Hicks may have nixed styx pic's, but that didn't keep Hollywood from trying, and for this minor war era patriotic musical from PRC, the result is a charming but corny time-filler. Rosemary Lane was one of the "four daughters" (three of whom were real sisters), and in the delightful "Hollywood Hotel", played a Hollywood extra who stood in for her real-life sister, Lola, playing a temperamental movie star. In this later low budget programmer, Rosemary is the movie star, although hers is one whose golden days are behind her. So just like any movie star named box office poison would do, she takes her talents down on the farm, and wears gold lame' to dinner. Farm boy Johnny Downs is star-struck by her presence, and a misunderstanding has him becoming engaged to her even though he's really in love with the very pretty and sweet Charlotte Wynters. But Lane's agent (Sheldon Leonard) sees this as good publicity for his faded star's image, and sure enough, the world press forgets about that pesky war going on over both seas and promotes Lane's good deeds which at first are totally self-serving but change as she realizes the importance of what she's really accomplishing.
While the majority of the songs are rather innocuous, there's a few that rank slightly above mediocre. The Radio Rogues provide a low level of Ritz Brothers like comedy, doing imitations of such celebrities as Ronald Colman, Lionel Barrymore, Jack Benny, Peter Lorre and Wallace Beery, although that impression sounds more like Lionel Stander than Beery. Having just come off of the smash hit Broadway musical revue "Hellzapoppin'", the Radio Rogues seem very much to be a part of their time, and while the majority of their celebrity mimicking is dead on, the only one that provides any laughter is their impression of Lorre's. A Hitler impression leaves a lot to be desired, but a joke concerning the difference between a Japanese soldier and a girdle is very funny. I've seen a lot worse, however, in my viewing of war era patriotic musicals, so this was a worthwhile visit down to where the corn is higher than the banana hat that Carmen Miranda wore the very same year.
While the majority of the songs are rather innocuous, there's a few that rank slightly above mediocre. The Radio Rogues provide a low level of Ritz Brothers like comedy, doing imitations of such celebrities as Ronald Colman, Lionel Barrymore, Jack Benny, Peter Lorre and Wallace Beery, although that impression sounds more like Lionel Stander than Beery. Having just come off of the smash hit Broadway musical revue "Hellzapoppin'", the Radio Rogues seem very much to be a part of their time, and while the majority of their celebrity mimicking is dead on, the only one that provides any laughter is their impression of Lorre's. A Hitler impression leaves a lot to be desired, but a joke concerning the difference between a Japanese soldier and a girdle is very funny. I've seen a lot worse, however, in my viewing of war era patriotic musicals, so this was a worthwhile visit down to where the corn is higher than the banana hat that Carmen Miranda wore the very same year.
