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Panama Hattie
MGM didn't put a lot of effort into Panama Hattie, the 1942 film version of the Broadway musical that starred Ethel Merman, that, outside of a couple of terrific musical numbers, doesn't offer a lot in terms of genuine entertainment.
Ann Southern inherits Merman's role for the film version, a nightclub singer in Central America, who is excited about the arrival of her fiancee, Dick (Dan Dailey), but finds competition for his affection in the former of a snooty admiral's daughter (Marsha Hunt) and Dick's young daughter. Three sailors (Red Skelton, Rags Ragland. Ben Blue). who are old friends with Hattie, try to help Hattie with Dick while dealing with some alleged spies. Hattie's best friend, Flo (Virginia O'Brien) is also aggressively chasing a stuffy butler (Alan Mowbray) who is taking care of Dick's daughter.
The Broadway musical upon which this film is based opened in October of 1940 and ran for an unimpressive 501 performances, but apparently someone with some juice at MGM saw the potential for a musical giant. Unfortunately, potential from the Broadway stage doesn't guarantee success on the movie screen. A lot of the appeal with the stage musical had to come from Ethel Merman's performance in the title role, because Ann Southern's lackluster performance in the title role never really connects with the audience, The razor thin plot, which includes a really silly subplot about the three sailors chasing spies that comes out of nowhere, doesn't help either.
The score by Cole Porter has been severely tampered with, which doesn't help matters. Songs have been inexplicably added to the score written by EY Harburg and Burton Lane , who wrote Finian's Rainbow, and Roger Edens, among others. Though guest star Lena Horne does get to shine on the Cole Porter classic "Just One of those Things." We also have The Berry Brothers, a trio of dancing brothers who never made the splash that the Nicholas Brothers made in the movies, but were just as talented and when the Berrys and Horne get together for a number called "The Sping", they give us the film's best musical number. Sour-faced Virginia O'Brien did make the most of "At the Savoy" and "Fresh as a Daisy" as well.
Disappointed that one of Hollywood's best song and dance men, Dan Dailey, was not allowed a single musical moment in the film. And like a lot of MGM musicals, this is another film that was set in a foreign country but it was more than obvious that the filming never left an MGM soundstage. Southern works very hard in the title role, but she's no Merman and Red Skelton has rarely been this unfunny. The best thing about this musical is that it ran under ninety minutes.
MGM didn't put a lot of effort into Panama Hattie, the 1942 film version of the Broadway musical that starred Ethel Merman, that, outside of a couple of terrific musical numbers, doesn't offer a lot in terms of genuine entertainment.
Ann Southern inherits Merman's role for the film version, a nightclub singer in Central America, who is excited about the arrival of her fiancee, Dick (Dan Dailey), but finds competition for his affection in the former of a snooty admiral's daughter (Marsha Hunt) and Dick's young daughter. Three sailors (Red Skelton, Rags Ragland. Ben Blue). who are old friends with Hattie, try to help Hattie with Dick while dealing with some alleged spies. Hattie's best friend, Flo (Virginia O'Brien) is also aggressively chasing a stuffy butler (Alan Mowbray) who is taking care of Dick's daughter.
The Broadway musical upon which this film is based opened in October of 1940 and ran for an unimpressive 501 performances, but apparently someone with some juice at MGM saw the potential for a musical giant. Unfortunately, potential from the Broadway stage doesn't guarantee success on the movie screen. A lot of the appeal with the stage musical had to come from Ethel Merman's performance in the title role, because Ann Southern's lackluster performance in the title role never really connects with the audience, The razor thin plot, which includes a really silly subplot about the three sailors chasing spies that comes out of nowhere, doesn't help either.
The score by Cole Porter has been severely tampered with, which doesn't help matters. Songs have been inexplicably added to the score written by EY Harburg and Burton Lane , who wrote Finian's Rainbow, and Roger Edens, among others. Though guest star Lena Horne does get to shine on the Cole Porter classic "Just One of those Things." We also have The Berry Brothers, a trio of dancing brothers who never made the splash that the Nicholas Brothers made in the movies, but were just as talented and when the Berrys and Horne get together for a number called "The Sping", they give us the film's best musical number. Sour-faced Virginia O'Brien did make the most of "At the Savoy" and "Fresh as a Daisy" as well.
Disappointed that one of Hollywood's best song and dance men, Dan Dailey, was not allowed a single musical moment in the film. And like a lot of MGM musicals, this is another film that was set in a foreign country but it was more than obvious that the filming never left an MGM soundstage. Southern works very hard in the title role, but she's no Merman and Red Skelton has rarely been this unfunny. The best thing about this musical is that it ran under ninety minutes.