Moon Over Miami

This movie is fun because there's Betty Grable,And Robert Cummings, and Don Ameche. What's amazing is that this big party goes non-stop, with music in the background non-stop, reflecting how esteemed a place Miami was back in 1940, for the idle rich or the psuedo-rich!This is nostalgia at it's zenith. It makes you want to party non-stop around the pool, and not have to work for a living like the rest of these people(so it would seem), until Don Ameche announces that he'll sell refigerators!

I have to agree with one of the people who posted, that 20th Century Fox musicals are overlooked due to the expensive, soft-toned family musicals of MGM. It's a shame, because there was nothing more fun than a Fox musical and the Fox cover pallet.

In this film, Betty Grable and Carole Landis play sisters, who with their aunt, work at a Texas diner when they learn they've inherited money. It doesn't come out to a lot, but the gals take off for Florida so that Kay (Grable) can find a millionaire husband. Her sister Barbara (Landis) poses as her secretary.

Before long, pretty Kay has a couple of men on her dance card - Phil McNeil (Don Ameche) and Jeffrey Boulton II (Robert Cummings).

As others have mentioned, the costumes are exceptionally beautiful, and the movie was shot all over Florida, accounting for some beautiful scenery. The songs are tuneful, and the film is highly entertaining.

It's such a talented cast - Fox gets a bad rap for its lightweight film stars, but they were some of the most popular stars in films, particularly Betty Grable, who was probably THE most popular for a time. Landis is beautiful and delightful, and Charlotte Greenwood is very funny.

This was a good film for Cummings, who was always excellent in comedy, and the smooth Ameche, whose light tenor is put to good use here.

One thing about Fox musicals, they were always fun, feel-good movies. Perfect for times like these.

Betty Grable, Carole Landis, and Charlotte Greenwood, two sisters and their aunt work as carhops in a drive-up Texas diner and they get a letter from a lawyer. Another relative has up and died and left the family fortune to them. But after the court and Uncle Sam have taken their share, it's only several thousand apiece.

Betty has her sights set on landing a millionaire husband as any bright girl in that era would. Landis and Greenwood don't need much convincing to pool their resources and go to Miami and hang out where the millionaires do. Betty pretends to be a millionaire heiress herself with Landis as a secretary and Greenwood her maid.

I shouldn't say too much more, but as this was a film of pure escapism with happy endings required, you should be able to figure out the rest. The men sure liked looking at Grable and Landis and the women dreamed of being in their place, courted by the likes of Don Ameche and Bob Cummings.

Songwriting team of Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin contributed a good score that showcases the considerable musical talents of Ameche, Grable, Greenwood and Jack Haley who plays a suspicious waiter at the resort the girls are staying at. What I don't understand is that the title of the film is the title of a very big hit song from the Thirties and it is only used under the title credits and as background. Of course it wasn't written by Robin and Rainger, and maybe that was the reason, they didn't want their music competing with an established tune.

Even with world war once again breaking out in Europe, Africa, and Asia, audiences still loved this escapist stuff. Films like this are what made Betty Grable the GIs number one pin-up girl. This is what the GIs loved as Robert Strauss from Stalag 17 would so testify. After all, Animal did say he saw all her films on multiple occasions.

If he did, he was well pleased with Moon Over Miami.

Here I go again raving about Grable, but this time her main man is Don Ameche. Beautiful music and scenery, and the comedy of Jack Haley, Charlotte Greenwood, Carole Landis. They were all good actors, and how sad it is to tell about Carole Landis' suicide. And, also Robert Cummings plays as a comedian in this; something I didn't remember him ever doing because he was usually a good dramatic actor. I lived in Ft Lauderdale between 1943 and 1946 and went to U of M in Coral Gables. I spent much time on Flagler Ave and the beach at night under that big beautiful moon over Miami.

Of course these Fox musicals of the 40's were flimsy. They were meant to be. They were what they were and MOON OVER Miami is one of the better Betty Grable flicks. Great color, location work, acting and especially the singing and dancing. Grable has been criticized for her singing and dancing. WHY? She was brilliant. Nice acting style for movies of this sort, wonderful voice and her dancing is up there with the best of them, Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, and the rest of them. Have the Grable collection and they are all enjoyable but Fox needs to put the rest of her movies on DVD, especially MOTHER WORE TIGHTS, WABASH AVENUE; CONEY ISLAND and SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES as well as BILLY ROSE'S HORSESHOE REVIEW. The plot of MOON is similar to THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE and the wonderful HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE. Yes, they CERTAINLY don't make em' like this anymore.