Call Me Mister (1951)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Lloyd Bacon

Writers:

Harold Rome (musical revue) and
Arnold M. Auerbach (musical revue) ...

Release Date:

February 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Musical

Plot:

A G.I. in occupied Japan tries to re-woo his old love, who's putting on a show for the troops.

Plot Keywords:

Japan | Army Life | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Betty Grable	...	Kay Hudson
Dan Dailey	...	Sgt. Shep Dooley
Danny Thomas	...	Private Stanley
Dale Robertson	...	Capt. Johnny Comstock
Benay Venuta	...	Billie Barton
Richard Boone	...	Mess Sergeant
Jeffrey Hunter	...	The Kid
Frank Fontaine	...	First Sergeant
Bob Roberts	...	Dunhill Dance Team
Lou Spencer	...	Dunhill Dance Team
Art Stanley	...	Dunhill Dance Team

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

In this musical, director Lloyd Bacon and dance director Busby Berkeley worked together for the first time since 42nd Street (1933).

Goofs:

Continuity: Shep Dooley hops a ride on a rickshaw to reach his military base and passes a stonewall flower garden. Several hours and a very tired rickshaw runner later, he reaches his destination, and we pass the very same flower garden.

Soundtrack:

JAPANESE GIRL LIKE 'MERICAN BOY

USO entertainment

LLoyd Bacon, the director of "Call me Mister", had an excellent track record as the man that gave us "42 Street", "Gold Diggers of 1936", "The Frisco Kid", and "Brother Orchid", among others. The film is based in a musical review with music by Harold Rome and Arnold Auerbach.

The plot is a vehicle to show Betty Grable in a musical about a USO performer in post war Japan. The story is just a pretext to present Ms. Grable as an entertainer who wants to share joy among the troops still awaiting repatriation. Ms. Grable had such an effervescence about herself, it's easy to fall under her spell even in such a silly comedy as this one.

Dan Dailey plays the man in Ms. Grable's life. He was an excellent singer and dancer who always projected a masculine presence in anything he did. Both Ms. Grable and Mr. Dailey make a winning combination in the movie.

We get to see other faces that went to make names for themselves. Dale Robertson, Danny Thomas, Richard Boone, Jeffrey Hunter, Frank Fontaine, Jerry Paris and Bobby Short, among others.

The musical numbers were staged by Busby Berkley, a man who always had an edge in everything he did. The last production number stands out as the four principals, Ms. Grable, Mr. Dailey, Ms. Venata and Mr. Thomas take to the stage.

That was entertainment!