Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Robert Ellis (writer)
Carole Landis (story)
(more)

Release Date:

17 March 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance | War

Plot:

Reenactments of actual USO experiences of its female stars entertaining troops overseas. |

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Uso Show | WWII | Number In Title

Cast

Kay Francis	...	Herself
Carole Landis	...	Herself
Martha Raye	...	Herself
Mitzi Mayfair	...	Herself
Jimmy Dorsey	...	Himself
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra	...	Themselves
John Harvey	...	Ted Warren
Phil Silvers	...	Eddie
Dick Haymes	...	Lt. Dick Ryan
Alice Faye	...	Herself
Betty Grable	...	Herself
Carmen Miranda	...	Herself
George Jessel	...	Himself / MC
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Acuff	...	Sentry (scenes deleted)
Renee Carson	...	Swedish maid (scenes deleted)
Edith Evanson	...	French maid (scenes deleted)
Mary Field	...	Maid (scenes deleted)
Betty Roadman	...	Housekeeper (scenes deleted)
Kirk Alyn	...	Pilot (uncredited)
Warren Ashe	...	Lieutenant colonel (uncredited)
Bonnie Bannon	...	Chorus Girl (uncredited)
Martin Black	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Esther Brodelet	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Ralph Byrd	...	Sergeant in Mess Hall (uncredited)
Harry Carter	...	U.S.O. Announcer (uncredited)
Roger Clark	...	Captain (uncredited)
Lester Dorr	...	Master Sergeant (uncredited)
David Essex	...	Navigator (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	MP Sergeant (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Guest at Lady Carlton-Smith's (uncredited)
William Forrest	...	Officer (uncredited)
Janet Graves	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Reed Hadley	...	Fighter Pilot Dispatcher on Loudspeaker (uncredited)
Eddie Hall	...	Soldier running toward crash site (uncredited)
Alec Harford	...	Priest (uncredited)
Winifred Harris	...	Lady Carlton-Smith (uncredited)
Paul Harvey	...	General (uncredited)
Joe Haworth	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Soldier in audience (uncredited)
Crauford Kent	...	British officer (uncredited)
Mike Killian	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Glenn Langan	...	Capt. Stewart (uncredited)
George Magrill	...	Bill, Radio Operator (uncredited)
Miles Mander	...	Col. Hartley (uncredited)
Jimmy Martin	...	Aide (uncredited)
Lester Matthews	...	Capt. Lloyd (uncredited)
Frances Morris	...	Surgical nurse (uncredited)
Betty Jean Orth	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Alex Pollard	...	Butler (uncredited)
B.S. Pully	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Bernard Sell	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Mary Servoss	...	Nurse Lieutenant (uncredited)
Charles Sherlock	...	Surgeon (uncredited)
Mel Shubert	...	Pilot (uncredited)
Clarence Straight	...	Corporal (uncredited)
Harry Strang	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Donald Stuart	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Larry Thompson	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
George Tyne	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Mickey Wagner	...	Bit part (uncredited)
John Whitney	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Officer (uncredited)
Dave Willock	...	Heckling Soldier (uncredited)
Gordon Wynn	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Betty Yeaton	...	Bit part (uncredited)

Directed by
William A. Seiter

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Robert Ellis		writer
Carole Landis		story
Helen Logan		writer
Fred Niblo Jr.		story
Froma Sand		story
Snag Werris		writer

Produced by
Irving Starr	....	producer

Cinematography by
J. Peverell Marley		(as Peverell Marley)

Film Editing by
Ray Curtiss

Art Direction by
James Basevi
Albert Hogsett

Set Decoration by
Thomas Little
Al Orenbach

Costume Design by
Yvonne Wood

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Eckhardt	....	assistant director (as Wm. Eckhardt)

Sound Department
Jesse Bastian	....	sound

Special Effects by
Fred Sersen	....	special effects

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson	....	wardrobe supervisor (uncredited)

Music Department
Charles Henderson	....	musical director
Emil Newman	....	musical director
Maurice De Packh	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Don Loper	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1944) (USA) (theatrical)

Runtime:

USA:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Guest star Betty Grable's appearance was her last in a black-and-white feature film, not counting her showing up later that year in Take It or Leave It (1944), which recycled "The Sheik of Araby" footage with Betty, Alice Faye and Billy Gilbert originally from Tin Pan Alley (1940).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Reveille

GI Fantasy

Four Jills in a Jeep was inspired by a book that Carole Landis wrote about the tours she made with USO overseas at the beginning of American participation in World War II. Besides Carole, the other three performing with her on this tour were Kay Francis, Mitzi Mayfair and Martha Raye.

When 20th Century Fox did this film they appealed to the fantasy of every GI in the field as well those potentially going overseas. Not only do the stars entertain the boys over there, but they get romantically involved with a few of them. Talk about a morale booster.

Besides the four stars playing themselves, Alice Faye, Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda came on via radio broadcast from the Armed Forces Radio broadcast show Command Performance USA. All of them reprised numbers that they had sung in Fox musicals.

In addition to the female film stars Four Jills in a Jeep was the feature film debut of singer Dick Haymes. After Crosby and Sinatra, Haymes was probably the best known male singer of the Forties. He had a smooth baritone and really knew his way around a lyric. He introduced a song How Blue the Night that became a hit for him and just in time to record as the famous musicians strike against the record companies was just concluding.

Seeing Dick Haymes in an army uniform is quite ironic indeed as it was later brought out about how he had claimed Argentine citizenship in order to avoid the draft. Haymes was born in Argentina of visiting American parents. His career sank like an anchor after that one.

Phil Silvers did a version of the character he later perfected as Sergeant Bilko in the Fifties on television. Martha Raye who also made it big on television in the Fifties, complements Silvers well in the comedy department. Phil's a funny guy all right, but he should only be taken in moderation. Martha of course entertained our troops in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam with the same enthusiasm that you see here on the screen.

With Jimmy Dorsey and his band in the cast for some up to date Forties swing, what more could you get in a Forties musical. A nice film, I'm sure appreciated both at home by the Rosie the Riveteer crowd and the troops abroad.