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Ship Ahoy - a musical comedy starring Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton, Bert Lahr, Virginia O'brien

Ship Ahoy [Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton]

Ship Ahoy (1942) – Red Skelton, Bert Lahr, Eleanor Powell, Virginia O’Brien

Ship Ahoy is a very funny musical-comedy-romance from MGM that begins with Bert Lahr (the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz) in one of his rare film appearances playing Skip Owens.  Skip has fallen hopelessly in love with stage dancer Fran Evans (Virginia O’Brien). She is about to leave for Manila along with the Tommy Dorsey band and the rest of her troupe. The troupe is headlined by Tallulah Winters (Eleanor Powell).   Tallulah is a talented dancer who is taken to see a government agent. He wants her to smuggle a magnetic mine to their people in Manila.

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I Dood It! (1943) starring  Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell

I Dood It

movie review of I Dood It! (1943) starring Red Skelton, Eleanor Powell, directed by Vincente Minelli  The movie I Dood It! is a musical comedy,… Read More »I Dood It

Three Little Words, Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Vera-Ellen, Arlene Dahl, 1950

Three Little Words

Three Little Words (1950) starring Red Skelton, Fred Astaire, Vera-Ellen, Arlene Dahl

Three Little Words is a long-time favorite movie of mine, for several reasons.   First, I’m a large fan of the comedy of Red Skelton, and he’s given plenty of room to work his comedy, both physical and verbal.   Likewise, I’m a fan of Fred Astaire, and I love to watch him dance.  And he has his own very good sense of humor, that plays against Red’s very well.   And thirdly, I’m a fan of well-done musicals, and Three Little Words definitely counts in that regard.

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DuBarry Was A Lady (1943) starring Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Virginia O'Brien, Rags Ragland, Zero Mostel, Tommy Dorsey

DuBarry Was A Lady

DuBarry Was A Lady (1943) starring Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gene Kelly, Virginia O’Brien, Rags Ragland, Zero Mostel, Tommy Dorsey

Buy from Amazon.com The basic plot of DuBarry Was A Lady is as follows: Hat check man Louis Blore (Red Skelton) is in love with nightclub star May Daly. (Lucille Ball). May, however, is in love with a poor dancer (Gene Kelly). But due to her parents’ poverty wants to marry for money. When Louis wins the Irish Sweepstakes, he asks May to marry him. She accepts even though she doesn’t love him. Soon after, Louis has an accident and gets slipped a doctored drink (meant for Gene Kelly), where he dreams that he’s King Louis XV pursuing the infamous Madame Du Barry (Lucille Ball).

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Texas Carnival (1951) starring Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, and Keenan Wynn

Texas Carnival [Red Skelton]

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Texas Carnival (1951) starring Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, and Keenan Wynn

Texas Carnival is an interesting musical, comedy and romance that €™s a little bit different.   It has 4 very different stars €”Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Howard Keel, and Ann Miller. They have four different strengths, and each of them has opportunity to showcase their talents.  

  • Red Skelton has several very funny moments clowning around.
  • Esther Williams has one extended swimming sequence.
  • Howard Keel sings his heart out in several songs.
  • Ann Miller is showcased in two different dancing routines.
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movie review of Lovely to Look At (1952) starring Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, Red Skelton, Ann Miller

Lovely to Look At, starring Red Skelton, Howard Keel

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movie review of Lovely to Look At (1952) starring Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, Red Skelton, Ann Miller

Lovely to Look At is a combination romance, musical, comedy, and fashion show — no, really.   It’s the story of three Americans (Al Marsh played by Red Skelton, Tony Naylor played by Howard Keel, Jerry Ralby played by Gower Champion). They’re looking for financial backers for the Broadway show they want to put on … unsuccessfully.   They are out of options, when Al’s Aunt Roberta dies. She left him with partial ownership of a fashionable Paris dress shop.

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Neptune's Daughter (1949) starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Red Skelton, Betty Garrett, Keenan Wynn

Neptune’s Daughter – Ricardo Montalban, Esther Williams, Red Skelton

Neptune’s Daughter (1949) starring Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalban, Red Skelton

Neptune’s Daughter is a laugh out loud funny romantic musical comed. Which I enjoyed immensely.   Although the movie stars the beautiful (and aquatic) Esther Williams and the dashing Ricardo Montalban (one of my favorite actors), the movie comes to life when Red Skelton is onscreen.

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Movie review of Bathing Beauty (1944) starring Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Basil Rathbone

Bathing Beauty

Movie review of Bathing Beauty (1944) starring Red Skelton, Esther Williams, Basil Rathbone

Synopsis of Bathing Beauty

In Bathing Beauty, Swim instructor Caroline Brooks (Esther Williams) angrily returns to her teaching job at a New Jersey girls school when her brand new marriage to songwriter Steve Elliott (Red Skelton) is disrupted by scheming show producer George Adams (Basil Rathbone). In order to speak with his estranged bride, Steve forces admission to the college, which has never been legally declared “all female”. To rid the campus of him, Dean Clinton places Steve on two weeks’ probation, during which time she plans to hit him with 100 demerits and mandatory expulsion. Steve also encounters heavy resistance from faculty, students and a distant Caroline, who wants their marriage annulled.

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