La musique en folie

Entertaining the boys during WWII was something most performers loved to do because they felt it was their patriotic duty at a time when everyone felt that conflict was a just cause. That is basically what happens in this fun filled 1943 movie directed by Alan Dawn. We meet a group of actors and singers taking an around the world trip to keep up the morale of the combating soldiers.

Featured prominently was Kay Kayser and his orchestra. Mr. Kayser was a man that felt good in front of the camera as well as conducting his orchestra and singers. Out of the talent in the film, the irresistible Joan Davis has the best opportunities. She was a funny lady with excellent timing, who could keep up with the best. Mischa Auer is also among the group of actors and singers accompanying Mr. Kayser in this world tour. Marcy McGuire is seen as the girl that stows away in the plane and makes herself a valuable asset in entertaining the troops.

The film is a pleasant trip back to those days.

AROUND THE WORLD is a fine, entertaining RKO film. Kay Kyser was a hugely popular MALE bandleader when HE made this in '43. Appearances by Mischa Auer, comedy team CARNEY AND BROWN, Marcy McGuire and Joan Davis round out an entertaining cast. Good swing numbers-check out Roodle-EE-doo! Worth seeing if you're a fan of wartime comedy/musicals.

Not a great movie but a delight. So many movies were made to lighten the mood of wartime, many of which we know and many of which were forgotten. This is a joy - the music is terrific, the plot so thin it's transparent. The pretext is that Kyser's band and singers are traveling from one base to another to entertain the troops. (Kyser married the lead singer after this show and she quit her singing career.) The musicians and singers are talented, and Kyser pulls off the kind of broad humor that Bob Hope made famous on USO tours. Joan Davis is a comedic genius - very physical, as extreme as Lucille Ball or Imogene Coca, but pretty enough to hold her own with the feminine stars. Interesting that she chose the clownish route. She's a female Danny Kaye.

The review below by 'PTB-8' of AROUND THE WORLD is off the mark- Not because of his overuse of adjectives, but by mistakes. Joan BENNETT is not even in this film. I will assume he's talking about Joan Davis (BIG difference!), who is delightfully silly and cornball, which was the comedy style of the day. It costars the Kyser gang of excellent performers- Harry Babbitt, Georgia Carroll, Ish Kabibble and Sully Mason. AROUND THE WORLD is an amusing wartime musical with a somber ending- a first and only for the Kyser films. Kyser was a very big radio personality of the late 30s/early 40s,not Sir John Gielgud, but his acting seems very natural to me. Perhaps it's because I'm from the South, too. Rest assured AROUND THE WORLD's worth watching.

Kay Kyser and his band travel around the world to entertain the troops with other entertainers. Marcy McGuire is an eager teen desperate to join the group.

Other than Kay Kyser, I don't recognize anybody else. One or two actors may be vaguely familiar. I'm not taken with the comedy especially without knowing the comedian's act. It's an old time USO group doing their thing. Maybe they show this to isolated troops with no access to entertainment. I don't know about the story wrapped around the music. None of it is that compelling. I don't particularly like the music or the humor. It's old timey.