All Girl Revue (1940)

This fun one-reeler finds June Allyson appointed as mayor-for-a-day in a tongue-in-cheek look at how things would be if the reins of power were held by the fair sex. As is usually the case with Vitaphone shorts, things happen fast, and right off the bat June realizes there's work to be done, so she and her assistants get down to business to the bouncy We've Got to Make the City Pretty, followed by a trip down to the train station to meet Madame Beverly, the opera star, soon to be arriving on the Guest of Honor Special. At the station, we're treated to the upbeat Information, Please, performed by the harried information kiosk girl, and which is then used as the number for the film's impressive dance production. We then switch to Madame Beverly performing I Love to Sing a Long Note on the incoming train, and before you know it, it's howdy-do, welcome-to-the-city, and one more medley of the three numbers to wrap it all up. With songs by the Warners crack team of Saul Chaplin and Sammy Cahn, All Girl Revue is one short that fans of the genre shouldn't miss.

It wouldn't be too hard to set aside eight minutes in your day to catch this lively musical number. It's upbeat and entertaining and features June Allyson as an unnamed city's 'Mayor For a Day', her position earning a comment when someone hinted that she was only going to be a day mayor. Her retort - 'at least I'm not a nightmare'.Other prominent females in the show include Edith Brandell as the 'Information Please' lady, and Beverly Kirk as a visiting opera singer. My favorite act in this quickie was the spirited train station choreography of the dancing troupe, offering up a uniquely inspired imitation of a train rolling in. The fast paced short definitely qualifies as a musical since it's song and dance in it's entirety. You can have some fun with this one.

Short about what happens when girls (women) are allowed to rule an unnamed town for a day. June Allyson is the mayor and sets out to make the city more pretty (!!). It seems a famous (unnamed) opera singer (Beverly Kirk) is visiting the town that day and they want to make it perfect for her.The short itself is harmless fun. 95% of the dialogue is sung and all the songs are tuneful it instantly forgettable. It also has a truly jaw-dropping tap dancing number in a train station. This also has some forgotten female dancing and singing acts. So it's fun as a harmless little short and also as a reminder of some really great female singers and dancers.

The headline states: "Girls Take Over" - "Fair Sex To Rule City For A Day." The story begins, "Oodles of fun," said her honor, the Mayor, in her first official interview at the city hall this morning. The girls will assume all the responsibilities of the city administration for one day."To open the "show," we hear the mayor (a very cute June Allyson) and three other ladies sing, "We Have To Make The City Pretty." Later, we hear two other songs, one by Edith Brandell and other by the operatic Beverly Kirk, and then see two dance numbers. There is quite a bit to offer in just eight minutes....like watching a mini-musical. It's very dated looking and sounding, of course, but it's cute in a way. Allyson came off the best, so it was no surprise that she was the only one who was or became a star. She had that quality. This was part of the "The Roaring Twenties" DVD.