Thousands Cheer (1943)

Acrobat Eddie Marsh is in the army now. His first act is to become friendly with Kathryn Jones, the colonel's pretty daughter. Their romance hits a few snags, including disapproval from her... See full summary »

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

Paul Jarrico (story), Richard Collins (story),

Stars:

Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly, Mary Astor

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kathryn Grayson	...	Kathryn Jones
Gene Kelly	...	Private Eddie Marsh
Mary Astor	...	Hyllary Jones
John Boles	...	Colonel Bill Jones
Ben Blue	...	Chuck Polansky
Frances Rafferty	...	Marie Corbino
Mary Elliott	...	Helen Corbino
Frank Jenks	...	Sergeant Koslack
Frank Sully	...	Alan
Dick Simmons	...	Captain Fred Avery
Ben Lessy	...	Silent Monk
Mickey Rooney	...	Emcee at the Show
Judy Garland	...	Judy Garland
Red Skelton	...	Red Skelton
Eleanor Powell	...	Eleanor Powell

Storyline

Acrobat Eddie Marsh is in the army now. His first act is to become friendly with Kathryn Jones, the colonel's pretty daughter. Their romance hits a few snags, including disapproval from her father. Eddie's also plagued by fear of having an accident during his family's trapeze act in the army variety show, which also features a gallery of MGM stars.

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Plot Keywords:

acrobat | variety | show | court martial | elephant | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

El desfile de las estrellas

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Eleanor Powell's number for this film was originally shot for "Broadway Melody of 1943," a project MGM abandoned before it was completed. "Broadway Melody of 1943" was to have co-starred Powell and Gene Kelly, who both appear in "Thousands Cheer" but are never seen together.

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Quotes

Private Eddie Marsh: They call me "The King of the High Trapeze"

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Connections

Spoofs Test Pilot (1938)

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Soundtracks

"Rica Pulpa"
(uncredited)
Music by Eliseo Grenet

User Reviews

A musical with lousy music

When I saw the cast, I really got my hopes up. But they were dashed and then some. I kept waiting for Gene Kelly to cut the rug, but he danced one measly scene. I like Katherine Grayson, but seriously, the material she had was nothing special. In fact, most of the songs were awful. The exception was Lena Horne's Honeysuckle Rose, but sitting through the rest of the movie was a high price to pay for one quality number. There were such great tunes written during wartime. Where were they? Compare with Irving Berlin's This is the Army. It doesn't. It was nice to see a young Gene Kelly show us he can act, as well as dance. If you like vintage musicals, there are much better ones.