Best Foot Forward

Not one of MGM's more memorable musicals. Except for the show-stopping Winsocki number, the music is undistinguished at best. Walker steals the show as the wisecracking plain-Jane, while Ball looks gorgeous but in a routine role. Nice boy Tommy Dix has a good voice, but little charisma. Thus, it's the rare Hollywood movie without a leading man.

Too bad the sparkling June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven weren't given more to do. They could have added much needed bounce, since Weidler has an unenviable killjoy role. And, please, couldn't someone put a leash on Kenny Bowers (Dutch) who mugs it up unmercifully like a pet chimp. Contrast his excess with the expertly expressive Donald McBride (Capt. Bradd), one of the fine, unsung comedic players of the 1940's.

No surprise that no choreographer is listed since the dance numbers are also forgettable. Even Harry James looks a bit discomfited by the brief shuffle he's required to do. At the same time, director Buzzell fails to bring off the madcap bedroom scene with the farcical coordination needed. As a result, the hectic mix up comes across as more frantic than funny.

All in all, it's a movie of bits and pieces with some good color photography and spot performances. My sense, however, is that this was a second-tier effort, without the peacetime cast (it is, after all, 1943) and top-notch director that could have made the many parts gel in typical MGM fashion.

Based upon the 1941 Broadway musical, I found this to be a fun,charming, and well written screenplay that entertains from beginning to end. Although not her best film, Lucille Ball is more than adequate playing herself in this early teen romp. June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven, Virginia Weidler, Beverly Tyler, and Sara Haden are great as the quirky,loud-mouthed, obnoxious teenagers hell-bent on ruining Lucy's night at the prom. But, this film is completely and utterly stolen by Nancy Walker as the way-over-the-top "Blind Date" girl. She is hilarious, and talented in this, her 1943 film debut. Her comedic genius is in full view in this film for which she should have received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress, but did not. Tommy Dix does a fine job as the star cadet the screenplay revolves around, and Harry James' music is more-than-worth watching the movie. When combined together, the above make this film a worthwhile watch; your belly will hurt from the hearty laughs you will emit!

I usually don't like movies wherein stars "play themselves" but cable TV plays this movie so often I've seen it like a million times and each time I catch something different. The story is somewhat contrived and, true-to-form, movie star (as opposed to TV star) Lucille has a hard time getting rid of her somewhat brassy edge. She herself has commented that this trait held her back in films. Toward the end, however, she does soften up, especially in the hilarious Marx Brothersesque scene in the dormitory when everybody has to hide in closets to keep from getting busted by the general. I can envision this picture playing during the war as the second feature. It's one of those movies that, in the days when you could stay at the movies all day, you wouldn't mind coming in in the middle of it and then staying later to catch just the beginning. Harry James is a surprisingly good dancer and his scene with little Nancy Walker is good. All-in-all a good movie to watch on a rainy day or when you're home sick with the flu.

When this first came out in the theater and I saw it then, there was a military academy in the town where I lived. And I was just going into high school. I thought this movie was the greatest thing I had ever seen, maybe the greatest movie ever made. I felt like it had been made especially for me, my friends and our local cadets. And the song, Buckle Down Winsocki was absolutely the best fight song in the world. I realize now that the movie probably wasn't that good, it was trite and predictable, as well as being juvenile. It still thrills me, and the memories that I have of that time all come back when I watch this movie again. I'm not capable of seeing it from any other point of view, so I am going to give this a 10, just for old times' sake.

I really did enjoy seeing 1943's Best Foot Forward (BFF) again , after more than 50 years. I note that a couple of other reviewers have commented that they most enjoyed the film, as did I, for the song Buckle Down, Winsocki, as sung by Tommy Dix, and wondered what ever became of "military cadet" Tommy Dix, real life and career-wise. Young Tom would be about 82 years old now. As I recall, Tommy Dix was also in the original Broadway stage production of BFF in 1941. As far as I can find, there is absolutely not one shred or hint of bio or other life/career information re Tommy Dix on the internet, except that he was born in 1924 and appeared in very minor roles in two other movies in the early 1940's. Finito!

INDEED, what ever DID happen to our cadet, Tommy Dix? Does anybody out there know? Anyway, I hope he graduated with full honors from life's academy and had a grand and rewarding career, whatever and wherever it may have been, in or out of the movies.