Four Jacks and a Jill

What was RKO thinking? ANNE SHIRLEY, who couldn't sing (and whose dancing talent was negligible), was put into a few dismal musical comedies at RKO during the '40s, shortly before she retired from the screen. Martha Mears dubs her voice for a few not especially memorable songs. In fact, the only catchy number in the whole film is the "Boogie Woogie Conga" and it comes too late in the film to salvage it in any way.

RAY BOLGER is the big star here, but even the great Bolger gets very little in the way of strutting his stuff as a hoofer--and the script, which pairs him with Anne Shirley as her romantic interest, has a hard time making them seem like a convincing couple.

At least DESI ARNAZ is likable enough (with less accent than usual), and the reliable HENRY DANIELL is smoothly cast as a villain. But the script is fluff with barely a moment of reality written into it and nobody manages to look or act their best.

A sad little musical easy to forget.

This is a fun B' musical. Bolger literally runs into Shirley one evening and it turns into the worst night of his life. He considers her a jinx. But later, she helps him out of a tight jam and he decides to help her in return. Bolger and his buddies play in a band at a nightclub. Shirley is a singer. So the group all get together and try to help each other out.

Shirley is charming and talented. Bolger is funny and talented. Desi Arnaz is featured in an early role. The rest of the cast features a group of reliable character actors. The songs are forgettable, but it's fun, short and sweet. What more do you want in a B' musical? Of note, Bolger and his co-stars from the Wizard of Oz all starred in a B' musical at RKO in the 1940's. Bolger, here; Bert Lahr in Sing Your Worries Away 1942; and Jack Haley in Sing Your Worries Away 1945.

"Four Jacks and a Jill" is a B-musical comedy from RKO which stars Ray Bolger, Anne Shirley and Desi Arnaz.

Nifty (Bolger) is part of a four-piece band. After meeting Nina (Shirley), she is able to help the band secure a date due to her supposed friendship with King Stephan VIII of Aregal. To 'prove' this, she gets a cabbie (Arnaz) to pose as the King. Complications ensue...especially when the real king shows himself.

This is a very slight film...with okay singing, okay dancing and an okay plot. Nothing really memorable here...just simple B-movie shennanigans with nothing to offend nor attract the viewer.

Before the 1950s, the studios owned the movie theaters, and had to make "product" for them continuously. Films were created to utilize contract players, with perhaps a better known "name star" borrowed for the cast. Movies were only intended for a short run, and then meant to be forgotten.

That being said, this film is a harmless bit of fluff that was never meant to have a long life. It was just "product" to fill a movie theater. I'm sure nobody at the time expected this to be competition for MGM spectaculars or 20th Century Fox Technicolor beauties.

Keep in mind that Ray Bolger made this film three years after "Wizard of Oz", so the comment about MGM "finally" getting it right in casting him, makes no sense. So what if Anne Shirley had fine clothes. Did you ever count how many costume changes Ginger Rogers had in "Kitty Foyle", playing a shop girl? Come on fellas, this is Hollywood, not real life.

Sure, Bolger could have used better material, but he never had a much of a movie career. He did better on Broadway, both before and after this film was made.

So what is this is a re-make of "Street Girl". Did you ever notice how many movies get re-made? And not only once, but two and three times. "Maltese Falcon" has had at least three, and "Three Blind Mice" got re-made as "Moon Over Miami" and later as "Three Little Girls in Blue".

Considering how much junk you see on TV—how many insipid situation comedies that are broadcast—this film compares favorably to what we have available to watch.

The songs are tuneful and catchy, keeping with the style of the 1940s. The composers, Mort Greene and Harry Revel, were responsible for a plethora of tunes in that era, together and with other collaborators. You'll find their work in many movie musicals, both A and B grade.

Using Martha Mears to dub Anne Shirley's singing was a good choice, since the tone of her voice matches Shirley's speaking voice very favorably. Mears also did Marjorie Reynolds singing in "Holiday Inn". Dubbing is nothing new to Hollywood. Rita Hayworth and Lucille Ball were always dubbed in the many musicals those actresses made.

So, while TV has resurrected old films, just consider viewing this one as a nostalgic trip to a time when life was simpler. It's only a little over an hour of your time.

This film isn't much and it doesn't make much sense. It is one of the few vehicles designed for comedian Ray Bolger. When MGM finally cast him as the Scarecrow, they got it right. (Bolger was the goofball, Haley was the worrier, Lahr was the cowardly clown, and Morgan was the inept con artist.) Well, Bolger is at his goofy best in this film. He does a routine as a tap dancing boxer which is absolutely hysterical. The film also uses the comic talents of Fritz Feld, Eddie Foy, Jack Durant, and Desi Arnaz, but it is Bolger's vehicle. The biggest problem with the film is that it does not end. It merely stops. Bolger would fine a better vehicle on Broadway with "Where's Charley".