Carolina Blues (1944)

Band Leader Kay Kyser wants to take a holiday, but his publicist Charlotte has promised that he'll give a concert for defense plant workers. Due to the fact that his vocalist has quit to ... See full summary »

Director:

Leigh Jason

Writers:

M.M. Musselman (story), Kenneth Earl (story),

Stars:

Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Kay Kyser	...	Kay Kyser
Ann Miller	...	Julie Carver
Victor Moore	...	Phineas / Elliott / Hiriam / Horatio / Aunt Martha / Aunt Minerva Carver
Jeff Donnell	...	Charlotte Barton
Howard Freeman	...	Tom Gordon
Georgia Carroll	...	Band Singer
M.A. Bogue	...	Ish Kabibble (as Ish Kabibble)
Harry Babbitt	...	Band Member
Sully Mason	...	Band Member
Harold Nicholas	...	Dance Specialty
The Christianis	...	Acrobatic Specialty
The Layson Brothers	...	Specialty
The Four Step Brothers	...	Tap Dance Specialty Quartette
Kay Kyser Band	...	Kay Kyser Band (as Kay Kyser's Band)

Storyline

Band Leader Kay Kyser wants to take a holiday, but his publicist Charlotte has promised that he'll give a concert for defense plant workers. Due to the fact that his vocalist has quit to get married, the plant owner's daughter Julie sings instead. But Kay dislikes her idea of joining the band.

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Plot Keywords:

worker | defense plant | racial stereotype | limousine | acrobat | 

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Taglines:

6 SWELL NEW SONG HITS!

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Genres:

Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Idílio Sincopado

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the film's plot, Georgia Carroll (playing herself) threatens to leave the Kay Kyser band to marry a servicemember, thereby forcing him to hire a replacement. In real life, after replacing Ginny Simms in Kyser's band, Carroll did indeed get married - to Kay Kyser.

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Soundtracks

"Thanks a Lot"
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Sung and Danced by Ann Miller

User Reviews

Not Up to Kyser Par, but Has Some Good Points

The best part of "Carolina Blues" is the title music, a very swinging instrumental of "There Goes That Song Again", ending with a close-up of Kay conducting his band. Story line is not all that compelling, and Victor Moore's comedic contributions are many and mostly ineffective(however, he WAS pushing 70 at the time, so the physical bit he tries to do, I'm sure, was quite difficult). A plus is the several accurate references to Kay's hometown of Rocky Mount and surrounding areas, along with playing a show in a local tobacco warehouse. In eastern North Carolina, on the too-rare occasion that a big band did come to town, tobacco warehouses were just about the only facilities big enough to host their dances. According to Steven Beasley's new book on Kay, Kyser himself did play a date at a tobacco warehouse in Rocky Mount, 4 years earlier, as part of that town hosting the world premiere of his first movie, "That's Right, You're Wrong". So, there is a bit of a thrill for this eastern Nawth Cahlinian in hearing places and things from our neck of the woods mentioned in a movie.