Kiss the Boys Goodbye

I have to take your reviewer, who gave the credit for the "clever" lyrics of the songs in "Kiss The Boys Goodbye", to the great Johnny Mercer, to task. They were, in fact, written by the equally great Frank Loesser who would not long afterwards score a very big hit with both music and lyrics for his "Guys And Dolls".

Mary Martin has been trying to get a role in the theater for more than a year with no success. She's at a casting call for a new show when the star walks out, and the call is cut short; the director, Don Ameche, producer, Jerome Cowan, and backer, Raymond Walburn wants a southern girl. Miss Martin heads back home and has her uncle and aunt waylay Ameche and composer Oscar Levant, so she can offer a cornpone rendition. Ameche doesn't like it; he wants the show's original star, but Levant is all for her. So....

It's based on a play by Claire Booth inspired by the ballyhoo searching for Scarlett O'Hara, and it's full of great bits: Levant's mordant wit; Eddie Anderson's sand dance; Elizabeth Paterson going on about Yankees; even Ameche gets a rare chance to sing in the movies. the songs were composed by director Victor Schertzinger, with Frank Loesser's lyrics. However, in the effort to add more value, more bits, more gags, it runs a bit long. Still, it's a pleasure seeing Miss Martin sing and clown, even if the songs are not top-drawer.

Mary Martin, like her contemporary Ethel Merman, was one of the great enduring stars of the Broadway musical theater. Both women made their share of movies early in their careers but neither achieved the same success in film that they had on stage, particularly strange in the case of Martin who seemed to have everything it took for stardom--not only could she act and sing but she photographed beautifully. The 1941 film based on a Broadway play by Clare Booth Luce features a number of songs by the director Victor Schertzinger with lyrics only by Frank Loesser before his Guys and Dolls success, including one of Mary's great hits, the title song. Oscar Levant does his usual acerbic role as Oscar Levant, always sounding as if he is ad libbing his best lines, perhaps he did. He even gets to play some harpsichord. Connie Boswell and Eddie "Rochester" Anderson do speciality numbers, and there are some funny moments. Watch for Elizabeth Patterson down south as Aunt Lily Lou and her shotgun.

I don't think I've seen this one in 50 years,but as an Oscar Levant fan I remember his mediocre remembrances of the film in his memoirs---he said Martin's striptease number "was as sexy as hanging out the wash".

And in t he film,one memorable crack about sour-faced Elizabeth Patterson--"This piano plays. Which is more than I can say for her".

No really. I was expecting it to be watchable but tepid. In fact, it's funny and charming and surprising. The scene in which Cindy Lou 'performs' in front of the New York crowd for the first time could be said to have influenced the scene in Pal Joey where Kim Novak agrees to strip for Sinatra. It has a lot of jokes that have been stolen by later movies, and the whole cast is terrific.

The story is about the search for an unknown Scarlett O'Hara-ish authentic southern belle to replace a leading diva in a musical. Cindy Lou arranges for Lloyd Lloyd, the producer, to see her perform before he gets to the real auditions. Everyone else who works for the show loves her, but Lloyd Lloyd has promised the famous diva that the role will still be hers after the farce of the auditioning. She has to win him round too. I also screwed up my VCR timer and didn't get the last 2 minutes. I can hardly wait until it's on again.