La jeunesse s'amuse

Not one of MGM's more memorable musicals. Except for the show-stopping Winsocki number, the music is undistinguished at best. Walker steals the show as the wisecracking plain-Jane, while Ball looks gorgeous but in a routine role. Nice boy Tommy Dix has a good voice, but little charisma. Thus, it's the rare Hollywood movie without a leading man.

Too bad the sparkling June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven weren't given more to do. They could have added much needed bounce, since Weidler has an unenviable killjoy role. And, please, couldn't someone put a leash on Kenny Bowers (Dutch) who mugs it up unmercifully like a pet chimp. Contrast his excess with the expertly expressive Donald McBride (Capt. Bradd), one of the fine, unsung comedic players of the 1940's.

No surprise that no choreographer is listed since the dance numbers are also forgettable. Even Harry James looks a bit discomfited by the brief shuffle he's required to do. At the same time, director Buzzell fails to bring off the madcap bedroom scene with the farcical coordination needed. As a result, the hectic mix up comes across as more frantic than funny.

All in all, it's a movie of bits and pieces with some good color photography and spot performances. My sense, however, is that this was a second-tier effort, without the peacetime cast (it is, after all, 1943) and top-notch director that could have made the many parts gel in typical MGM fashion.

Enjoyed viewing this old timer from 1943 and seeing Lucille Ball acting as herself and getting plenty of laughs. In this film, Lucille's career is sort of fading and her agent thinks it is a good idea for her to get some press coverage by becoming a date for a Senior Prom at Winsocki Military Academy. The lucky guy is Bud Hooper, who at the same time has a girl friend who wants to go with him to the prom also. June Allyson, (Ethel) does some fancy dance steps and sings a few tunes, which sort of launched her career in films. There is some great entertainment from Harry James and his orchestra, he plays a great version of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" and also does a funny dance routine with Nancy Walker, who really was the great comic in the film and got most of the laughs. This is definitely a look back in the past, with plenty of 1943 entertainment. Enjoy

I usually don't like movies wherein stars "play themselves" but cable TV plays this movie so often I've seen it like a million times and each time I catch something different. The story is somewhat contrived and, true-to-form, movie star (as opposed to TV star) Lucille has a hard time getting rid of her somewhat brassy edge. She herself has commented that this trait held her back in films. Toward the end, however, she does soften up, especially in the hilarious Marx Brothersesque scene in the dormitory when everybody has to hide in closets to keep from getting busted by the general. I can envision this picture playing during the war as the second feature. It's one of those movies that, in the days when you could stay at the movies all day, you wouldn't mind coming in in the middle of it and then staying later to catch just the beginning. Harry James is a surprisingly good dancer and his scene with little Nancy Walker is good. All-in-all a good movie to watch on a rainy day or when you're home sick with the flu.

For all those like me who have wondered and searched for information on what became of Tommy Dix.I came across a site with information on him from 2009. According to the site Dix was drafted after "Best Foot Forward" and severely injured in a stateside training accident. I don't know what the injury was. Because of the injury he was unable to go overseas with his regiment which was decimated at the Battle of the Bulge. He apparently lives in Savannah Georgia. I wish he had been able to continue his career.I really enjoyed his singing. "Wynsocki" tends to stick in your mind.The music makes this otherwise mundane movie worth watching. I hope Tommy Dix's life has been rich and satisfying

When this first came out in the theater and I saw it then, there was a military academy in the town where I lived. And I was just going into high school. I thought this movie was the greatest thing I had ever seen, maybe the greatest movie ever made. I felt like it had been made especially for me, my friends and our local cadets. And the song, Buckle Down Winsocki was absolutely the best fight song in the world. I realize now that the movie probably wasn't that good, it was trite and predictable, as well as being juvenile. It still thrills me, and the memories that I have of that time all come back when I watch this movie again. I'm not capable of seeing it from any other point of view, so I am going to give this a 10, just for old times' sake.