Moon Over Miami

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.

Having just been to Miami for the first time in my life, I finally decided to check out this Betty Grable musical from 20th Century-Fox that took place and was partly filmed there after having taped it from AMC 10 years ago. The flimsy plot about gold diggers is a bit longish but many entertaining musical numbers and some humor does put it over on me quite smoothly. Certainly the cast, which includes Robert Cummings, Don Ameche, Carole Landis, Charlotte Greenwood, Jack Haley, and especially Ms. Grable are very charming here with wonderful Technicolor photography and melodically tuneful songs by Ralph Ranger and Leo Robin. In short, Moon Over Miami was just an entertaining piece of fluff that went over well for audiences that survived the Depression and was just about to enter World War II...

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.

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.

Fox believed in remakes and this one was used again in THREE LITTLE GIRLS IN BLUE and HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE--three girls in search of a millionaire husband. While the plot is a flimsy one, it does give Betty Grable fans a chance to glimpse her in a fluffy technicolor musical (with location photography in Florida), engaged in romantic shenanigans with two leading men (Don Ameche and Robert Cummings), and supported by pros like Jack Haley, Charlotte Greenwood, Carole Landis and Minor Watson.

It's a typical Fox musical made to order for Grable fans and photographed in some scenic Florida locales serving as Miami. Robert Cummings and Don Ameche are impeccably clad and flashing the kind of smiles that belong in a toothpaste ad--thus serving as perfect foils for Betty's curvaceous blonde charms.

Some of the specialty numbers are good--especially those by the Condo Brothers--and Betty herself gets to do a couple of sprightly tap dance routines. None of the music is memorable but it's easy to see why Grable was so popular at the box-office in escapist films of this nature at a time when war weary audiences craved this kind of entertainment at the start of World War II. Her modest talents are on full display here--and Ameche and Cummings show that they had a definite flair for this kind of romantic comedy--especially Cummings who was always better in lighter assignments as opposed to dramatic roles--contrary to what another commentator says.

Carole Landis can do little with her role as Betty's sister (posing as her maid). She is very prettily photographed but walks through the role in an aloof manner that makes her almost invisible.