Ship Ahoy (1942)

Set during WWII, the lead dancer (Eleanor Powell) on a cruise ship is asked to transport a mine to Puerto Rico. Neither she nor her pulp fiction author boyfriend (Red Skelton) know she's actually working for Nazi spies ... who got the idea from one of his potboiler novels! Directed by Edward Buzzell (SONG OF THE THIN MAN). A patriotic WWII musical whose silly barely there plot seems like padding for the comic gags and musical numbers. Skelton is an acquired taste so his comic bits may not amuse you. I'm indifferent to Skelton but even I got annoyed by his drunk act which seemed to be his specialty. Still, all is (almost) forgiven when the leggy Powell goes into her dance numbers. When she taps, magic happens. With Bert Lahr (who's funnier than Skelton), Tommy Dorsey, Virginia O'Brien, John Emery, Hillary Brooke, Jo Stafford and in his film debut, Frank Sinatra.