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Thousands Cheer, starring Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson

Thousands Cheer

Thousands Cheer (1943) starring Gene Kelly, Kathryn Grayson

Thousands Cheer, starring Gene Kelly and Kathryn Grayson

Thousands Cheer is a  musical romance, set in the U.S.A. during World War II.   The first half of the movie deals with Kathryn Roberts (played by Kathryn Grayson). She’s a  concert singer who is retiring from the stage to work on putting on shows for the Army, to help morale.   This is also designed to let her bond with  her father, an Army colonel. Whom she hasn’t seen since she was a baby, after her parents’ divorce.  

Thousands Cheer
Excuse My Dust  (1951) starring Red Skelton, Sally Forrest, MacDonald Carey, William Demarest

Excuse My Dust

Excuse My Dust  (1951) starring Red Skelton, Sally Forrest, MacDonald Carey, William Demarest

William Demarest as love interest's father

Buy from Amazon.com Excuse My Dust is a musical vehicle for Red Skelton, set in 1895, that deals with the issues of progress and the resistance to it.   It stars  Red Skelton as Joe Belden, a young inventor who’s determined to build a “horseless carriage”.  This complicates things, since he’s in love with Liz Bullitt (Sally Forrest), whose father (played by  William Demarest, best remembered for his role of Uncle Charlie on  My Three Sons) runs the local livery stable, and sees the “horseless carriage” as a threat to his livelihood.

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

Ship Ahoy

In Ship Ahoy, Eleanor Powell is a dancer, duped by spies using Red Skelton’s pulp novel – will love blossom? Bert Lahr, Virginia O’Brien

Ship Ahoy
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.

Three Little Words
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.
Texas Carnival [Red Skelton]
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.

Lovely to Look At, starring Red Skelton, Howard Keel
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.

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

Bathing Beauty