BETTY GRABLE: Coney Island (1943)- Has special magic.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Coney Island (1943)- Has special magic.

Coney Island (1943). Musical. Cast: Betty Grable in one of her biggest hits. A "gay nineties". George Montgomery, Cesar Romero, and Phil Silvers. Director: Walter Lang. Betty Grable also starred in the 1950 remake of Coney Island, named Wabash Avenue. In 1944, the year after the film was released, it was nominated for an Oscar for Alfred Newman in the category of Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture.

Katie Farley, is working as a saloon entertainer in turn-of-the-century New York. Eddie Johnson, believes that Katie is destined to be a star, comes up with a plan to turn the song-and-dance girl into a refined entertainer, even handcuffing her wrists and ankles so she would be forced to rely on her voice. Soon, Katie becomes a Broadway star, with the help of Willie Hammerstein and she and Eddie grow apart. After a brief romance with saloon owner Joe Rocco, Katie returns to the man she truly loves, Frankie. One of the musical numbers of Coney Island is Betty's version of the "Cuddle Up a Little Closer". The film was remade, again with Grable, as Wabash Avenue (1950).

This cute little film is a wonderful musical experience. One of my favorite performers, Betty Grable is not always given her due. I feel her dancing in this film is perfect. Grable's personality combined with her talent create a special magic. Grable gets good support from George Montgomery, Cesar Romero, and Phil Silvers.

Soundtracks:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Take It from There"
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyrics by Leo Robin

"Beautiful Coney Island"
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyrics by Leo Robin

"Miss Lulu from Louisville"
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyrics by Leo Robin

"Get the Money"
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyrics by Leo Robin

"There's Danger in a Dance"
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyrics by Leo Robin

"Old Demon Rum"
Music by Ralph Rainger
Lyrics by Leo Robin

"Put Your Arms Around Me, Honey (I Never Knew Any Girl Like You)"
Music by Albert von Tilzer
Lyrics by Junie McCree

"Cuddle Up a Little Closer"
Words by Otto A. Harbach (as O.A. Hauerbach)
Music by Karl Hoschna (as Karl L. Hoschna)

"When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"
Music by Ernest Ball
Lyrics by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff Jr.

"Pretty Baby"
Music by Egbert Van Alstyne and Tony Jackson
Lyrics by Gus Kahn

"The Darktown Strutters' Ball"
Written by Shelton Brooks

No comments:

WELCOME TO THE BETTY GRABLE PAGE.

Dancer, singer, and actress. Her bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was included in the Life magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World". Grable was known for having the most beautiful legs in Hollywood and studio widely dispersed photos featuring them. Grable's legs were insured by her studio for $1,000,000 with Lloyds of London. In 1943, she married trumpeter and big band leader Harry James. The couple had two daughters, Victoria and Jessica. The couple divorced in 1965. Grable entered into a relationship with a dancer, Bob Remick several years her junior. Though they did not marry, their romance lasted until the end of Grable's life.

The Gay Divorcee (1934) Based on the musical play Gay Divorce. Written by Dwight Taylor, Kenneth S. Webb, Samuel Hoffenstein. Screenplay by George Marion Jr., Dorothy Yost and Edward Kaufman, from an unproduced play by J. Hartley Manners. Director: Mark Sandrich. The movie is a musical/ comedy. This was the second of the Rogers and Astaire musicals; Flying Down to Rio (1933) was the first. It included the popular dance team of Fred Astaire and a 23-year-old Ginger Rogers, and also starred Alice Brady, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore and Erik Rhodes. It is the first of the series to feature Ginger and Fred as the main attraction.

John Dailey

Beginning with Mother Wore Tights (1947) Dailey became the frequent and favorite co-star of Betty Grable. His performance in their film When My Baby Smiles at Me in 1948 won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1950, he starred in A Ticket to Tomahawk, often noted as one of the first screen appearances of Marilyn Monroe, in a very small part as a dance-hall girl. In 1953, Dailey starred in Meet Me at the Fair. One of his notable roles was in There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), which featured Irving Berlin's music and also starred Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe, Johnnie Ray, and Donald O'Connor.

How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955)
Three for the Show (1955)
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)
The Farmer Takes a Wife (1953)
Meet Me After the Show (1951)
Call Me Mister (1951)
My Blue Heaven (1950)
Wabash Avenue (1950)
The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949
When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948)
That Lady in Ermine (1948)
Mother Wore Tights (1947)
The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947)
The Dolly Sisters (1945)
Diamond Horseshoe (1945)
Pin Up Girl (1944)
Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943)
Coney Island (1943)
Springtime in the Rockies (1942)
Footlight Serenade (1942)
Song of the Islands (1942)
I Wake Up Screaming (1941)
A Yank in the R.A.F. (1941)
Moon Over Miami (1941)
Tin Pan Alley (1940)
Down Argentine Way (1940)
The Day the Bookies Wept (1939)
Million Dollar Legs(1939)
Man About Town(1939)
Campus Confessions(1938)
Give Me a Sailor(1938)
College Swing(1938)
Thrill of a Lifetime (1937)
This Way Please (1937)
Pigskin Parade (1936)
Don't Turn 'em Loose (1936)
Follow the Fleet (1936)
Collegiate(1936)
Old Man Rhythm
Drawing Rumors (1939)
The Nitwits(1935)
The Spirit of 1976 (1935)
This Band Age (1935)
Ferry-Go-Round (1934)
By Your Leave(1934)
Student Tour (1934)
The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Susie's Affairs (1934)
Business Is a Pleasure (1934)
Love Detectives (1934)
Elmer Steps Out (1934)
School for Romance (1934)
Air Tonic (1933)
The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi(1933)
What Price Innocence? (1933)