Best Foot Forward (1943)

'Best Foot Forward' is a long way from perfect, having its fair share of flaws. This said it is an enjoyable diversion even if falling well short of being great. It does decently with what it set out to do, knows what it wants to be and tries not to do any more than it needs to.The weak link is the story, which is as paper thin and nonsensical as they come. The songs are pleasant enough, but with the exception of one they are overlong, easily forgettable after a few hours and are mostly sloppily choreographed. The script is uneven, some of it is amusing and sparkles but other parts are leaden, corny and hopelessly out of date now.Not all the cast work, with the ladies faring far better than the men. Kenny Bowers is very feeble with very little charisma, while Jack Jordan has the opposite problem of overacting and being insufferably irritating.Lucille Ball however looks as though she is thoroughly enjoying herself and she is terrifically supported by glamorous and scene-stealing Gloria De Haven, peppy June Allyson and especially zesty and often hilarious Nancy Walker (who actually steals the show). Harry James is also great, as is William Gaxton. While Tommy Dix has his bland moments, he is more often than not appealing.'Best Foot Forward' looks great, love the colours and handsome production design. Of the musical numbers, coming off best by far is the rousing in every sense of the word "Buckle Down Winsocki". Edward Buzell directs reasonably competently if slightly undistinguished.Overall, enjoyable if unexceptional. 6/10 Bethany Cox

After years of reading about this movie, I finally got to see Best Foot Forward last week though the DVD I borrowed from the library was defective since the picture started-and-stopped during the beginning credits and also the first number so I waited to order another copy from Netflix which I just watched. Lucille Ball played herself as a very popular movie star though she probably wasn't as popular in real life at the time as she was so depicted in the movie. And, of course, her characterization is much different from the one that really made her such a success a decade later when she and hubby Desi Arnaz starred on TV in "I Love Lucy". Still, she brings the funny in her wisecracks and in being humiliated quite a few times so in that way, she wasn't too different from her usual characterization. Anyway, this was a wonderfully contrived musical comedy about a cadet from Winsocki writing to Ms. Ball about going to the prom with him since his real girlfriend wasn't initially going to show up. The girlfriend is played by Virginia Weidler-a former child actor whose last film this turned out to be. There's also some good female singers in the cast like Gloria DeHaven and June Allyson. Oh, and comedienne Nancy Walker does self-depreciation in making fun of her looks to a fine art as well as provide some brassy charm when doing her Big Band numbers especially during the "Alive and Kickin'" song she clowns in with musician Harry James who also provide some additional great numbers. The songs by Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane are tunefully enjoyable. So on that note, I highly recommend Best Foot Forward. P.S. The reason I watched this just now was because since I've been reviewing the Our Gang comedies the past several months, I decided to also review films outside of the series which had individual members appearing like Darwood "Waldo" Kaye as a young student named "Killer"! Also, Sara Haden, who had played Miss Pipps in the series short Come Back, Miss Pipps, appears here as Miss Talbert.

A bunch of energetic adolescents get together for this fast-paced and likable musical comedy based upon a 1941 Broadway musical that has since become a cult classic. It's all about a popular movie star (Lucille Ball as herself) who is sent to a military school as a publicity stunt by her rambunctous agent (William Gaxton) as a date for the teenaged cadet (Tommy Dix). She is recognized by other students who rip off her clothes for souvenirs, getting the cadet into trouble yet getting the publicity she needed. Ms.Ball proves she's a good egg by stepping up to the plate to defend him to the school's general just in time for graduation.This opens up on a truly peppy moment with "Wish I May, Wish I Might", a campy musical number where the dates of the cadets arrive and dream of a successful graduation dance. Pouting Virginia Weidler is cast as Dix's rejected girlfriend who must go with someone else when her beau chooses to go with the red-headed Ball. Lucy looks great in Technicolor, heading into "A" movie musical territory at MGM after 7 years in "B" films over at RKO of varying quality. Her red hair is as flaming as her personality, and you won't confuse her for Lucy Ricardo, Carmichael or Carter here. She's not a clumsy dolt, just a victim of circumstance and her own fame.Then, there's the supporting cast with June Allyson, Gloria DeHaven and the unbelievably talented Nancy Walker ("Rhoda", "McMillan and Wife", "Bounty" commercials). Walker is hysterically funny from the moment she drives up, a younger version of Patsy Kelly, and totally man crazy even though none of the men will look at her. She steals every musical moment she's in, singing and dancing with Harry James in "Alive and Kicking" and getting an unusual disguise when she literally ends up wearing a drum. Allyson and DeHaven provide lighter moments, and join Walker for "The Three B's", an enjoyable tribute to the Barrelhouse, the Boogie Woogie and the Blues.Equally memorable is "Buckle Down, Winsocki", the school song utilized for the finale and sung by the deep voiced but young looking Dix.

Best Foot Forward was a successful 1941 Broadway musical and, like Too Many Girls, was bought and adapted to be a vehicle for Lucille Ball. Like Too Many Girls, it's a simple-minded school romp where the innocence of the students and administrators makes today's educational establishments look like Sodom and Gomorra. We're at Winsocki Military Academy and the big prom is almost here. Cadet Bud Hooper (Tommy Dix) had written a fan letter to Hollywood star Lucille Ball asking if she'd be his date. He wasn't expecting she'd agree, but then he didn't know her press agent, Jack O'Reilly (William Gaxton). Seems Lucille's last couple of pictures hadn't done too well so he convinces her it would be great publicity for her to go to the prom. Bud is floored. His two roommates, Dutch (Kenny Bowers) and "Hunk" (Jack Jordan), immediately start making plans to meet her. And then Bud remembers his girl friend, Helen. Well, he tells Helen he's got the grippe, but after Lucille (and all the other cadets' dates show up), so does Helen...to keep him company because he's sick. The dance is about to start, Lucille is waiting for Bud...and Bud finds out Helen is on campus looking for him. Now we're in a whirl of misunderstandings, miscues, schemes and subterfuges, all powered by Hugh Martin's and Ralph Blane's songs, by Harry James and His Music Makers swinging at the prom, by broad performances from the cadets and their dates and by relentless enthusiasm and good cheer. Among the standouts in the movie are Lucille Ball playing herself. Not only is she gorgeous, she handles the comedy with aplomb, which includes making some gentle but sharp fun of herself as a movie star. William Gaxton as her agent is amusing, conniving and does no lasting damage to anyone. The two of them bring polished comic performances to the movie. June Allyson and Nancy Walker recreate their stage roles and do fine jobs. With Gloria DeHaven, they are a smash singing "The Three Bs," with Harry James backing them. That's the Three Bs as in barrelhouse, boogie and the blues. The script is amusing and corny. "Is it true," asks Bud, "that everyone in California sleeps under two blankets?" Answers O'Reilly, "No. How could all those people get under just two blankets?" The young men -- boys, actually -- playing the cadets bring a lot of unabashed enthusiasm to their parts. Somewhere in the crowd is an unbilled Stanley Donen. Kenny Bowers can be funny but the director should have had him tone down the mugging. Tommy Dix comes up to Lucille Ball's shoulders, has a baby face and a kind of eerie young-Mickey-Rooney sincerity. He also has a big, polished baritone voice. Dix handles his part well and, at the conclusion, power-sings the big production number, "Buckle Down Winsocki," while all the cadets and their dates march around the field during graduation. You'll enjoy the movie best if you just sit back and not be too critical. This was Hugh Martin's and Ralph Blane's first score. Except for "Winsocki," none of the songs became well-known. Still, they have style and spirit. "Three Men on a Date," "The Three Bs" and "Ev'ry Time" I thought held up well over more than 60 years. On the strength of this score, Martin and Blane were offered the assignment of writing the songs for Meet Me in St. Louis, and that put them on the map. I don't think they ever topped "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." If you like college musicals (although I suppose Best Foot Forward is really a prep-school musical), this one has enthusiasm and a fine performance by Lucille Ball. I'd also take a look at Too Many Girls (1940), also with Ball and with an outstanding Rodgers & Hart score, and Good News (1947), with a charming performance, this time as the lead, by June Allyson.