My Gal Sal (1942)

Set in the Gay Nineties, a young man (Victor Mature) rejects his father's (Stanley Andrews) plans for him to become a pastor and instead runs off to seek his fortune as a musician and composer. When he meets a Broadway star (Rita Hayworth), their contentious relationship eventually gives way to romance. Directed by Irving Cummings, this musical is based on the life of songwriter Paul Dresser (the older brother of novelist Theodore Dreiser on whose story this is based). It's the kind of musical that give musicals a bad name. Poor 20th Century Fox never had the sheen of the great MGM musicals that came out during the 1940s. MGM had Garland, Kelly, Astaire and the Arthur Freed unit. Fox had to settle for the likes of Alice Faye and Betty Grable. Frankly, Dresser's songs aren't my cup of tea. They're the kind of songs favored by barbershop quartets and if that's your bag, you may well enjoy this. On the plus side, there's the glorious Hayworth in Technicolor and she gets to dance to Hermes Pan's choreography. Pretty to look at but not much else but 1942 audiences lapped it up. With Phil Silvers, Carole Landis (in the film's best performance), John Sutton, James Gleason and Mona Maris.