Coney Island

...this movie has everything that everyone expects of Betty Grable every time. It is bright and colorful and silly and funny and loads of fun. Betty, (ever the independent and employed woman) is working as an entertainer in an odd little dive. Well, a friend of the owners does what we would now call a corporate take-over--and then he does a make-over on Betty and she becomes a big musical comedy star--but wait--it is more complicated than that! See this and you will understand why Betty Grable was loved at the box office for so long. She is wonderful.

Despite a slow start and trifling plot, "Coney Island" turns out to be One of Betty Grable's most sheerly exuberant musicals and another shimmering, glossily produced, exquisitely Technicolored Fox tuner set in the Gay 90s, directed with chic elegance by Walter Lang.

Betty is wonderful all the way and gave what she had as Kate Farley, the stage show entertainer/singer who is transformed by George Montgomery into a classy Broadway star with musical and vocal talents, despite the protests from Kate's manager, played by Cesar Romero. Charles Winninger, Phil Silvers and Hurst are the capably eccentric supporting players.

The songs and numbers are joyously, spectacularly staged, including the unforgettable "Cuddle Up a Little Closer", "Pretty Baby", "There's Danger in a Dance", "Beautiful Coney Island", "Put Your Arms Around Me", and "Lulu from Louisville."

Eddie (George Montgomery) arrives at a nightclub owned by old friend Joe (Cesar Romero) and asks to become a partner in his business. Joe's girlfriend/protégé, Kate (Betty Grable) is a singer at the club and the story follows how these 2 men fight over her and her transformation from a trashy performer into a classy performer.

The film is only interesting when Betty Grable is performing. Thankfully, she sings and dances in quite a few numbers, so saving this film from being bad. George Montgomery is terrible as the lead - very cheesy - and the supporting characters - Finnigan (Charles Winninger) as a drunken Irishman and Frankie (Phil Silvers as his usual self) - are annoying. The only characters with any credibility are Cesar Romero and Betty Grable and they save this film from being a complete turkey.

The colour is good, the songs are good and Betty Grable single-handedly brings the film into the overall "ok" category.

Nothing like a 20th Century Fox musical for color and energy!

Coney Island, remade later as Wabash Avenue, stars Betty Grable.

Grable stars here with George Montgomery, Cesar Romero, Phil Silvers, and Charles Winninger. The story is one of rivalry and deceit and un-pc segments.

Grable looks gorgeous. She so vivacious and sparkly, it's no wonder she was so popular. The acting is good - I love Phil Silvers, he's always funny. Montgomery and Romero were so handsome, they made good rivals for Betty's affection.

The music was nothing to write home about, though the scenes when Betty was working for Hammerstein were lavish.

Enjoyable.

I have a statement: I again protest at Turner Classic Movie trying to rewrite history. Their books, the 50 Greatest Leading Men and the 50 Greatest Leading Ladies don't include actors who were pretty much exclusive to 20th Century Fox.

Betty Grable was in the top 10 box office for 10 years, and she's not included. Tyrone Power was the 21st most popular male in film history, and that includes Harrison Ford, Hanks, Cruise, etc. According to the Cogerson Book, the 50 Greatest Stars: Statistically Speaking, and he didn't make it either.

When TCM did a documentary on 1939, they quickly mentioned Jesse James was #4 box office that year - very quickly. After all, they don't own it. (I realize that the top box office lists aren't all the same).

Twentieth Century Fox stars were not people who did a little acting on the side. TCM, get with it.

CONEY ISLAND was such a successful Fox musical that seven years later it was turned into another starring vehicle for Grable called WABASH AVENUE. It's a breezy turn-of-the-century show biz tale about two Coney Island hucksters and the tricks they play on each other to win patrons at their establishments.

Betty is the brassy singer with the garish costumes and exaggerated singing/dancing style that Montgomery has to tone down by tying her to a prop so she can't move but has to deliver her ballad ("Cuddle Up A Little Closer") without gyrating all over the stage. Naturally, the love/hate relationship blooms into romance with Grable and Montgomery making a pleasing match as a team.

Lost of comedy relief from PHIL SILVERS and CHARLES WINNINGER, some nice song and dance numbers for Grable, and the whole backstage story is easy to take, the usual misunderstandings and schemes backfiring before the fadeout to a happy ending.

For BETTY GRABLE's fans, this one has to be rated one of her best.