Hi'Ya Chum (1943) User Reviews

A disaster!

[lzf0 · 24 November 2001]

I love the Ritz Brothers, but this film is horrible. It starts out fine and progresses to a point where Harry Ritz is about to become the sheriff of a western town. Then it all falls apart. There are a group of poor musical numbers and the brothers don't even get a good musical feature. The film never resolves. It just stops. The ending is a little hard to stomach. I guess Universal could not put any care into this Ritz vehicle. They were much too busy with Abbott and Costello.

Probably the film that killed the career of the Ritz Brothers as a screen team....

[gridoon2024 · 4/10 · 6 December 2013]

....and you'll know why if you see it. Poor script, poor comedic material for the Ritz Brothers (with the occasional good line), poor production values. In the same year's "Never A Dull Moment", the Ritzes were backed up by a strong supporting cast, and there was at least one show-stopping number by a specialty dancing team. In "Hi'ya Chum" the supporting cast is just fair (with the exception of Robert Paige, who is simply dull), the songs are forgettable, and there are no real production numbers; near the end we are promised the arrival of "20 glamorous, beautiful showgirls" and are invited to "dance with them", but only a few of them appear, and they never dance. The entire film feels like a thrown-together quickie. *1/2 out of 4.