Hey Boy! Hey Girl!

Okay, the plot is paperthin, but who cares when you're watching one of the most unique performers in the history of pop music, Louis Prima. Was there another band of the time that could hold a candle to Sam Butera and the Witnesses? Maybe the Famous Flames. Sam's version of Fever is gone, dad, gone. WAY out. Anyone who loves rock n roll, jazz, or 50s pop needs to see this movie.

It's not meant to be Showboat or American in Paris. It's a low budget movie that showcases the amazing musical talents of Keely Smith and Louis Prima. And it succeeds. Not familiar with their music, I promptly went out and bought 'Louis and Keely' and I have enjoyed the CD ever since.

As for the movie....it's a typical gee-whiz boy (okay, older man) meets girl with a heck of a singing voice. They cat and mouse it. They have conflict (baby brother feels neglected, she feels guilty) and they overcome it. Again, so what. Watch it for the music and the chemistry between Keely, Prima, and even Butera and the Whispers. A plus...seeing 'the old Inspector', Barney Miller's James Gregory as the priest.

Happy viewing!

I was in the hospital 82 days for spinal cord surgery in 2000. For the most part, I was knocked-out from medication. One evening in February 2000 on AMC, Hey Boy! Hey Girl! came on. I had never heard of Keely Smith or Louis Prima as yet, but I managed to remain awake during the entire film and it was the highlight of my hospital stay. This past summer, after learning to walk after being paralyzed, my husband and I went to Atlantic City and saw a duo imitating Louis Prima and Keely Smith. They were terrific. We met them and they said they would send me a copy of the movie, but never did, probably because it was never made into a VHS tape. I couldn't wait to show it to my husband who I know would love it, but it hasn't been on again, unfortunately. I have a CD with their greatest hits which I listen to constantly. The acting may not have been the best but it was a realistic picture and I hope to see it one day, again. It certainly wasn't a waste of time for me.

While the hackneyed plot of this film is no great shakes, by any means, it's a first class vehicle for its two stars, Louis Prima and Keely Smith, as performers. True originals at a time when there wasn't too much of that in the music biz, Prima and Smith were at the height of their popularity (and marriage) when they made this, their only film together. Prima's bouncy antics counterbalanced by Smith's "What am I doing here?" attitude can still entertain 42 years later. So, taken at that level, "Hey Boy! Hey Girl!" is definitely worth seeing once. For me, though, Prima and Smith's finest cinematic hours as individuals, anyhow, were in Disney's 1967 "The Jungle Book" and "Thunder Road," respectively.

Although highly entertaining, Hey Boy! Hey Girl! is not exactly Oscar material...but it doesn't need to be. The music of "The Wildest" Louis Prima is loosely tied together with just enough story to bring Keely into the picture. Now, this isn't the true story of Louis and Keely, but a kindly tale of a bandleader (who just happens to be named Louis Prima) who falls for a sweet homespun Catholic girl named Dorothy Spencer (Keely's full name is Dorothy Keely Smith) who is raising her young brother alone, is a wonderful cook and housekeeper, loves all children and coincidentally has a voice to soothe both crying babies and nightclub audiences. What self-respecting musical frontman could resist? Listen also for Keely's native Tidewater Virginia accent...unmistakable.

The film features some of the signature Prima music and Sam Butera and Witnesses are whooping it up as always. There's some pretty interesting lip-synching going on here, but actually it's surprisingly well done considering Louis never did a song the same way twice. This is a fair Prima primer, but the plot, well...put it this way---at least you always know who to cheer for.

Audiophiles will find that there are now some excellent CD's out there...try "Capitol Collectors Series: Louis Prima". A great opportunity to hear the ultimate version of "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody"...