Louis Da Pron Movies

The Andrews Sisters harmonize their way through yet another 60-minute Universal musical quickie. The plot this time concerns a Lonely Hearts club which is used as a front by con artist Colonel Winchester (Charles Butterworth). Trying to promote a phony formula for synthetic rubber, Winchester gets mixed up with diligent young DA Tony Warren (Patric Knowles) and lady detective Linda Marlowe (Grace McDonald). A secondary plot involves the efforts of Greek restaurant owner Nick (Billy Gilbert) to advance the radio careers of the Andrews girls. Though it hardly seems possible, there's still room in Always a Bridesmaid for the terpsichorean routines of the Jivin' Jacks and Jills. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

At MGM, the studio's youth musicals were more rural than urban -- find a barn, get some friends together, and hey kids, let's put on a show. At Universal, for this musical for its young contract players, the atmosphere is more urban -- the kids at a settlement house, led by Trudy Costello (Peggy Ryan), have to raise $200 a month to support scholarships so that 10 of them can go to music school; they're helped by Carol Curtis (Ann Blyth), a wealthy young heiress who's in love with Billy Harper (Billy Dunn), who's too poor to afford the scholarship but also too proud to take her help. The kids decide to organize a night club for teenagers, and try to get help from Carol's eccentric uncle Malcolm (Leon Errol, who's never been comfortable with his upper-crust family's staid outlook on life. But standing in their way is Carol's aunt Martha Alma Kruger, who doesn't like music and sees no reason for her niece or any member of her family to be involved with this group of under-privileged kids. And running interference for the teenagers is her attorney, Dick Lorimer (Kirby Grant), who sympathizes with Carol and Malcolm and happens to like the director of the settlement house (nne Gwynne) a great deal. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

A musical comedy star whose career is just starting to take off returns home from military school. En route, he meets a pretty girl whom he begins to woo. Unfortunately his hometown girl friend is waiting for him at the station and typical romantic mayhem ensues amidst many lively songs and dances. Songs include: "Is It Good or Is It Bad?" "Mighty Nice to Have Met You," "Spelling Prep," "I Gotta Give My Feet A Break," "Love Is Like Music," "My Song," and "Sailor Song." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

According to this exuberant Paramount musical, famed pre-Civil War minstrel performer Daniel Decatur Emmett looked and sounded exactly like Bing Crosby! Very loosely based on the real Emmett's life and career, the film is essentially an excuse for an unending stream of Southern-fried ballads and boisterous blackface production numbers. The best scenes involve Emmet's creation of the minstrel tradition, helped along by Billy De Wolfe as the original "Mr. Bones." As Emmet's sweetheart Millie Cook, Dorothy Lamour has less to do than fourth-billed Marjorie Reynolds as Jean Mason, the physically challenged girl whom Emmet ultimately marries. In the midst of several old-time musical numbers, Bing Crosby introduces one of his lasting hits, "Sunday, Monday and Always". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this musical drama, a Vermont farm lad goes to the Big Apple to become a member of the National Dairy Association. He happens to bring with him his beloved trombone. Soon, with the help of bandleader Skinnay Ennis, the boy gets a job in a nightclub and subsequently becomes a popular radio star. His girlfriend back home is not amused. Eventually she slides on back into his life. Songs include: "My Melancholy Baby," "My Devotion," "Ain't Misbehavin," "Swingin' the Blues," "Spellbound," "Hilo Hattie," "The Army Air Corps," "Rosie the Riveter," and "Don't Tread on the Tail of Me Coat." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Taking a vacation from her "Blondie" movies, Penny Singleton plays an Eastern girl who follows Horace Greeley's advice and heads westward. She arrives in a flea-bitten frontier town where Marshal Glenn Ford is trying to rid the community of the vicious Pecos Pete. Singleton vies with saloon gal Ann Miller over Glenn Ford's affections, and along the way both actresses perform a few musical numbers. In the end, Singleton helps Ford lasso the villain. Go West, Young Lady takes great pains to avoid originality, especially in a knock-down, drag-out fight scene between Penny Singleton and Ann Miller which was clearly inspired by the Marlene Dietrich-Una Merkel battle in Destry Rides Again (39). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this romantic comedy, three man-hungry sisters consult a fortune-teller to help them with their romantic futures. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this musical, the three Andrews Sisters play elevator operators who work in an office building containing a music publishing business. The girls, all aspiring singers, hope to get a break while working there. Another resident in the building, a songwriter must cope with a plagiarism suit served against him by another aspiring songwriter. In order to get her to drop her suit, the first composer hires the second and begins to woo her into submission. Meanwhile the three elevator girls are discovered and happiness ensues all around. Songs include: "Don't Mind the Rain," "Take It and Git," "East of the Rockies," "Going Up," and "Here Comes the Navy." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Drama students rebel in this musical set in a tiny drama school. The trouble begins when the students begin complaining to the school's proprietor that they should be doing more than just the classics. The kids are more interested in performing swing-type entertainment. When the owner takes a trip, the students decide to overcome the difficulties and put on their own show. They work hard, and manage to pull the whole thing off and prove to the owner that new music and dance has value too. Songs include: "This Must Be a Dream," "Kittens with Their Mittens Laced," "Things I Want to Say," "Spirit Is in Me," "Rude, Crude, and Unattractive," "Thee and Me," "We're Not Obvious," "Moonlight and Roses." ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Night Club Girl was designed as a feature-length "screen test" for new Universal contractee Vivian Austin. The plot is the old one about a couple of young showbiz aspirants who are given their Big Break by a hotshot journalist. In this instance, the aspirants are tapdancer Ellen (Austin) and Betty Huttonish songstress Janie (Judy Clark), while the benevolent journalist is columnist Clark Phillips (Edward Norris). In a cute cliché reversal, Ellen and Janie's debut at Maxie Rosenbloom's nightclub proves to be a disaster. Even so, there's a happy ending, not to mention dozens of music numbers performed by the likes of the Mulcays, The Delta Rhythm Boys and Paula Drake. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Donald Cook plays a fading actor whose son, Donald O'Connor, has just started his own theatrical career. It transpires that both Cook and O'Connor are up for the same part in a Broadway show, and the son is the winner. This results in jealousy from the father--and confusion from the audience, in that the stolid Cook and the loose-limbed O'Connor would never be considered the same "type" in any real-life situation. All is eventually forgiven, and as a bonus both father and son find the loves of their lives: Cook is paired with Frances Dee, and O'Connor gets Peggy Ryan. While Donald O'Connor is virtually the whole show in Patrick the Great, he is given formidable scene-hogging competition from supporting actress Eve Arden. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hoping to cash in on the success of Universal's Buck Privates, Republic Pictures hastily commissioned an imitation, Rookies on Parade. Instead of Abbott and Costello, Republic settled for bandleader Bob Crosby and comedian Eddie Foy Jr., a not-so-unfair exchange at that. The story details the misadventures of two itinerant songwriters named Duke (Crosby) and Cliff (Foy) as they try to survive Army boot camp. Intending to boost the morale of their fellow draftees, our heroes stage a big musical show, which they eventually hope will graduate to Broadway. The talent roster includes nightclub thrush Gertrude Niesen, double-talk expert Cliff Nazarro and dancer Louis Da Pron. And of course there's the inevitable tough drill sergeant, played with both barrels by William Demarest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi