1940s Jazz, R&B, Gospel and Black music and dance performances in Film or TV
by enriquemadera | created - 19 Aug 2019 | updated - 1 week ago | Publicincludes mainstream movies with scenes easily cut for jim crow
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1. Mystery in Swing (1940)
Passed | 68 min | Action, Adventure, Music
In and around some great blues, swing and jazz music, a very unpopular band-leader. Prince Ellis, is killed in a Harlem nightclub, and, in and around some more great music, a detective ... See full summary »
Director: Arthur Dreifuss | Stars: Monte Hawley, Marguerite Whitten, Tommie Moore, Edward Thompson
Votes: 118
Four Toppers: all or part of 3 songs; CeePee Johnson: all or part of 3 tracks
2. The Tunnel (1940)
Not Rated | 76 min | Drama, Music
In a Welsh coal mining valley, a young man with a beautiful singing voice is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice when a pit disaster threatens.
Director: Pen Tennyson | Stars: Paul Robeson, Edward Chapman, Simon Lack, Rachel Thomas
Votes: 611
Paul Robeson
3. One Big Mistake (1940)
Short, Comedy, Musical
A straight man comes over to three comedians and tells them how the only way to handle a woman is to treat her rough and make her like it.
Stars: Dewey 'Pigmeat' Markham, Lillian Randolph, Johnny Taylor, Monte Hawley
Lillian Randolph
4. Tin Pan Alley (1940)
Approved | 94 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Songwriters Calhoun and Harrigan get Katie and Lily Blane to introduce a new one. Lily goes to England, and Katy joins her after the boys give a new song to Nora Bayes. All are reunited when the boys, now in the army, show up in England.
Director: Walter Lang | Stars: Alice Faye, Betty Grable, Jack Oakie, John Payne
Votes: 564
Nicholas Brothers: part of 1 song
5. Son of Ingagi (1940)
Passed | 70 min | Horror
A newlywed couple is visited by a strange old woman who harbors a secret about the young girl's father.
Director: Richard C. Kahn | Stars: Zack Williams, Laura Bowman, Alfred Grant, Daisy Bufford
Votes: 331
6. Second Chorus (1940)
Passed | 84 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
When perennial college students Danny O'Neill and Hank Taylor are forced to make it on their own, the competitive pair get jobs with Artie Shaw's band and reunite with ex-manager Ellen Miller.
Director: H.C. Potter | Stars: Fred Astaire, Paulette Goddard, Artie Shaw, Charles Butterworth
Votes: 1,762
Artie Shaw: part of 8 songs
7. Zanzibar (1940)
Approved | 70 min | Adventure
A beautiful young woman organizes an expedition to Africa to search for a sacred skull that is worshiped by the locals.
Director: Harold D. Schuster | Stars: Lola Lane, James Craig, Eduardo Ciannelli, Tom Fadden
Votes: 44
Clarence Muse: part of 1 song
8. Little Men (1940)
Approved | 84 min | Comedy, Drama
Jo March and her husband Professor Bhaer operate the Plumfield School for poor boys. When Dan, a tough street kid, comes to the school, he wins Jo's heart despite his hard edge, and she ... See full summary »
Director: Norman Z. McLeod | Stars: Kay Francis, Jack Oakie, George Bancroft, Jimmy Lydon
Votes: 413
Lillian Randolph: all or part of 2 songs
9. Gimme Some Skin My Friend (1940)
3 min | Short
Stars: Delta Rhythm Boys, Lee Gaines, Traverse Crawford, Rene DeKnight
Votes: 6
Delta Rhythm Boys
10. Sunday Sinners (1940)
65 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Director: Arthur Dreifuss | Stars: Mamie Smith, Alec Lovejoy, Cristola Williams, Norman Astwood
Votes: 25
Don Heywood
11. Woody Herman & His Orchestra (1940)
Approved | 9 min | Short, Music
Woody Herman's orchestra plays five tunes, and guest performers sing and dance.
Director: Roy Mack | Stars: Woody Herman and His Orchestra, Lee Wiley, Hal Abbott, Honey Abbott
Votes: 74
all or part of 5 songs
12. That Gang of Mine (1940)
Approved | 62 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Gang member, Muggs, aspires to be a jockey and tries to cheat his way to the top.
Director: Joseph H. Lewis | Stars: Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Clarence Muse, Dave O'Brien
Votes: 566
Clarance Muse: part of 1 song
13. Mr. Smith Goes Ghost (1940)
Approved | 25 min | Short, Comedy, Music
Directors: Heckle, Dewey 'Pigmeat' Markham | Stars: Dewey 'Pigmeat' Markham, Laurence Criner, Johnny Taylor, Florence O'Brien
Lillian Randolph
14. Down Argentine Way (1940)
Approved | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
An American girl on vacation in Argentina falls for a wealthy racehorse owner.
Director: Irving Cummings | Stars: Don Ameche, Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood
Votes: 1,365
Nicholas Brothers: part of 1 song
15. Swanee Showboat (1940)
Short, Comedy, Musical
Stars: Nina Mae McKinney, Dewey 'Pigmeat' Markham, Mable Lee, Scott
Nina Mae McKinney
16. Medicus Film of New York World's Fair (1940)
Documentary
Stars: Buster Crabbe, Morton Downey, Glen Gray, Eleanor Holm
Bill Robinson, Rosetta LeNoire
17. Swing Tease (1940)
10 min | Short, Musical
Director: Denis Kavanagh | Stars: Evelyn Dall, Nat Gonella, The Mills Brothers, Nat Gonella and His Georgians
Mills Brothers
18. Blues in the Night (1941)
Passed | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Music
"Jigger' Pine forms a band that includes singer Ginger 'Character' Powell, wife of the trumpeter Leo Powell, and Nickie Haroyen and Peppi. All of them dedicate themselves to work as a unit ... See full summary »
Director: Anatole Litvak | Stars: Priscilla Lane, Betty Field, Richard Whorf, Lloyd Nolan
Votes: 1,307
William Gillespie: 1 song; Jimmy Lunceford band
19. Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat (1941)
Not Rated | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
The black residents of Lazy Town are bored one day until a sultry light-skinned woman shows up to teach them what rhythm is.
Director: Walter Lantz | Stars: Ivie Anderson, Mel Blanc, Leroy Hurte Chorus, Nellie Lutcher
Votes: 551
Vivian Dandridge: part of 1 song
20. The Lonesome Road (1941)
3 min | Short, Music
Director: John Primi | Stars: Lucky Millinder and His Band, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Winnie Johnson, Betti Mays
Votes: 9
Sister Rosetta Tharpe with Lucky Millinder band
21. Ain't Misbehavin' (1941)
3 min | Short, Music
Fats Waller performs his classic hit accompanied by his big band and a bevy of beauties.
Director: Warren Murray | Stars: Fats Waller, Hilda Brown, Myra Johnson, Betti Mays
Votes: 43
Fats Waller: 1 song (Myra Johnson vocal)
22. Take the A-Train (1941)
3 min | Short, Music
Soundie of the Delta Rhythm Boys' version of the eponymous classic song, accompanied by some dancing beauties.
Director: Robert R. Snody | Stars: Delta Rhythm Boys, Lee Gaines, Traverse Crawford, Clinton Holland
Votes: 29
Delta Rhythm Boys
23. Four or Five Times (1941)
3 min | Short, Music
In this "Soundie", Sister Rosetta Tharpe sings the title song while young couples do the Lindy Hop.
Director: John Primi | Stars: Lucky Millinder and His Band, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Winnie Johnson, Betti Mays
Votes: 20
Sister Rosetta Tharpe with Lucky Millinder band
24. The Joint Is Jumpin' (1941)
3 min | Short, Music
Director: Warren Murray | Stars: Fats Waller, Myra Johnson, Hilda Brown, Vivian Brown
Votes: 17
Fats Waller: 1 song (Myra Johnson vocal)
25. Gene Krupa: America's Ace Drummer Man and His Orchestra (1941)
10 min | Short, Music
Director: Leslie M. Roush | Stars: Gene Krupa, Howard Dulany, Irene Daye
Votes: 9
26. Honeysuckle Rose (1941)
3 min | Short, Music
Fats Waller performs his hit surrounded by beautiful women in a 1940s version music video.
Director: Warren Murray | Stars: Fats Waller, Al Casey, Vivian Brown, Betti Mays
Votes: 17
Fats Waller
27. Murder with Music (1941)
Not Rated | 59 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The beautiful Nellie Hill has many admirers but when one of them gets killed all the others are suspected. All this in among some great singing and dancing, some great bands and songs. This... See full summary »
Director: George P. Quigley | Stars: Bob Howard, Milton Williams, Nellie Hill, George Oliver
Votes: 107
Noble Sissle
28. Yes, Indeed! (1941)
Short, Music
Directors: Josef Berne, Dudley Murphy | Stars: Dorothy Dandridge, Four Spirits of Rhythm
Votes: 6
Dorothy Dandridge
29. Ball of Fire (1941)
Approved | 111 min | Comedy, Romance
A group of professors working on a new encyclopedia while living in a Manhattan mansion take in a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the police to help bring down her mob boss lover.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Oscar Homolka, Henry Travers
Votes: 14,064
Gene Krupa: part of 1 song
Dorothy Dandridge
31. Let's Make Music (1940)
Approved | 84 min | Drama, Music, Romance
With the size of her classes dwindling each year, Newton High music teacher Malvina Adams is asked to retire. Trying to prove she's still got it, she composes a school fight song which ... See full summary »
Director: Leslie Goodwins | Stars: Bob Crosby, Jean Rogers, Elisabeth Risdon, Joseph Buloff
Votes: 119
Bob Crosby: all or part of 5 songs
32. Toppers Take a Bow (1941)
Short, Musical
Director: Richard C. Kahn | Stars: The Four Toppers, Spencer Williams
Spencer Williams & the Four Toppers
33. I Want a Big Fat Mama (1941)
3 min | Short, Music
Director: John Primi | Stars: Lucky Millinder, Winnie Johnson, Mable Lee, Betti Mays
Votes: 7
Lucky Millinder
34. Rigoletto Blues (1941)
4 min | Short, Music
Director: Robert R. Snody | Stars: Delta Rhythm Boys, Essie Adkins, Traverse Crawford, Lee Gaines
Delta Rhythm Boys
35. Your Feet's Too Big (1941)
3 min | Short, Comedy, Music
Soundie performance by Fats Waller of this titular song accompanied by dancers and a very big hat.
Director: Warren Murray | Stars: Fats Waller, Hilda Brown, Vivian Brown, Winnie Johnson
Votes: 17
Fats Waller
36. Take Me Back, Baby (1941)
3 min | Short, Comedy, Music
While in the middle of playing a number, a sax player in Count Basie's band falls asleep and dreams that his girlfriend, who had just broken up with him because he's too fat and has too ... See full summary »
Stars: Count Basie, Don Byas, Freddie Green, Jo Jones
Votes: 13
Jimmy Rushing with Count Basie band
37. Birth of the Blues (1941)
Passed | 87 min | History, Music, Romance
Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band, the Basin Street Hot-Shots, which includes a cornet player, Memphis. ... See full summary »
Director: Victor Schertzinger | Stars: Bing Crosby, Mary Martin, Brian Donlevy, Carolyn Lee
Votes: 457
Jack Teagarden (with Bing Crosby): part of 1 song; Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman
38. Jack You're Playin' the Game (1941)
4 min | Short, Music
Director: Robert R. Snody | Stars: Delta Rhythm Boys, Essie Adkins, Traverse Crawford, Lee Gaines
Votes: 9
Delta Rhythm Boys
39. The Great American Broadcast (1941)
90 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
After WWI two men go into radio. Failure leads the wife of one to borrow money from another; she goes on, after separation, to stardom. A coast-to-coast radio program is set up to bring everyone back together.
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Alice Faye, Jack Oakie, John Payne, Cesar Romero
Votes: 292
Ink Spots: all or part of 4 songs (1 with Nicholas Brothers)
40. Air Mail Special (1941)
3 min | Short, Musical
In this Soundie, Count Basie and His Orchestra play the title song while many couples do the Lindy Hop.
Director: Robert R. Snody | Stars: Count Basie and His Orchestra, Count Basie, Jeanne Bayer, Winnie Johnson
Votes: 59
Count Basie
41. Hot Chocolate (1942)
4 min | Short, Music
Duke Ellington leads his orchestra as the Lindy Hoppers (aka The Harlem Congaroos) dance in this soundie (a short musical filmclip).
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Duke Ellington Orchestra, Arthur White's Lindy Hoppers and Jitterbugs, Ben Webster, Barney Bigard
Votes: 55
Duke Ellington
42. Sun Valley Serenade (1941)
Passed | 86 min | Comedy
After Phil Corey's band arrives at the Idaho ski resort, its pianist Ted Scott is smitten with a Norwegian refugee he has sponsored, Karen Benson. Later, soloist Vivian Dawn quits and Karen stages an ice show as a substitute.
Director: H. Bruce Humberstone | Stars: Sonja Henie, John Payne, Glenn Miller, Milton Berle
Votes: 1,952
Nicholas Brothers with Dorothy Dandridge: part of 1 song
43. Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941)
Not Rated | 65 min | Drama
Dramatic events in a Harlem apartment house center around Pa Wilkins, chosen by the Better Business League to replace their ousted, crooked leader Marshall...who wants revenge.
Director: Arthur Dreifuss | Stars: Mamie Smith, Alec Lovejoy, Norman Astwood, Augustus Smith
Votes: 92
Don Haywood: all or pert of 4 songs (vocals by Wahneta San, Mamie Smith, Alberta Perkins...)
44. Jam Session (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Duke Ellington and Orchestra perform 'C Jam Blues'.
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Duke Ellington, Ray Nance, Rex Stewart, Ben Webster
Votes: 359
Duke Ellington band: 1 song
45. Bli-Bip (1942)
4 min | Short, Music
Marie Bryant and Paul White sing and dance in this 1942 "Soundie" with music by Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Marie Bryant, Paul White
Votes: 38
46. The Glass Key (1942)
Passed | 85 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Director: Stuart Heisler | Stars: Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Brian Donlevy, Bonita Granville
Votes: 7,402
47. Thanks for the Boogie Ride (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Stars: Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Anita O'Day
Votes: 10
48. Panama Hattie (1942)
Passed | 79 min | Comedy, Musical
Sailors suspicious of spies and a singer who is in love enjoy life in the Canal Zone.
Directors: Norman Z. McLeod, Roy Del Ruth, Vincente Minnelli | Stars: Red Skelton, Ann Sothern, Rags Ragland, Ben Blue
Votes: 563
49. Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942)
Approved | 82 min | Comedy, Drama, Western
Two peanut vendors at a traveling rodeo show get in trouble with their boss and hide out on a railroad train heading west. They get jobs as cowboys on a dude ranch, despite the fact that ... See full summary »
Director: Arthur Lubin | Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Foran, Anne Gwynne
Votes: 1,736
50. Syncopation (1942)
Approved | 88 min | Comedy, History, Music
Covering a quarter-century of American 'syncopated" music (Ragtime, Jazz, Swing, Blues, Boogie Woogie) from prior to WWI through prohibition, the stock market crash, the depression and the ... See full summary »
Director: William Dieterle | Stars: Adolphe Menjou, George Bancroft, Todd Duncan, Connee Boswell
Votes: 331
51. Cairo (1942)
Passed | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Reporter Homer Smith accidentally draws Marcia Warren into his mission to stop Nazis from bombing Allied Convoys with robot-planes.
Director: W.S. Van Dyke | Stars: Jeanette MacDonald, Robert Young, Ethel Waters, Reginald Owen
Votes: 504
52. Cow-Cow Boogie (1942)
3 min | Short, Comedy, Music
Soundie of Dorothy Dandridge performing the cowboy classic.
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Dorothy Dandridge, Dudley Dickerson, Eugene Jackson, Artie Young
Votes: 64
53. Let Me Off Uptown (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Anita O'Day performs the hit song "Let Me Off Uptown", accompanied by Gene Krupa on drums and Roy Eldridge on trumpet.
Director: Robert R. Snody | Stars: Gene Krupa, Gene Krupa and His Orchestra, Jeanne Bayer, Roy Eldridge
Votes: 62
54. The Skunk Song (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Director: Robert R. Snody | Stars: Cab Calloway and His Band, The Cabaliers, Cab Calloway
Votes: 14
55. Ship Ahoy (1942)
Passed | 95 min | Comedy, Musical, Mystery
Miss Winters is a dancer with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and is asked to secretly transport a prototype magnetic mine to Puerto Rico. She thinks that she is working for the US Government, but fails to see why she would be involved.
Director: Edward Buzzell | Stars: Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton, Bert Lahr, Virginia O'Brien
Votes: 717
56. Tales of Manhattan (1942)
Passed | 118 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A formal tailcoat that gets passed from one owner to another affects each life in a significant way.
Director: Julien Duvivier | Stars: Charles Boyer, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, Henry Fonda
Votes: 2,514
58. I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good (1942)
4 min | Short, Music
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Ivie Anderson, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Duke Ellington
Votes: 7
59. I Got Her in the Mail (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Director: Arthur Dreifuss | Star: 'Smoke' Wells
60. Pardon My Sarong (1942)
Passed | 84 min | Comedy
A pair of bus drivers accidentally steal their own bus. With the company issuing a warrant for their arrest, they tag along with a playboy on a boat trip that finds them on a tropical island, where a jewel thief has sinister plans for them.
Director: Erle C. Kenton | Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Virginia Bruce, Robert Paige
Votes: 2,405
61. Broken Strings (1940)
Passed | 60 min | Drama, Music
After noted violinist Arthur Williams suffers a hand injury which ends his playing career, his hopes are transferred to his son, who prefers swing music to classical.
Director: Bernard B. Ray | Stars: Clarence Muse, Sybil Lewis, William Washington, Tommie Moore
Votes: 170
62. Minnie the Moocher (1942)
3 min | Short, Comedy, Music
This Soundie shows Cab Calloway and his orchestra performing the title song.
Stars: Cab Calloway, Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra
Votes: 62
63. A Zoot Suit with a Reet Pleat (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Paul White and Dorothy Dandridge sing about the clothes they will wear to impress their "Sunday" beaux.
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Dorothy Dandridge, Paul White
Votes: 42
64. Drums of the Congo (1942)
Approved | 61 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A safari sets out to find a meteorite that fell in the African jungle.
Director: Christy Cabanne | Stars: Ona Munson, Stuart Erwin, Peggy Moran, Don Terry
Votes: 67
65. Let's Scuffle (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Stars: Bill Robinson, Jeanne Bayer, Deanie Gordon, Winnie Johnson
Votes: 14
66. Flamingo (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Duke Ellington, Herb Jeffries, Janet Collins, Talley Beatty
Votes: 7
68. This Was Paris (1942)
Approved | 77 min | War, Drama
On the eve of the Nazi occupation, spies in Paris try to outguess each other
Director: John Harlow | Stars: Ann Dvorak, Ben Lyon, Griffith Jones, Robert Morley
Votes: 100
69. Virginia, Georgia and Caroline (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Stars: Cab Calloway, The Cabaliers
Votes: 6
70. What's Cookin' (1942)
Approved | 69 min | Comedy, Music, Musical
A group of entertainers visit a radio singer's home to try to get her to book them on her show.
Director: Edward F. Cline | Stars: The Andrews Sisters, Patty Andrews, Maxene Andrews, Laverne Andrews
Votes: 94
71. Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
Approved | 99 min | Comedy, Music
A Paramount Studios security guard who was a major actor during the silent film era must carry out the illusion that he is still a big deal when his sailor son comes to visit.
Directors: George Marshall, A. Edward Sutherland | Stars: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Fred MacMurray, Franchot Tone
Votes: 671 | Gross: $0.60M
72. Rhythm Parade (1942)
Approved | 68 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A nightclub performer, jealous about the talents of an aspiring singer, tries to sabotage her chances at a professional career.
Directors: Howard Bretherton, Dave Gould | Stars: Nils T. Granlund, Gale Storm, Robert Lowery, Margaret Dumont
Votes: 30
73. Blues in the Night (1942)
Not Rated | 3 min | Short, Music
An early form of music video featuring the legendary Cab Calloway and his orchestra.
Stars: Cab Calloway, The Cabaliers
Votes: 16
74. Orchestra Wives (1942)
Approved | 98 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Connie Ward is in seventh heaven when Gene Morrison's band rolls into town. She is swept off her feet by trumpeter Bill Abbot. After marrying him, she joins the bands tour and learns about ... See full summary »
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: George Montgomery, Ann Rutherford, Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, Lynn Bari
Votes: 1,147
75. Stormy Weather (1943)
Passed | 78 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
The relationship between an aspiring dancer and a popular songstress provides a retrospective of the great African-American entertainers of the early 1900s.
Director: Andrew L. Stone | Stars: Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra, Katherine Dunham and Her Troupe
Votes: 2,889
76. Reveille with Beverly (1943)
Approved | 78 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Beverly Ross moderates a 5:30 AM radio show with swing music, dedicated to the local servicemen. Two buddies of her brother have a chance to meet her and both fall in love. One of them is a... See full summary »
Director: Charles Barton | Stars: Ann Miller, Bob Crosby Orchestra, Freddie Slack and His Orchestra, Ella Mae Morse
Votes: 482
77. Five Guys Named Moe (1943)
Musical, Short
Director: John C. Graham | Star: Louis Jordan
Votes: 6
78. Cabin in the Sky (1943)
Passed | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A compulsive gambler dies during a shooting, but he'll receive a second chance to reform himself and to make up with his worried wife.
Directors: Vincente Minnelli, Busby Berkeley | Stars: Ethel Waters, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong
Votes: 3,414
79. The Powers Girl (1943)
Approved | 93 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Two sisters living in New York City aspire to become high-profile models.
Director: Norman Z. McLeod | Stars: George Murphy, Anne Shirley, Carole Landis, Dennis Day
Votes: 100
80. So's Your Uncle (1943)
Approved | 65 min | Adventure, Comedy, Music
Circumstances arise that result in a man impersonating his uncle. As the "uncle", he finds himself pursued by his girlfriend's aunt, who does not approve of their relationship.
Director: Jean Yarbrough | Stars: Billie Burke, Donald Woods, Elyse Knox, Frank Jenks
Votes: 30
81. Something to Shout About (1943)
Approved | 90 min | Comedy
Following three flops in a row, Broadway stage producer Willard Samson is told by wealthy divorcée Donna Davis that she will finance a show but only if she is the star. The fact she can ... See full summary »
Director: Gregory Ratoff | Stars: Don Ameche, Janet Blair, Jack Oakie, William Gaxton
Votes: 129
82. Stage Door Canteen (1943)
Passed | 132 min | Comedy, Romance, War
"Dakota" Smith (William Terry), a young soldier on a pass in New York City, visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theatre and movies appear and host a recreational ... See full summary »
Director: Frank Borzage | Stars: Cheryl Walker, William Terry, Judith Anderson, Kenny Baker
Votes: 1,828
83. The Heat's On (1943)
Approved | 79 min | Comedy, Musical
When his biggest star joins a rival's show, a Broadway producer bluffs and schemes to get her back.
Director: Gregory Ratoff | Stars: Mae West, Victor Moore, William Gaxton, Lester Allen
Votes: 403
84. Hi Ya, Sailor (1943)
Approved | 63 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
Bob Jackson and his three Merchant Marine shipmates have each invested $50 in a song Bob has written and which he thinks will be published for a fee of $200. In a taxicab driven by Pat ... See full summary »
Director: Jean Yarbrough | Stars: Donald Woods, Elyse Knox, Eddie Quillan, Frank Jenks
Votes: 22
85. The Lonesome Mouse (1943)
Approved | 8 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Jerry crashes a vase onto Tom's head, which gets Mammy to throw Tom out. Jerry revels in his freedom, among other things turning Tom's picture into a Hitler caricature then spitting on it. ... See full summary »
Directors: Joseph Barbera, William Hanna | Stars: William Hanna, Harry Lang, Lillian Randolph
Votes: 1,365
86. He's My Guy (1943)
Approved | 92 min | Comedy, Music
The former members of a vaudeville team meet up again in a defense plant during WW II.
Director: Edward F. Cline | Stars: Dick Foran, Irene Hervey, Joan Davis, Fuzzy Knight
Votes: 28
87. Crazy House (1943)
Approved | 80 min | Comedy
Olsen and Johnson, stage comedians turned film stars, produce a star-studded musical comedy with an eccentric "millionaire" who hasn't got a dime.
Director: Edward F. Cline | Stars: Ole Olsen, Chic Johnson, Cass Daley, Patric Knowles
Votes: 254
88. The Voice That Thrilled the World (1943)
18 min | Short, History
This short traces the history of sound in the movies, beginning with French scientist Leon Scott's experiments in 1857.
Director: Jean Negulesco | Stars: Art Gilmore, James Cagney, Gary Cooper, Sheldon Jett
Votes: 272
89. Wintertime (1943)
Passed | 82 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Nora and her uncle get railroaded into spending the night at a broken-down hotel in Canada. After Nora falls for the handsome owner, she convinces her uncle to invest in the inn and ... See full summary »
Director: John Brahm | Stars: Sonja Henie, Jack Oakie, Cesar Romero, Carole Landis
Votes: 226
90. Choo Choo Swing (1943)
10 min | Short, Music, Musical
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Count Basie, Delta Rhythm Boys, The Layson Brothers, Bobby Brooks Quartet
91. This Is the Army (1943)
Approved | 121 min | Musical
A soldier wounded in the War (WWI) becomes a producer and stages a show for the forces.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: George Murphy, Joan Leslie, George Tobias, Alan Hale
Votes: 1,338 | Gross: $20.83M
92. Top Man (1943)
Approved | 74 min | Comedy, Music, Romance
Musical in which a family puts on a show to boost the morale of the local factory workers.
Director: Charles Lamont | Stars: Donald O'Connor, Susanna Foster, Lillian Gish, Richard Dix
Votes: 71
93. It Ain't Hay (1943)
Approved | 80 min | Comedy
The horse of a street vendor is replaced by a racehorse.
Director: Erle C. Kenton | Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Grace McDonald, Cecil Kellaway
Votes: 1,035
94. Hit Parade of 1943 (1943)
Approved | 82 min | Music, Romance
One of the many films made at Republic with a year attached to the "Hit Parade" title, which came from the "Hit Parade" radio program sponsored by Lucky Strike cigarettes. On re-issue, all ... See full summary »
Director: Albert S. Rogell | Stars: John Carroll, Susan Hayward, Gail Patrick, Eve Arden
Votes: 178
95. Hit Tune Jamboree (1943)
Approved | 20 min | Short, Music
Director: Reginald Le Borg | Stars: George Olsen, The Mills Brothers, Martha Mears, Howard-Paysee Dancers
96. The Gang's All Here (1943)
Passed | 103 min | Musical, Romance
A soldier falls for a chorus girl and then experiences trouble when he is posted to the Pacific.
Director: Busby Berkeley | Stars: Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, Phil Baker, Benny Goodman
Votes: 2,058
97. Presenting Lily Mars (1943)
Passed | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
Small-town Indiana girl Lily Mars dreams to be a stage actress. She begs visiting Broadway producer John Thornway for a role but he dismisses her as an amateur. She follows him to New York and worms her way into his show, and his heart.
Director: Norman Taurog | Stars: Judy Garland, Van Heflin, Fay Bainter, Richard Carlson
Votes: 1,270
98. Moo Cow Boogie (1943)
11 min | Short, Musical
Stepin Fetchit introduces a band which plays several numbers, including "Cow Cow Boogie" and a swing version of "Rigoletto." Dorothy Dandridge appears in a Western number singing the ... See full summary »
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Dorothy Dandridge, Stepin Fetchit, Dudley Dickerson, Artie Young
99. Upbeat in Music (1943)
Approved | 17 min | Documentary, Short, War
Director: Frank P. Donovan | Stars: Marian Anderson, Tex Beneke, Perry Como, Tommy Dorsey
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