Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)

Thin plot but nice songs and an assortment of WB stars make for an imperfect but enjoyable musical comedy. Acquired taste Eddie Cantor plays two roles so grit your teeth for that. He's very corny and vaudevillian. I'm not typically a fan of his but this is one of his more tolerable movies. In addition to regular singers Dinah Shore, Dennis Morgan, and Ann Sheridan, there are rare musical numbers by Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, John Garfield, and Ida Lupino. Garfield can't sing to save his life but the others are good. Aside from these, my favorite number in the movie is probably the all-black "Ice Cold Katie" number with Hattie McDaniel. Also an amusing non-musical cameo from Humphrey Bogart. Despite its flaws and overlength, it's hard to dislike. An enjoyable bit of fluff that will especially please fans of classic movie stars.

All-around entertainer Eddie Cantor has a dual role in this Warner Bros. studio revue, playing himself and an aspiring dramatic actor named "Joe Simpson" who can't find work because people laugh when they see him. The plot is initially interesting due to Mr. Cantor's comic situation, but it wears thin quickly. Although he was his studio's biggest star in 1943, Humphrey Bogart is billed first due to the alphabet; he appears only briefly. Cantor is supported mainly by Joan Leslie (as Pat Dixon) and Dennis Morgan (as Tommy Randolph), likable as a songwriter and singer.Of the superstar cameos, Bette Davis is most showcased; she sings "They're Either Too Young or Too Old" (a hit for Kitty Kallen). Another non-singer, Errol Flynn is surprisingly good, singing and dancing an English ditty called "That's What You Jolly Well Get". Then record and radio star Dinah Shore is featured relatively prominently. These variety movies became very popular when sound films became vogue as audiences could see several of their favorite stars singing, dancing, and participating in a variety of skits. During World War II, they had a resurgence in popularity.***** Thank Your Lucky Stars (9/25/43) David Butler ~ Eddie Cantor, Joan Leslie, Dennis Morgan, Bette Davis

Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943) *** (out of 4) Pretty much plot-less "musical" doesn't need a plot when you have guests stars that include Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, John Garfield, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Jack Carson, Dinah Shore, Ann Sheridan, Dennis Morgan, Ida Lupino and many, many more. What plot the film does have centers around a benefit show where a couple new to Hollywood tries to get on to make a name for themselves. We also have Eddie Cantor playing not only himself but the role of another man trying to break into the business. If you want any type of story then you're going to be disappointed but if you come to a film like this wanting a story then I'm not sure what to tell you. One must remember that the country was at war when this was made and in the end the studio just wanted to deliver something fun and that's what they did. With so many great A-list stars you can't help but have fun even when they're either making fun of themselves or making a fool out of themselves by singing. Flynn and Davis are really bad to listen to but at least they both are having fun with it. Bogart has a funny bit as the "tough guy" who gets pushed around by a nobody. Bogart's reply to this is priceless. Garfield is also quite good as he's the first one to appear in the film and he gets it off to a great pace. Character actor Richard Lane also appears as a character and does fine work as does the rest of the supporting cast. Cantor really seems to be having a blast with some great songs as well as making fun of himself as a boob throughout. All in all, this is a very entertaining movie even if the 127-minute running time goes on a bit too long but there's no way to deny the charm of seeing all these stars in one film.

Tnis is at best a very uneven film, with very misleading billing. Humphrey Bogart, who gets first billing, appears for about 3 minutes in a very forgettable and poorly done cameo. (No, he doesn't try to sing.) Olivia de Havilland and Ida Lupino appear together in a rather mediocre dance number. Bette Davis, though she can't sing, puts in a great appearance singing "They're either too young or too old," and Errol Flynn does a remarkably good job with his song and dance number. Alexis Smith looks very elegant and graceful in her dance number, though it is true that she is lifted through the air by various male dance partners as much as she actually dances herself, which helps. Still, she looks very beautiful for her 3 minutes of screen time. Ann Sheridan looks good in her song too, but it is so mediocre that there's not much she can do with it, and since she doesn't get to do any glamorous dancing, the number is forgettable.. The same applies to Jack Carson and Alan Hale, both very talented actors, who get saddled with a truly dead song and dance duo.In fact, the weakest element in this movie is the music, which is almost all forgettable.These various cameo appearances are fitted into a frame: Dennis Morgan is trying to break into show biz as a singer, while EE Horton and SZ Sakall, who are way down on the billing, are trying to put on a charity variety show. The three of them, plus Eddie Cantor, who plays himself and is very funny doing so, are the actual stars of this movie, though you would never guess it from the billing. All four are good.There are other forgettable musical numbers, including several with Dinah Shore, who comes off as having no personality, a rousing if forgettable number for Black singers and dancers in which Hattie McDaniel holds up her own, and a monologue of sorts with John Garfield that's not half bad, but only because he's a good actor.In short, a largely mediocre effort. If you like any of the stars who do the cameos, you will want to see them do their 3-5 minute bits. If you're looking for 2 hours of entertainment - this movie runs just over 2 hours - you won't find it here, though.-----------------------------------I've just watched it again two years later. Perhaps I'm in a more charitable mood, but this time I got more pleasure out of it. It really only works if you know the work of the various actors who appear, as most of them either play against type - like Errol Flynn or his frequent side-kick, Alan Hale - or satirize themselves, like John Garfield, who is really very good playing a highly exaggerated version of his usual tough guy. Ann Sheridan is a knockout in her number, thanks to her dress and the way she moves; you really don't notice that she wasn't a great singer. That's the case for most of these cameo performances: they're done by often very fine actors who didn't normally sing and dance on screen. Most seem to be having a good time doing something they didn't usually get to do, and none of them embarrass themselves. Bette Davis definitely couldn't sing, but she brings off her number through sheer personality. The same goes for many of the others.If you don't know the classic Warner Brothers movies of the 30s and early 40s, this won't hold you. If you know how these stars normally appeared, you may get a kick out of seeing them do something very different, or making fun of what they normally did.