Quatre flirts et un coeur

Paramount studio musical comedy (more music than comedy) directed by George Marshall (Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis films, etc...). Hutton, Lamour, Chandler and Lynn are a singing sister act wined and dined by band leader Fred MacMurray. Most of the film takes place at a nightclub (the sisters wear long gowns for the entire film) and there's not much of a plot, mainly an excuse for Hutton to do some songs. Fred MacMurray sings (though he's bit of a creep most of the time), and some rare scenes of piano prodigy Diana Lynn playing the piano (too bad not really featured in solo). Most of the lines and situations go to Hutton, Lamour, and MacMurray, the rest of the cast is just there to be working. Cute but definitely a lesser work. I'd watch Hutton, Lamour, or Lynn in anything but there was just too little film here for them to be cast in their roles.

Dorothy Lamour, Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn, and Mimi Chandler are the Angel Sisters, living in a small town in New York, and fathered by widowed Raymond Walburn. They do a musical act, but they each have their own ambitions, until after a $10 roadhouse gig, run up to $190 at the craps table by Miss Hutton, she gets clipped by Fred MacMurray, who needs the money to get his band to the Copa Club -- the one in Brooklyn. The Angel family pursues him for the money, but he and band member Eddie Foy Jr. Put them off and put them into the act as singers. Meanwhile, MacMurray romances Misses Lamour and Hutton.

It's an ok musical, enlivened by blackout sequences, George Marshall's comedy direction and a good score by Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen. When the ladies aren't singing as a quartet, Miss Hutton gets the most solo numbers, including an energetic version of "His Rocking Horse Ran Away". Of course there's a big patriotic number at the end. While it's no world-beater, there's lots of good comedy set pieces to keep the audience amused.

Movies like this raised the spirits of war weary citizens during the 1940's. Well guess what? It will still lift your spirits today! You've probably read the plot and already know the story. Nevertheless, in a nutshell – The four Angel sisters (Lamour, Hutton, Lynn and Chandler) are chiseled out of $190 by band leader Happy Marshall (Fred MacMurray), pushed into doing it by his friend Fuzzy (Eddie Foy, Jr.). Happy and the band go to Brooklyn, with the girls following to retrieve their money – and some funny and musical things happen along the way. Lamour and Hutton both get goofy over MacMurray with resultant pandemonium. The story line was not meant to be deep, just fun and entertaining, and it met those goals. Dorothy Lamour and Betty Hutton dominate the talent in the movie and not necessarily in that order. Although Lamour, with fine acting and a wonderful voice had the lead, it was Betty Hutton's talent that stole the show hands down. Before Hollywood stardom, Dorothy Lamour was Miss New Orleans in 1931, and then she set out to be a singer. In one part of the movie she tries to gain entry to the Copacabana club in Brooklyn, but is turned away by the ticket seller because she does not have an escort. This type of scene interests me because, when I see a familiar face I like to do some checking, then report the findings here (which saves the reader from doing so). Notice the ticket lady was Louise La Planche who was Miss North America 1940. In 1996 she was the last surviving cast member of Lon Chaney's "Hunchback of Notre Dame". In this scene, as Dorothy is walking away, she meets a fellow in a zoot suit. He had a familiar face and his name was Frank Faylen. Familiar because he played the father of Dobie Gillis in the TV show and the cab driver in "It's a Wonderful Life". Frank and Dorothy did a great routine with an exaggerated Brooklyn-ese style conversation. Betty Hutton's energy and pizazz was evident from the start. When the Angel sisters walked down the street in the beginning of the film and as they came out on the stage singing they just walked calmly – except for Betty. She had that natural bounce to her step that is as much a part of her personality as rolling and blinking those expressive eyes. I don't know how else to put it – in a group of talented entertainers – she is the one you notice. Some might say she has an extraordinary talent that only comes along once in a lifetime. Ha! Try multiple generations! The third Angel sister was Diana Lynn, and when you saw her playing the piano in the movie it was apparently not a fake. In real life, she was a child prodigy who played piano for the Los Angeles Junior Symphony at the age of 12. The fourth sister was played by Mimi Chandler whom I don't recognize at all, so she is a mystery to me. Dorothy's boyfriend Oliver was played by Frank Albertson, brother of Jack Albertson (from Chico and the Man and Grandpa Joe in Willy Wonka). The male lead was Fred MacMurray and I hate it when he plays a cad. He was great as a Scout leader in "Follow Me Boys" and as the father on TV's "My Three Sons", but when he plays a low life, I guess he does it too well as you just don't like him. Real life meets movie, as he plays a band leader in this movie and he started out playing and singing with bands early in his career. Eddie Foy, Jr. is his friend Fuzzy. Eddie played his father Eddie Sr. (famous as Eddie Foy and the Seven Little Foys) several times as in "Yankee Doodle Dandy". His parents actually had eleven children, but only seven survived and Eddie Sr. incorporated them into his act when their mother died. Eddie Jr. acted well in this movie and reminded me of a younger Harry Morgan. Those with a sharp ear will notice during the conversation between Eddie Jr, MacMurray and Hutton some name-dropping. Eddie says he has tried to get several singers and mentions Diana Shore, Harriet Hilliard and a name sounding like Boswell. As we know, Harriet Hilliard became the model for 1950's mothers in TV's Ozzie & Harriet with Dave and Ricky Nelson. An interesting person popped up when Fred and Dorothy go out night clubbing and end up at a Polish wedding. Notice the bride played by Hillary Brooke. Although a small part here, she became that "tall blonde with the British accent" who played opposite Basil Rathbone in a couple Sherlock Holmes movies and with Red Skelton in "The Fuller Brush Man" to name just a couple. The father of the Angel sisters was Raymond Walburn who usually played a comical stuff shirt official. He is described as a look alike for the caricature of Mr. Monopoly. In this movie, his favorite daughter is Betty Hutton, as demonstrated when she is the only one who appreciates his lamb stew cooking and he defends her for not finding a job. There were several such character actors in the film. All long time professionals such as Jack Norton who made a career out of playing staggering drunks even though he was a teetotaler in real life. As you can see, the movie had a wealth of acting talent to supplement the harmonious singing of the sister act with Betty Hutton and Dorothy Lamour in particular. As written on the screen at the start – the Angels did not have halos, harps nor wings, what they didn't have they didn't need! Although the story line is somewhat predictable, don't waste time analyzing it. Just relax and enjoy the laughs and music of "And the Angels Sing".

And The Angels Sing is apparently Paramount's answer to Warner Brothers Lane Sisters and the series of films that they had starting with Four Daughters. The four of them are musical prodigies, but they're really not into singing. What they are into is earning enough money so their father Raymond Walburn can buy a farm.

Three of Paramount's best female stars, Dorothy Lamour, Betty Hutton, Diana Lynn played 3/4 of the Angel sisters, the fourth being given to Mimi Chandler whose father Senator Albert H. Chandler would shortly become baseball commissioner. Betty Hutton is the only one enthused about performing, but given this is Betty Hutton what else would you expect?

They get themselves all tangled up with bandleader Fred MacMurray who's a bit of rat quite frankly taking advantage of Hutton to get some money in order for his band to get traveling money to an engagement in Brooklyn. The sisters are up in arms and trail him to Brooklyn to get their money.

At some point MacMurray has to woo all of them more or less to some degree. The whole thing ends rather conventionally though.

The plot is really an excuse for the musical numbers and the score here was written by Bing Crosby's favorite writers Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. Although Betty Hutton gets the showier numbers on screen, the hit song from And The Angels Sing was sung by Dorothy Lamour, It Could Happen To You. And of course Paramount prevailed upon Der Bingle to record it and by all means get his record of it if you can find it.

And The Angels Sing provides a nice showcase for the musical talents of the cast. MacMurray who later played some nasty characters shows a bit of what Billy Wilder saw in casting him as a villain in Double Indemnity and The Apartment. The film is a pleasant enough diversion.

When this picture came out in 1944, I saw the previews. I was about 12 at the time. The previews showed the three girls being spanked -- which REALLY lit me up.

However, in the week between seeing the trailer -- and when the flick actually played at my friendly neighborhood theater -- I'd goofed up at home. I don't remember what "rock" I may have pulled -- but, it was enough to get me grounded for a week. And I MISSED seeing the movie.

For -- literally -- SIXTY YEARS, I looked for this movie. FINALLY found it on e-Bay a couple years ago. Paid the well-known arm and a leg for it. First VHS copy I got didn't play. I was CONVINCED that I'd NEVER see the picture. That the fates had DECREED that I'd remained frustrated! Fortunately, the guy sent me one I could view.

Found out that there was MUCH more to the flick than the triple-spanking (which, doggone it, didn't last long enough.) For instance, one of my all-time favorite songs -- over the years -- has been "It Could Happen To You". I'd not been aware of the fact that it came from this movie. Not till Dorothy Lamour began singing it to Fred McMurray.

I LOVE Diana Lynn! I'd sit and simply LOOK at a picture of hers. The cover of the "Piano Moods" album she made with Paul Weston's orchestra -- in the late-forties -- is, to my way of thinking, the most beautiful one ever made.

This was a GREAT movie. Was glad I'd finally tracked it down.