Les travailleurs du chapeau

This one of good natured spoofs on Hollywood that is set in a real studio and has a number of stars appearing as themselves, usually satirizing their screen personalities. Unlike many films of this type the stars don't out stay their welcome, and are sometimes genuinely funny. The movie is no classic (certainly it's no SINGING IN THE RAIN) but it passes the time agreeably enough and leaves the impression , whether true or not, that the cast and crew had a good time making it. The stars; Dennis Morgan, Jack Carson and Doris Day; work well together. Highlights are Dennis Morgan and Doris Day singing a very pleasant duet, Jack Carson doing an impression on Maurice Chevalier and Irving Bacon in a funny sketch as railway station information clerk.

Doris Day became an old hand at comedy by the time her career was over, but this early musical comedy with Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson is one of her funniest jobs. She plays a waitress at the Warner studio who wants to break into movies. Aided and abetted by Carson and Morgan, she gets her chance at stardom but not before a series of misadventures that are really an excuse to trot out some of the big Warner stars for brief cameos. She gets to warble a couple of so-so tunes but it's her comedy scenes with Bill Goodwin (as the studio head she's trying to impress) that display her true comic gifts, batting her lashes and giving him a silly grin. It cracks me up every time! Dennis Morgan has a nice duet with Day and there are some other standard tunes thrown in, but it's an amiable piece of entertainment, nicely packaged in technicolor. Danny Kaye has an unbilled cameo at the train station--and Irving Bacon does a comic turn that's quite amusing. Guest stars include Joan Crawford, Errol Flynn, Jane Wyman, Sydney Greenstreet, Patricia Neal, Eleanor Parker , Ronald Reagan and Edward G. Robinson. The "surprise" ending is a fun twist. And if that's not enough, there's S.Z. Sakall ("Cuddles") for even more laughs.

For anybody who loves Golden Age Hollywood, Doris Day (very early on in her film career) and musicals, all of those apply to me, are very likely to find a lot to enjoy about 'It's a Great Feeling'. 'It's a Great Feeling' is not quite "great", but it is "good".

Admittedly the story is best forgotten. It is paper thin and cobbled together, with a shopworn concept (even in 1949) and parts being on the improbable side. The songs are very pleasant and beautifully performed by mainly Doris Day and Dennis Morgan, but, aside from the title song and the lovely duet "Blame My Absent-Minded Heart", they're of the inoffensive but not particularly memorable kind. Some of the pacing could perhaps have been tightened in places.

However, 'It's a Great Feeling' looks beautiful in colour and evokes a real sense of nostalgia in how it's all produced. As said, the songs are performed beautifully, while David Butler's direction is some of his more competent and engaged.

'It's a Great Feeling' excels in the script, which is funny and witty as well as fairly gentle in places. It particularly shines in the scenes between Doris Day and Bill Goodwin, which certainly showed that even early on in her film career Day had a gift for comedy.

While Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson are amusing and likable enough as themselves, it's Day in every way who shines the most, so graceful and charming as well as being a natural comedienne and an amazing singer. Along with Day, the biggest joy is the cameos. Most are very short and there are perhaps a little too many but they certainly hit more than they miss, don't think any of them missed actually, though it does help to have knowledge of who the cameos are.

Some great scenes, especially "Blame My Absent-Minded Heart", Irving Bacon, the Maurice Chevalier impression and a corker of a twist ending that nobody expects in a million years. The best of the cameos are Gary Cooper, Edward G. Robinson and particularly the pricelessly crazy one from Joan Crawford.

Overall, good fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This is a terrific little film. Light entertainment, nothing to think about, just sit back watch the stars of Hollywood's Golden Age and enjoy. Any movie with Dennis Morgan AND Jack Carson has to be good, and Doris Day pretties up the whole thing. Lots of cameos by Hollywood's best and lots of talent. I recommend this movie when you're tired and stressed and just want a good movie to relax to. The other great thing about this movie is you never know who will show up. Gary Cooper and Dennis Morgan sitting at a drug store counter, Coop sipping Coke, Dennis prattling on and Coop just saying "Yup." Just goes to show you don't need to say a lot, especially a lot of "F" words to show your talent. Nobody in Hollywood today comes up to these stars in terms of talent and class.

Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson are again buddies in this one.They are trying to get the lovely Doris Day in movies.There are many cameos by Warner Brothers stars including Joan Crawford,Danny Kaye and Errol Flynn..(He plays Jeffery Bushfinkle!).The best part of this movie in my opinion is when Dennis and Doris sing BLAME MY ABSENT-MINDED HEART together.They both had such beautiful voices it's a joy to hear them sing!! People who love star-filled movies or just like to see Dennis and Jack being funny together should see this film!