Mardi Gras (1958)

At a military school in Virginia, three cadets (Tommy Sands, Gary Crosby, Dick Sargent) rope their strait laced friend (Pat Boone) into entering a contest to win a date with a famous movie star (Christine Carere) not expecting him to win. But he does win! Directed by Edmund Goulding (GRAND HOTEL). This piece of recycled musical fluff is burdened with forgettable musical numbers and the blandest male leads one could imagine. As if a famous French film actress (Carere) could fall in love with a dull milk guzzling cadet (Boone). The female characters are much more interesting than the males. In addition to Christine Carere, they include Sheree North as a film publicist and Barrie Chase as a stripper working her way through college. The most amusing thing in the movie is how 20th Century Fox cross promotes its own product: in a restaurant scene, the theme from A CERTAIN SMILE (Carere's previous film) plays in the background, Sheree North walks by a movie poster of IN LOVE AND WAR (her previous film) and a Fox executive walks in with a book in his hand announcing he's just bought the rights to THE BEST OF EVERYTHING (released the following year). With Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Fred Clark, Geraldine Wall and Jennifer West.