Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

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	...	Minor Role (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	...	Minor Role (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	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Alexander 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	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
John Whitney	...	Lieutenant (uncredited)
Frank Wilcox	...	Officer (uncredited)
Dave Willock	...	Heckling Soldier (uncredited)
Gordon Wynn	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Betty Yeaton	...	Minor Role (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:

Featured in A Hollywood Christmas (1996) (V)

Soundtrack:

No Love, No Nothin'

1940's Nostalgia

Four Jills In A Jeep in based loosely on the true story of a USO unit which went overseas. Headed by Kay Francis, it also included Martha Raye, Carole Landis, and Mitzi Mayfair. In the movie version, there are romances which didn't really take place, plus all-too-frequent appearances by Phil Silvers as an Army sargeant who is their escort. This film also marked the first "official" appearance of Dick Haymes in a movie, although he actually appeared in a film earlier. As with USO type musicals of this period, there are specialty numbers by guest stars including Jimmy Dorsey and his band (in top form here), Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda, and Alice Faye, in one of her last films. She sings a heart rending version of "You'll Never Know" which make one realize what a beautiful song this really is, how much it meant to service men and women far from home, and what a jerk Englebert Humperdinck is for the way he sings it. The movie was also the last high water mark for the four leading actresses. Mitzi Mayfair never made another movie. Kay Francis made only two or three more before retiring. Carole Landis would suffer personal problems and die a few years later. Martha Raye moved on to a successful career in 1950's television, and twenty years later would entertain troops in Viet Nam in much the same way as she does here.