Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)

Director:

William A. Seiter

Writers:

Robert Ellis (writer)
Carole Landis (story)

Release Date:

17 March 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Musical | Romance | War

Plot:

Reenactments of actual USO experiences of its female stars entertaining troops overseas. |

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Uso Show | WWII | Number In Title

Cast

Kay Francis	...	Herself
Carole Landis	...	Herself
Martha Raye	...	Herself
Mitzi Mayfair	...	Herself
Jimmy Dorsey	...	Himself
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra	...	Themselves
John Harvey	...	Ted Warren
Phil Silvers	...	Eddie
Dick Haymes	...	Lt. Dick Ryan
Alice Faye	...	Herself
Betty Grable	...	Herself
Carmen Miranda	...	Herself
George Jessel	...	Himself / MC
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eddie Acuff	...	Sentry (scenes deleted)
Renee Carson	...	Swedish maid (scenes deleted)
Edith Evanson	...	French maid (scenes deleted)
Mary Field	...	Maid (scenes deleted)
Betty Roadman	...	Housekeeper (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

USA:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Sweden:15

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

Five songs were dropped from the release print: "Coming in on a Wing and a Prayer" (music by Jimmy McHugh, lyrics by Harold Adamson), sung with a bit of comedy by Martha Raye; the slightly risqué "SNAFU" (music by McHugh, lyrics by Adamson), sung and danced by Martha Raye, Carole Landis and Mitzi Mayfair; "It's the Old Army Game" (music by McHugh, lyrics by Adamson), performed by Kay Francis (reciting rather than singing while supposedly playing the piano), plus Raye, Landis and Mayfair; "Silent Night" (music by Franz Gruber, lyrics by 'Josef Mohr'); sung by Martha Raye; and "Mama Yo Quiero" (music by Vicente Paiva, lyrics by Jararaca), sung and danced by Carmen Miranda. All five songs as filmed still exist.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hidden Hollywood II: More Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Vaults (1997) (TV)

Soundtrack:

How Blue the Night

1940's Nostalgia

Four Jills In A Jeep in based loosely on the true story of a USO unit which went overseas. Headed by Kay Francis, it also included Martha Raye, Carole Landis, and Mitzi Mayfair. In the movie version, there are romances which didn't really take place, plus all-too-frequent appearances by Phil Silvers as an Army sargeant who is their escort. This film also marked the first "official" appearance of Dick Haymes in a movie, although he actually appeared in a film earlier. As with USO type musicals of this period, there are specialty numbers by guest stars including Jimmy Dorsey and his band (in top form here), Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda, and Alice Faye, in one of her last films. She sings a heart rending version of "You'll Never Know" which make one realize what a beautiful song this really is, how much it meant to service men and women far from home, and what a jerk Englebert Humperdinck is for the way he sings it. The movie was also the last high water mark for the four leading actresses. Mitzi Mayfair never made another movie. Kay Francis made only two or three more before retiring. Carole Landis would suffer personal problems and die a few years later. Martha Raye moved on to a successful career in 1950's television, and twenty years later would entertain troops in Viet Nam in much the same way as she does here.