Something for the Boys

As is the usual case with Cole Porter shows, they never arrive intact to the big screen. In the case of Something For The Boys only the title song at the very beginning of the film and sung by Vivian Blaine is kept in the score.

Vivian Blaine has the part that Ethel Merman played on stage for the 422 performance Broadway run. She is one of three disparate cousins who inherit a rundown old southern mansion that saw its best days during the run of the Confederate States Of America. The other cousins are Carmen Miranda and Phil Silvers. Their grandfather must have led an interesting life. While they're deciding what to do with the dilapidated house, their savior comes in the person of Sergeant Michael O'Shea. In a character obviously based on Glenn Miller, O'Shea is a bandleader drafted into the army and he hits upon the idea of converting the mansion into a guest house for army wives. And in the tradition of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland they decide to put on a show to raise the needed capital to fix the house up.

The rest of the score is composed by Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson and truly nothing memorable comes from it. Perry Como plays a small part and only sings. He never really clicked as a film star.

Romantic complications ensue when Sheila Ryan shows up also and she and O'Shea were an item before the war. Ryan is one of those southern belles dripping with honeysuckle and acid.

And of course we've got Carmen Miranda and that's always a treat.

Despite the emasculation of the Cole Porter score, Something For The Boys is pleasant enough entertainment about three cousins doing their bit for the war effort.

Mild musical boosted by Miranda's sheer pizazz. I love that wacky part where her tooth tunes into a radio station. Heck, that's even better than an iPhone. It's a TCF production, which means well-stocked production numbers with lots of girls kicking up their heels. I guess that's what they mean by the title. Then there's Phil Silvers doing an early version of Sgt. Bilko and talking faster than a machine gun spits bullets, along with a fetching Vivian Blaine as eye candy. And catch a young Perry Como doing his tunes in typically sleepy time fashion.

But a chuncky O'Shea seems an odd choice of leading man for a musical. Nonetheless, this was wartime, so the leading man pool was limited. All in all, the songs may not be memorable, while, the script underplays the promising premise. Still, there's Miranda doing her wacky bit, plus lots of colorful stage bits, and a share of chuckles. So the musical may not be front-rank, but does have its compensations, and even now, remains 'something for the boys'.

Carmen Miranda at her funniest as Chiquita Hart... imagine Phil Silvers and her as cousins..and they inherit a house down South and turn it into a place for wartime wives..

Look for a young Perry Como singing 'I wish we didn't have to say goodnight'....

If you are a Carmen Miranda fan, try to see this film.

This is my first review of the next few days of what I'm going to call "war musicals", as this was made in and reflected (somewhat here) the condition of the World War II times. This was based on a Cole Porter musical on Broadway but only his title song is intact in this film version which is sung by leading lady Vivian Blaine. Most of the others are original songs by Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson. An exception to those is a number performed by Carmen Miranda. Nevertheless, I was entertained by all of them. Anyway, Ms. Blaine, Ms. Miranda, and Phil Silvers find out they're cousins when they find out they've each inherited a mansion in the South. The dilapidated state it's in makes them wish to rid of it but an Army Sergeant (Michael O'Shea) offers to rent it for his men and their wives for some R 'n' R. In order to raise money, they put on a show...Like I said, I liked the songs and the comedy bits involving the kitchen and an invention later on were quite hilarious to me. The only thing I didn't like was the contrived conflict between O'Shea and Ms. Blaine over the former's ex (Sheila Ryan). But other than that, I found Something for the Boys very entertaining from beginning to end especially during the two numbers of Ms. Miranda. P.S. Ms. Ryan had previously appeared in Laurel & Hardy's first two Fox features-Great Guns and A-Haunting We Will Go. And watch for future Amazing Colossal Man Glenn Langan as a Southern Lieutenant. And famous crooner Perry Como sings a couple of the songs. Oh, and Judy Holliday makes an appearance in the beginning...

Many of the Fox musicals were wonderful and fun, particularly ones that starred Alice Faye or Betty Grable. This WW II effort, "Something for the Boys" was marginally okay, starring Vivian Blaine, Carmen Miranda, Phil Silvers, Michael O'Shea, Perry Como, Sheila Ryan, and Glenn Langan - not exactly Alice Faye, John Payne, Cesar Romero et al.

In "Something for the Boys," Silvers, O'Shea, Blaine, and Miranda are cousins and inherit a dilapidated southern mansion in need of fixing and a lot of money to do so. Sergeant Rocky Fulton (O'Shea) thinks it might be a great place to rent so his men could have some place to be with their wives. He says his men will do the work to fix it up, and they do.

To get the rest of the money they need, they put on a show - big surprise there.

For some reason, it is now 2013 and Fox Movie Channel still hasn't fixed this film and put it in the right order. The reels are still all mixed up and we have part of the show before there's a discussion or rehearsal, and by the time Sheila Ryan comes along, you think it's another character because she's already been there and had a scene with Miranda and Blaine. It's a mess.

If you let all that go, if you can, the music is pleasant enough. Perry Como was adorable and sings "I Wish We Didn't Have to Say Goodnight" divinely. Blaine sings the only song intact from the Broadway musical, which is the title song. She was a wonderful talent and livened many a Broadway show. Phil Silvers is funny, as he always was.

Carmen Miranda brings all her energy and talent to this film, as a character who can divine what's playing on the radio -- a talent Silvers late puts to good use.

It's a pleasant movie, very colorful, but be prepared to be plenty confused due to the reels being in the wrong place.