Something for the Boys

Another film found on the Carmen Miranda DVD Collection, this reunites her with Vivian Blaine and Phil Silvers, and adds actor, Michael O'Shea. Vivian, Phil, and Carmen! are cousins who inherit a grand estate; the trouble - there's no grand to be found, not a cent. Then, the old mansion gets renovated with the help of soldiers, who are based nearby.

Right off the bat, I'll say this would have been more enjoyable (for me, anyway) if there had been a more believable love interest for Vivian other than Michael O'Shea. He doesn't seem to add that extra kick that Power, Ameche, or even Payne, could do with their leading ladies. It's not that O'Shea's not likable; he's just kind of bland and uninteresting. That really factors a lot in my rating of this movie.

Miranda does have a colorful song at the end of the movie, but getting there through some tedious goings-on does get on one's nerves. Carmen and Phil make the most of their roles and make the film as good as can be. This may not be Carmen's best film, but it does have some redeeming moments. Just watch something else first.

One thing I'll mention now, as this is my last review of the Carmen Miranda set, is that I didn't like how they make Carmen Miranda talk badly: not using correct English, mixing up catch-phrases, like it's funny to see her being ignorant, like it's endearing or something. I know I don't write or talk well or correctly all the time, but it gets old and feels somehow demeaning to treat her characters that way.

If you want to see Carmen Miranda and/or discover her for the first time and enjoy her larger-than-life and electrifying performances, buy her DVD set. "Something for the Boys" and "Doll Face" are the weakest of the bunch. But they all showcase a talent and star Hollywood will never see the likes of again.

I first seen this movie when I was a boy during the 1940's and liked it very much. I liked it both as a comedy and for the musical numbers. Vivian Blaine was superb, as normal. Too bad Perry Como didn't sing more. I then seen this movie on Turner Movie Classics and now found it to be an okay movie but not one Carmen Miranda's best. Miranda is still very good in it but should of had more to do. Phil Silvers stole the movie and was great. Why would they give the name "Chiquita" to a Brazilian? In Brazil they speak Portuguese not Spanish. Chiquita is Spanish for Petite and sometimes used to mean Girlfriend. In most of Miranda's movies they even give her words to say and though she spoke Spanish. Still a very enjoyable movie. It was also fun to see Judy Holiday, June Haver and Cara Williams who were uncredited at the time.

This is my first review of the next few days of what I'm going to call "war musicals", as this was made in and reflected (somewhat here) the condition of the World War II times. This was based on a Cole Porter musical on Broadway but only his title song is intact in this film version which is sung by leading lady Vivian Blaine. Most of the others are original songs by Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson. An exception to those is a number performed by Carmen Miranda. Nevertheless, I was entertained by all of them. Anyway, Ms. Blaine, Ms. Miranda, and Phil Silvers find out they're cousins when they find out they've each inherited a mansion in the South. The dilapidated state it's in makes them wish to rid of it but an Army Sergeant (Michael O'Shea) offers to rent it for his men and their wives for some R 'n' R. In order to raise money, they put on a show...Like I said, I liked the songs and the comedy bits involving the kitchen and an invention later on were quite hilarious to me. The only thing I didn't like was the contrived conflict between O'Shea and Ms. Blaine over the former's ex (Sheila Ryan). But other than that, I found Something for the Boys very entertaining from beginning to end especially during the two numbers of Ms. Miranda. P.S. Ms. Ryan had previously appeared in Laurel & Hardy's first two Fox features-Great Guns and A-Haunting We Will Go. And watch for future Amazing Colossal Man Glenn Langan as a Southern Lieutenant. And famous crooner Perry Como sings a couple of the songs. Oh, and Judy Holliday makes an appearance in the beginning...

Once a staple of studio production, this kind of picture now gives movie musicals a bad name. Especially in the light of what was produced subsequently, such a picture becomes an easy target. Paper-thin story line, forgettable songs throughout, less than memorable performances: Fox tried its best with what it had, but the studio could not approach the level of an MGM musical.

Here, as elsewhere, they cast as a leading man in a musical an actor without discernible singing or dancing talent (Michael O'Shea, meet John Payne, Don Ameche, Tyrone Power). While it is nice to see Vivian Blaine get a chance in a leading role, she is an unremarkable singer and not much of a dancer. Note how she does a few simple steps while the chorines and chorus boys are very busy around her, supposedly creating the impression that she is the star performer in a production number. Fox did the same with Alice Faye and even Betty Grable, who was a hoofer.

Frequently, the studio would upgrade the musical comedy quotient of such pictures with first-rate specialty acts, whose inclusion had nothing to do with the story line, or charismatic supporting players such as Carmen Miranda. Alas, the latter - as great as she is - cannot overcome the limitations of the two mediocre numbers she has to work with here. Even the stuff on her head is unimpressive.

Phil Silvers comes across better than in most of his films, but Perry Como was evidently instructed not to move any muscles except those necessary to emit the lyrics.

Indeed, there have been worse musicals. But given the available personnel and production values, this one should go back to the vault, and stay there.

I saw this film in 2001 on American Movie Classics (when that channel was still showing commercial-free classic films). The middle section of the film as shown had three ten minute sections which were scrambled and not shown in the proper order. It was confusing to watch the film as a result. With the aid of two VCRs, I painstakingly copied the film and edited the sections into correct order so that I could view the film properly.

Fox Movie Channel showed the film on Monday (Memorial Day) and I was surprised to see that the same scrambled version that was shown on AMC was shown on the Fox Channel. I would have thought that they would have corrected it by now, seven years later!

The film is being released on DVD next month as part of the Carmen Miranda Collection. I'm wondering whether the DVD will have a correct version or whether it will still be the messed up version.