Footlight Serenade

Boxing champ--dubbed by the media as "The Body Beautiful"--is tapped by Broadway producer and his guy Friday to star in new musical "Down and Out"; meanwhile, a chorus girl in the show is about to lose her fiancé to unemployment until he gets a job in the show too--as the champ's sparring partner. Fox musical comedy has lots of sassy talk, some of it very funny (particularly the banter between Betty Grable and card-reading roommate Jane Wyman). As for the men, Victor Mature is full of oily gregariousness as the champ; John Payne makes the most of a dumb role (the hesitant husband); but Phil Silvers (still talking like the world had gone deaf) is excruciating. Director Gregory Ratoff manages to keep things popping, even when there's not much happening plot-wise. The songs are sub-standard, but second-billed Grable dances up a storm; she's still too busy in the face but she's obviously the star of this show. ** from ****

Highly entertaining 20th Century Fox musical stars Betty Grable as an aspiring actress, Victor Mature as a heartthrob boxer and John Payne as co-stars in a new Broadway show. Good tunes by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger, nifty dancing from the stars and an enjoyable story combine to make Footlight Serenade a sprightly and underrated musical, filmed in glorious black and white. 10/10!!!

Betty Grable comes out of the chorus to be a star in "Footlight Serenade," also starring John Payne, Victor Mature, Jane Wyman, Phil Silvers, James Gleason and Cobina Wright, Jr.

This is a backstage musical, done in black and white. Payne and Grable (Pat and Bill) are in love and ultimately marry. He's down on his luck but gets a job fighting boxing champion Tommy Lundy (Mature) on stage each night in the show; Grable is doing chorus.

Lundy, however, is after Pat, and insists that she be made understudy to the lead (Cobina Wright, Jr.). After the Wright character quits the show, Pat gets her big break. To keep the volatile Lundy happy, the producers want Pat and Bill to keep their marriage a secret.

Grable sings and dances up a storm and is her usual vivacious and pretty self. Jane Wyman is on hand as a chorus girl and friend, and she's delightful.

Victor Mature does well as the obnoxious boxer - he plays this type of role where he's one sandwich short of a picnic very well. There was something of the big lug in all of Mature's performances - he never comes off as too bright.

In real life, he had no illusions about his acting. When a country club wouldn't accept him because he was an actor, he said, "I'm not an actor, and I have 80 films to prove it."

In this role, he takes over the show from the producers, calling all the shots, and won't take 'no' from Pat.

John Payne was hired by Fox to be a singing Tyrone Power. Handsome, with a beautiful physique and lovely singing voice, he was wonderful in the musical films with Grable and proved himself a solid, light leading man. He gives a nice performance in this, though the songs aren't very memorable.

Entertaining and a rare view of Grable in black and white!

This is a pleasant musical vehicle for Betty Grable, made early in the war, and photographed in stunning black and white by Lee Garmes. Victor Mature and John Payne literally fight over Betty in this one, while Phil Silvers is the comedy relief, and Jimmy Gleason adds some spice. Footlight Serenade is fairly small scale for a Grable pic, which makes it interesting. Most (if not all) of her subsequent films were done in color. Black and white adds just a touch of menace to the film, and Mature and Payne seem to not really like each other, which gives the movie a slight edginess that works in its favor (if you like edge). Grable's later pictures are much more bland. She didn't need all that Technicolor, as she proves here.

As in A YANK IN THE R.A.F., BETTY GRABLE proved with this one that she didn't need Technicolor to sparkle. As it is, she could (as she herself modestly said) sing a little, dance a little, and act a little. Well, she turned those abilities into a show biz personality on screen that kept her popular at the box-office, especially during wartime America in World War II as the nation's number one pin-up girl.

Here she doesn't expand too much on those talents, but does well as a chorus girl who becomes the love interest of reliable Fox stars VICTOR MATURE and JOHN PAYNE, as boxers. When you watch both of them fighting for Betty's affection, it reminds you why they were so often chosen to co-star opposite vivacious Betty.

It's also fun to see a supporting cast that includes JANE WYMAN (still playing sharp-tongued chorines at this stage in her career), JAMES GLEASON and PHIL SILVERS. None of the songs are particularly memorable, but it's all good fun as backstage musicals go.

Since I'm used to recalling Grable in all of her Technicolor films, it seems strange to see her in glorious B&W, but her fans should enjoy this one--and her co-stars are just fine, particularly Mature as the overly cocky boxer who can't take his mind off Grable. No wonder COBINA WRIGHT, JR. is his jealous sweetheart.

My favorite line: Victor Mature saying in all seriousness to Betty Grable: "You know, you're right. I never do think of myself first."