La musique en folie

The review below by 'PTB-8' of AROUND THE WORLD is off the mark- Not because of his overuse of adjectives, but by mistakes. Joan BENNETT is not even in this film. I will assume he's talking about Joan Davis (BIG difference!), who is delightfully silly and cornball, which was the comedy style of the day. It costars the Kyser gang of excellent performers- Harry Babbitt, Georgia Carroll, Ish Kabibble and Sully Mason. AROUND THE WORLD is an amusing wartime musical with a somber ending- a first and only for the Kyser films. Kyser was a very big radio personality of the late 30s/early 40s,not Sir John Gielgud, but his acting seems very natural to me. Perhaps it's because I'm from the South, too. Rest assured AROUND THE WORLD's worth watching.

Entertaining the boys during WWII was something most performers loved to do because they felt it was their patriotic duty at a time when everyone felt that conflict was a just cause. That is basically what happens in this fun filled 1943 movie directed by Alan Dawn. We meet a group of actors and singers taking an around the world trip to keep up the morale of the combating soldiers.

Featured prominently was Kay Kayser and his orchestra. Mr. Kayser was a man that felt good in front of the camera as well as conducting his orchestra and singers. Out of the talent in the film, the irresistible Joan Davis has the best opportunities. She was a funny lady with excellent timing, who could keep up with the best. Mischa Auer is also among the group of actors and singers accompanying Mr. Kayser in this world tour. Marcy McGuire is seen as the girl that stows away in the plane and makes herself a valuable asset in entertaining the troops.

The film is a pleasant trip back to those days.

Not a great movie but a delight. So many movies were made to lighten the mood of wartime, many of which we know and many of which were forgotten. This is a joy - the music is terrific, the plot so thin it's transparent. The pretext is that Kyser's band and singers are traveling from one base to another to entertain the troops. (Kyser married the lead singer after this show and she quit her singing career.) The musicians and singers are talented, and Kyser pulls off the kind of broad humor that Bob Hope made famous on USO tours. Joan Davis is a comedic genius - very physical, as extreme as Lucille Ball or Imogene Coca, but pretty enough to hold her own with the feminine stars. Interesting that she chose the clownish route. She's a female Danny Kaye.

AROUND THE WORLD is a fine, entertaining RKO film. Kay Kyser was a hugely popular MALE bandleader when HE made this in '43. Appearances by Mischa Auer, comedy team CARNEY AND BROWN, Marcy McGuire and Joan Davis round out an entertaining cast. Good swing numbers-check out Roodle-EE-doo! Worth seeing if you're a fan of wartime comedy/musicals.

Fun wartime comedy with Kay Kyser and his band traveling the world entertaining the troops and engaging in hijinks. Great support from the always reliable Joan Davis. Mischa Auer is a standout as an exaggerated parody of himself. His sword fight scene is the film's highlight. The musical numbers are all solid. No classics but no duds either. For his part Kyser is fine. He was usually outshined by his costars and that's the case here too. The Marcy McGuire stuff is probably the weakest part of the movie. Look it's not a picture trying to reinvent comedic cinema. It's just a fun way to pass the time and what more do you really need than that?