Rita Hayworth appeared in a "one-two punch" of Technicolor musicals during World War II, the first being "Cover Girl" and the second being "Tonight and Every Night."
I'd give "Cover Girl" the edge on songs, as the standard from that film, "Long Ago and Far Away," was had lyrics by Ira Gershwin and the melody was given to Jerome Kern by Ira from his brother's box of unpublished songs at a pre-production meeting in 1943.
"Tonight and Every Night" is a tribute to the Windmill Theatre, a London fixture of the time that didn't close despite the air raids of the Blitz, the Baby Blitz, and the V1 and V2 raids of 1944-45. The Windmill started with non-stop vaudeville, which was copied, but with the coming of hostilities the management changed the format to tableaux and striptease featuring Phyllis Dixey (subject to a BBC series rebroadcast some years ago on PBS here in the States).
Because of a puritanical streak in film-making of the period, stripping was out and general wholesome entertainment was in. A more accurate rendering of the events was released in 2005--"Mrs. Henderson Presents" starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. It showed how--and why--the programming at the Windmill evolved, and, like "Tonight and Every Night," loses some critical cast members through a direct air raid hit on a neighboring pub.
Both films would make a GREAT double-feature!
I'd give "Cover Girl" the edge on songs, as the standard from that film, "Long Ago and Far Away," was had lyrics by Ira Gershwin and the melody was given to Jerome Kern by Ira from his brother's box of unpublished songs at a pre-production meeting in 1943.
"Tonight and Every Night" is a tribute to the Windmill Theatre, a London fixture of the time that didn't close despite the air raids of the Blitz, the Baby Blitz, and the V1 and V2 raids of 1944-45. The Windmill started with non-stop vaudeville, which was copied, but with the coming of hostilities the management changed the format to tableaux and striptease featuring Phyllis Dixey (subject to a BBC series rebroadcast some years ago on PBS here in the States).
Because of a puritanical streak in film-making of the period, stripping was out and general wholesome entertainment was in. A more accurate rendering of the events was released in 2005--"Mrs. Henderson Presents" starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins. It showed how--and why--the programming at the Windmill evolved, and, like "Tonight and Every Night," loses some critical cast members through a direct air raid hit on a neighboring pub.
Both films would make a GREAT double-feature!
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