Kalaman

This is a slight, inconsequential little Paramount musical that somehow manages to be whimsical & appealing.

Directed by Victor Schertzinger (his last movie), it boasts a good cast of rising stars at Paramount: Dorothy Lamour as the Countess of Swingland, a glamorous nightclub hostess who entertains sailors on leave; Betty Hutton as Lamour's impetuous roommate Bessie; William Holden as Casey the shy sailor who intends to win a bet so he can kiss the Countess; Eddie Bracken as the eccentric shipmate of Holden; and a very young and upcoming Barbara Britton.

While Lamour and Holden are the leading stars in this slightly erratic war-time entertainment, it is actually Betty Hutton's star-making show. She made her feature debut here. She literally steals almost every scene she's in, with her wacky comic acts. And her rapport with Bracken was a delight in its self.

Some scenes drag pretentiously, especially the routine comic acts performed on stage to entertain the soldiers. Still, the songs and numbers are quite enjoyable in their own whimsical sort of way, especially Hutton's delivery of "Arthur Murray Taught Me Dancing in a Hurry."

Nice Fun and worth a catch, if you like this sort of musicals.

This is one of the earliest Alice Faye musicals I have seen and it's strictly for us, her fans and, perhaps, the connoisseurs of early musicals. While Not among Faye's best musicals, I thought "365 Nights in Hollywood", directed by George Marshall, was above-average musical: likable, pleasing, unpretentious effort that just passes the time. Ms. Faye - very young and looking exactly like Jean Harlow - plays an aspiring, talented movie star that joins a bogus film school, run by Grant Mitchell, and through the help of a has-been director, played by James Dunn, whom she ultimately falls in love, she succeeds and becomes a rising musical star. The songs and production numbers are well mounted and pleasing throughout.

If you like this one, I recommend "George White's 1935 Scandals"(1935), again with Faye and Dunn.

This is one of great forgotten musicals of the 1930s. After the success of 1934's "One Night of Love", Columbia Pictures and director Victor Schertzinger wasted no time in preparing more Grace Moore opera-themed musicals, and "Love Me Forever"(1935) turned out to be just as elegant, tuneful, melodious, exuberant and terrifically entertaining as "One Night of Love" which, in a sense, made opera more palatable to audiences.

Some might even prefer "Love Me Forever" to "One Night of Love" in terms of its sheer elegance, enjoyment, and quality of operatic songs in which Moore sings throughout. The musical selections are superb. I especially loved the thrilling excerpts from "La Boheme" (clever Grace Moore got to sing both Musetta and Mimi!). Moore's voice is again absolutely beautiful--strong, commanding and thrilling. The title song was haunting and attractive, too. Leo Carrilo is suitably cast as Moore's leading man, a diligent and charismatic connoisseur of opera who turns Moore's Margaret into a celebrity sensation while retaining his affection for the prima donna.

I agree with Arne that if you are a lover of musicals, this is a must viewing. I consider myself lucky to have seen this recently on a rare video print from a private collector.