Two Girls And A Sailor (1944)

So...lets see how long I can put off the next Song Fight review. :p Just kidding, I did some of it already. I just haven't finished yet, and I threw this post together the other night as I was watching the film. So it was either post this or nothing today.

"Two Girls And A Sailor" is the best movie EVER! Ok, not really, but it was darn good for what it was. During the war years (WW2...it's sad I have to clarify that), you could expect to see a new movie come out every month that basically followed the same formula. Create a very thin story line (usually connected to Broadway or Vaudeville), with lots of excuses to include musical numbers (and cameos), and have happy endings for EVERYONE! (not those kind of happy endings...you sick-o) It's like Hollywood was trying to package unicorns, kittens, rainbows & everything else feel-goodie into a 2 hour period. Taking peoples minds of the problems of the real world, and bringing them as much sheer joy as possible.

This film doesn't do anything outstanding, it follows the same recipe mentioned above. It just does everything a little bit better than most. June Allyson & Gloria DeHaven play sisters who grow up on the stage. June, being the older sister, always looks out for her sister especially when it comes to men. This film is about the sisters falling for the same man (Van Johnson). (No worries, the runner up gets Tom Drake.) Unbeknownst to both sisters the man they fall for is a millionaire who sends them lots of expensive gifts. Nothing all that original...so no need for me to continue describing the story line.

What you should know is that the number of A-List cameos is pretty awesome. Ben Blue, Lena Horne, Lee & Lyn Wilde, Xavier Cugat, Harry James & many more all contribute music or dance numbers. I couldn't find video of the Virginia O'Brien number, but she is amazing...as usual. They apparently deleted a scene with Buster Keaton in it (WHY!), and Ava Gardner has an uncredited appearance. (I totally missed it when watching the movie though) Jimmy Durante plays a supporting role in the film, and he does a few of his standards. I don't care who you are, you have to smile when watching Jimmy.

On to the clips!
(I couldn't find half the clips I wanted to embed...sorry.)

My Mother Told Me
Gloria DeHaven being sexy...and doing it well.

Concerto For Index Finger
One of the best bits of the movie is when Jose Iturbi is arguing with Albert Coates about conducting Gracie Allen.

The Young Man With A Horn
June Allyson sings & dances with Arthur Walsh, while Harry James supplies the music.