Get Hep to Love

The only movies I have seen Donald O'Connor in is "Singin in the Rain," but that really isn't focused on in, but instead Gene Kelly, whose ego is unbelievable, and, "I Love Melvin," which was a very cute little musical, and which is a shock I was able to find it on Apple TV. I watched "Toys" too, which he is in there for the briefest of seconds, and "Out to Sea," which he never really performed in it. I have never watched Francis, or any of the early movies- in fact, the only movies I have ever seen him in are already listed above. I just wish I could find all the movies he was in with Peggy Ryan- for I am the closest thing to in love with a dead man, and I really want to see all his movies, but especially his earlier performances.

Calling all Gloria Jean fans, Get Hep to Love lets her explore her teen years as well as wow audiences with her operatic singing! She stars as a famous child singer, whose manager and guardian reneges on her promise to give her a rest from concerts. Fed up and anxious for a vacation, Gloria runs away! She's only a kid, though, and she quickly gets caught and sent to an orphanage until she can be identified-which she doesn't want. So, she steals the name and address of Jane Frazee and Robert Paige, parents who have applied for adoption, and shows up on their doorstep.

Jane and Robert take Gloria into their home and hearts, as does next-door neighbor, teenager Donald O'Connor! This movie isn't going to be up for any awards, but it's a typical teen-flick of the 1940s, if you like that genre. If you liked all the Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies, you'll probably like the Gloria-and-Donald duo. Keep in mind the title, though: there's lots of "hep" slang that's supposed to be funny but to modern audiences might come across as strange.

Gloria Jean has been singing on the concert tour for years. She's tired of it, but aunt Nana Bryant only sees the money made from the bookings. So Miss Jean runs away to a small town in Connecticut. She foists herself on Robert Page and Jane Frazee. She tries to interest next-door neighbor Donald O'Connor, but he only has eyes for Cora Sue Collins. Meanwhile, Miss Bryant has hired private detective Tim Ryan to find her meal ticket.

It's the first of the Universal teen-age musicals, and most of the standard players are there, including Peggy Ryan. But Universal executives thought the way to go was to bring up a new Deanna Durbin, and Miss Jean was their choice. Donald O'Connor doesn't even get to do any fancy dancing. He's more an object for Miss Jean's idea of what sort of boy she wants. Even so, director Charles Lamont speeds through the details with a lot of energy. With Irving Bacon, John Abbott, Millard Mitchell, and the Jivin' Jacks and Jills.

Because this was one of Donald O'Connor's films he made at Universal with Peggy Ryan and Gloria Jean, I expected to see him dancing up a storm. Unfortunately, he only dances at the end with Gloria and it's not really much. Ms. Ryan does her stuff at a malt shop and sings a swingin' tune as well so there's that! Ms. Jean does her operatic songs to mostly fine effect though I'm not really a fan of her music. Her rival (Cora Sue Collins) sings something I recognize as the song -"Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms"- that Bugs Bunny plays in his cartoons-instigated to do so by foes Yosemite Sam or Daffy Duck-in which he misses the note that's supposed to blow him up! Oh, and another lady I recognize is Jane Frazee who I previously saw singing in Buck Privates and Hellzapoppin'. She does not do that here. Anyway, Get Hep to Love was pretty entertaining so, yeah, that's a recommendation. P.S. Though I've been watching the Blondie movie series of late, I didn't recognize the mailman in those entries as a character named Mr. Hardwicke in this movie-Irving Bacon.

Put such as Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Gloria Jean into a movie, and one would think that it'd be fast paced and full of songs, dance routines, and comedy, with a story thrown in as an afterthought. In most cases, one would be right. It's thus a pleasant surprise that "Get Hep to Love" doesn't fit that mold. The movie actually has a plot, a well-constructed (if a bit far-fetched) story (courtesy of master writer Jay Dratler), and good directing and acting.

The plot is straightforward: an orphaned 14 year old child prodigy singer is oppressed and driven by her aunt in the name of money. She rebels, runs away from home, and ends up tricking a rural couple into adopting her. The usual complications result from her adventures, but of course everything ends up fine in the end.

The acting is first-rate, as was usually the case with Universal. Gloria Jean does a fine job of playing the orphan. The supporting cast: stock Universal actors Jane Frazee, Robert Paige, Nana Bryant, Edith Barrett, Irving Bacon, Milliard Mitchell, etc., all perform their roles well and believably.

The movie does have its 'hep' moments with a lot of dialog and jokes that were popular with the teens of that era. Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan are their usual zany selves, and they perform one of their hectic dance routines. Popular teen soprano Gloria Jean sings a few songs (including the flashy aria "Siempre Libre" from the opera "La Traviata").

This musical isn't shown often on TV anymore (very few of the "B" musicals are nowadays). However, you can buy a VHS copy of the movie directly from Gloria Jean herself on her website. IMDb rules don't allow the posting of an URL, but you can probably find the website with your favorite search engine, using her full name ("Gloria Jean Schoonover") as keywords.

All in all, this is a movie worth seeing if you get the chance.