her father (Allyn Joslyn) and other unsuspecting grownups. Most of the story revolves around Peggy's matchmaking habits: she pairs up her uncle (Milo O'Shea) with the daughter of her father's employer, which nearly loses dad his job. The mess sorts itself out before the third-act curtain, with Garner promising to mind her own business...until next time. Keep an eye out for a brief appearance by a young Mel Torme. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide