Higher and Higher

When the household staff of a wealthy family find out that their employers have gone broke, they concoct a dubious scheme: have new maid Millie (Michele Morgan) pretend to be the daughter of the rich family long enough to wed a wealthy suitor and get her hands on his money, after which she'll pay the other servants handsomely. Butler Michael (Jack Haley) manages the scheme despite having feelings for Millie himself, while next door neighbor Frank Sinatra (Frank Sinatra) keeps popping over to hit on Millie, as well as sing a few tunes.

The story is minor, and the humor thin, but it was fun seeing so many later major stars in early roles. Mel Torme looks like he's about 13 years old, Barbara Hale is youthful yet still mature, and Victor Borge is a long way from the goofball that I used to see on PBS so often in the 70's and 80's. The real draw is Sinatra, of course, playing a version of himself. He sings several songs, but doesn't have much acting to do. He's very thin and looks like he's wearing a suit 3 sizes too big. One of his songs earned an Oscar nomination for Best Song ("I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night"), as did the film's score by C. Bakaleinikoff.

This may not be one of the best movies ever made but overall it's a very enjoyable, light-hearted piece of froth in which everyone involved seems to be having a good time. Highly recommended for it's feel-good factor alone. OK, so Frank Sinatra's "acting" leaves a lot to be desired but his singing is a great redeeming feature and the songs fit in perfectly with the romantic atmosphere of the film. Sinatra went on to make many more films where his undoubted acting ability shone through but in this, his first venture into Hollywood, his voice, not his acting, is his main contribution to this movie. I've just watched it again on TV and it still lifts my mood as much as it did the first time I saw it many many years ago.

This is one of my all-time favorites. Great music and some funny bits. I laugh every time at Millie, the maid pretending to be a débutante, holding her dainty hankie while chatting, and mindlessly polishing furniture with it as she chats. I just never can get past her French accent never being a problem as they try to pass her off as the boss's daughter.

Seeing a teenage Mel Torme and the very young Frank Sinatra singing is such a treat. My mom saw Frank Sinatra at a theater about the same time this movie came out. She said they couldn't clear the "bobby-soxers" out between movies (in those days you didn't have to leave between showings). This movie shows you how attractive and appealing the young Frank was and allows you to appreciate his early talent as well. And Victor Borge gets in a bit of his routine in, which is a bonus.

This is a fun movie with a sweet, simple storyline. Very enjoyable.

As a stage play it must have been a hilarious farce, as a film with a

truly great cast it is very funny indeed. To have all those appealing

character actors like Mary Wickes and Victor Borge along with

headliners like Sinatra and Jack Haley all set in a well furnished

RKO mansion adding crooner Mel Torme and a few excellent

songs: "I saw you first" and "A lovely way to spend an evening" and

a good situation comedy storyline, HIGHER AND HIGHER is great

fun. There is a wide range to the tunes too, with some hep jive

from Marcie and Mel and crooner swooner from Frank.....and on a

bicycle too. Sinatra would have been 28 when he made this and

his visual appeal is also undeniable. Good 40s musical stage to

film adaptation.

Back in 1944 movie critics weren't given special screenings in order to review soon to be released films, but had to wait for a movie's regular opening to write their reviews. According to the host of American Movie Classics, when "Higher and Higher" first opened, film critics were unable to review Frank Sinatra's performance because the screams of adulation from the overwhelmingly young female audience drowned out all sound.

The first time I ever saw/heard Frank Sinatra was in the late 1960s and I couldn't understand why the women of my mother's generation made such a fuss about Mr. Sinatra. But after seeing this sensual and romantic crooner in "Higher and Higher" I can easily grasp why thousands of young women slept in the streets in order to be the first on line to see the young and appealing Mr. Sinatra.