Mister Big (1943)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Charles Lamont

Writers:

Dorothy Bennett (writer)
Jack Pollexfen (writer)

Release Date:

28 May 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

At the Davis School of the Theatre, ran by Jeremy Taswell, where teen-age kids study drama and the serious arts...

Cast

Donald O'Connor	...	Donald J. O'Connor, Esq.
Gloria Jean	...	Patricia
Peggy Ryan	...	Peggy
Robert Paige	...	Johnny Hanley
Elyse Knox	...	Alice Taswell
Samuel S. Hinds	...	Jeremy Taswell
Robert Scheerer	...	Bobby (as Bobby Scheerer)
Richard Stewart	...	Genius
Elinor Donahue	...	Muggsy (as Mary Eleanor Donahue)
Florence Bates	...	Mrs. Mary Davis
Ray Eberle	...	Himself, Ray Eberle
Eddie Miller	...	Leader, Eddie Miller's Bob Cats (as Eddie Miller's Bob Cats)
Ben Carter	...	Himself (leader, Ben Carter Choir) (as The Ben Carter Choir)
The Jivin' Jacks and Jills	...	Themselves, The Jivin' Jacks and Jills)
Irving Bacon	...	Jimmy, malt-shop proprietor

Also Known As:

School for Jive (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

64 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Sweden:Btl

Company:

Universal Pictures

Soundtrack:

Moonlight and Roses

Interesting "hep" movie

Originally titled, "School of Jive", this movie is one of the standard "Hep" musicals that were popular with the young crowd during the WW2 years. It features the popular Gloria Jean, Donald O'Connor, and Peggy Ryan in a swinging, breezy, upbeat production that runs at a frantic pace for the full 63 minutes.

The plot is simple: Teens, in a school that teaches the arts, would rather perform popular music of the day. They overcome their stuffy highbrow sponsor's objections by performing a Swing musical instead of the classical work that's requested. Of course, the kids' version is a big success.

The movie features jazz and swing music, and popular bands of the era appear. A lot of the dialog, while dated to that day and age, is nonetheless entertaining. O'Connor and Ryan are their usual energetic selves and, of course, perform their zany songs and dances. Gloria Jean is charming as always and sings beautifully. Several other kids and adults perform as well, including a very talented six-year-old Elinor Donahue (who later played Betty in "Father Knows Best" and has many other TV and screen credits).

I haven't seen this movie on TV for over 25 years, and it's hard to find a good copy of it. However, you can buy a quality copy of it from Gloria Jean herself at her website. IMDb policies forbid the posting of URL's, but you can find her site by using your favorite search engine and her full name of "Gloria Jean Schoonover".