Mister Big

I heard of this movie while watching a documentary about Donald O'Connor. I thought it sounded good and watched some clips online. It was great! I tried to find the film and I couldn't find it anywhere. Finally, after a few months of searching, I found that Gloria Jean herself was selling copies. I bought one immediately. I saw it and it is now my favorite movie. The comedy is hilarious. Like the rationing scene between Peggy and Donald. I loved the songs. They were very well written and the choreography was phenomenal. All the performances given were stupendous. Especially Bobby Brooks and the Ben Carter Choir. They were fabulous! I highly recommend this film to everyone. It is appropriate for families to watch, too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This utterly delicious hilarious swing musical is terrific. Made as part of a series at Universal that seem to be the dance version of those MGM Andy Hardy films; instead (and better) here we have the dynamic and effervescent talent of Donald O'Connor with gorgeous Gloria Jean and zany Peggy Ryan who make a trio of song and dance talent that is an entertaining as it is astonishing. MISTER BIG is completely engaging for its 63 minutes and with sensational tap numbers from the jivin' Jacks and Jills solid Universal production values and a roster of house actors, this film deserves renewed appreciation on DVD. It would be appropriate for Universal to box-set all these teen 40s musicals with Donald O'Connor and the Jivin Jacks and Jills and set them before a very appreciative public again. The group tap numbers are real musical dynamite; O'Connor is simply hilarious; the music numbers are fun and the sets and art direction is excellent. The other titles in the series are: GET HEP TO LOVE.... CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK... PATRICK THE GREAT... GIVE OUT SISTERS... PRIVATE BUCKAROO... and WHAT'S COOKIN'.... all of which I now am keen to enjoy. What a teen talent Donald O'Connor was! I have never seen his early comedy films and this intro into the 40s musicals he made has me enthralled to see more. MISTER BIG is the sort of musical with acrobatic group tap dance numbers you could only dream of, and here is a 63 minute musical with 7 songs and routines, better than I could have wished for. MISTER BIG is just great. My dollars are ready for the whole box set, when Universal care to plonk it on a shelf in a DVD store anytime soon.

Originally titled, "School of Jive", this movie is one of the standard "Hep" musicals that were popular with the young crowd during the WW2 years. It features the popular Gloria Jean, Donald O'Connor, and Peggy Ryan in a swinging, breezy, upbeat production that runs at a frantic pace for the full 63 minutes.

The plot is simple: Teens, in a school that teaches the arts, would rather perform popular music of the day. They overcome their stuffy highbrow sponsor's objections by performing a Swing musical instead of the classical work that's requested. Of course, the kids' version is a big success.

The movie features jazz and swing music, and popular bands of the era appear. A lot of the dialog, while dated to that day and age, is nonetheless entertaining. O'Connor and Ryan are their usual energetic selves and, of course, perform their zany songs and dances. Gloria Jean is charming as always and sings beautifully. Several other kids and adults perform as well, including a very talented six-year-old Elinor Donahue (who later played Betty in "Father Knows Best" and has many other TV and screen credits).

I haven't seen this movie on TV for over 25 years, and it's hard to find a good copy of it. However, you can buy a quality copy of it from Gloria Jean herself at her website. IMDb policies forbid the posting of URL's, but you can find her site by using your favorite search engine and her full name of "Gloria Jean Schoonover".

At the Davis School of the Theater, run by Jeremy Taswell, where teenagers learn drama and serious art, instructors Johnny Hanley and Alice Taswell are in love. Students, including Donald, Patricia and Peggy, secretly want to be singers. Patricia's aunt, Mrs. Davis, who owns the school, disapproves. Donald wrote a musical comedy for the class piece of the year that students want to do; but Mrs. Davis selected it and insists they make Sophocles' "Antigone." Taswell agrees that the kids will play Donald's show. Donald manages to keep Mrs. Davis away on the day of the show, and when the Broadway producers present are flooded with Donald's play, she will be a supporter.

II love this Donald O'Connor/Peggy Ryan musical. .This is definitely the best musical that teamed Donald O'Connor with Peggy Ryan and Gloria Jean .but why were two of the really great,totally hep songs written for "Mister Big"-for the singing and tapdancing talents of Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan-"Kitten With My Mittens Laced" and "The Boogie-Woogie Sandman"-cut and edited out of this films-and just used as piano accompaniment for a backyard group jitterbug dance and as background music to accompany a generic,elementary beginner tapdance routine for Mary Eleanor Donahue? I have three photos of the"Kitten With My Mittens Laced"comedy song & tapdance routine performed by Donald and Peggy in aarge,beauriful living room setting with the Jivin' Jacks and Jills in the background watching and enjoying Donald's & Peggy's singing & dancing .and these photos are definitely.still shots from the actual film..but this O'Connor/Ryan routine is not in the print that I have on dvd .which I did purchase from Gloria Jean herself a few years ago. Does this routine that was cut from "Mister Big"hopefully still exist on a DVD format! I knos they both did this same song a little later on in the 1944 Film-"Follow The Boys"-and it is really sensational .but I wouldovecto find the version that was filmed for"Mister Big"- and would also love to see the other song & dance routine:The Boogie-Woogie Sandman" that was also written for-but cut from this movie..and only a recorded orchestration of the music from this song was used as a brief music accompaniment for Mary Eleanor Donahue's rehearsal tap routine. I do have the sheet music for"The Boogie-Woogie Sandman"-so that's how I am familiar with this song .but wouldkve to see if it was actually filmed for"Mister Big"-as a song & dance for Donald & Peggy! And O' onnor's brief so dance moments is his routines with Peggy Ryan and The Jivin' Jacks & Jills on this film are really great!