Higher and Higher (1943)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Tim Whelan

Writers:

Gladys Hurlbut (book) and
Joshua Logan (book) ...

Release Date:

December 1943 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Romance

Plot:

With their employer bankrupt, servants scheme to marry maid Millie to a rich husband. But Frank Sinatra lives across the street...

Plot Keywords:

Maid | Servant | Debutante | Singer | Male Female Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Michèle Morgan	...	Millie Pico (as Michele Morgan)
Jack Haley	...	Mike O'Brien
Frank Sinatra	...	Frank
Leon Errol	...	Cyrus Drake
Marcy McGuire	...	Mickey
Victor Borge	...	Sir Victor Fitzroy Victor
Mary Wickes	...	Sandy Brooks
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Mrs. Georgia Keating
Barbara Hale	...	Katherine Keating
Mel Tormé	...	Marty (as Mel Torme)
Paul Hartman	...	Byngham (as Paul)
Grace Hartman	...	Hilda
Dooley Wilson	...	Oscar
Ivy Scott	...	Mrs. Whiffin

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Iceland:L | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (PCA #9545)

Company:

RKO Radio Pictures

Trivia:

RKO purchased the rights to the play for $15,000, specifically to star Frank Sinatra, and the four songs he sings by Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson were written to accommodate his singing style. He was billed third because the contracts with Michèle Morgan's and Jack Haley's prevented higher billing.

Quotes:

Cyrus Drake: Would you say I was inebriated last night?
Byngham: Oh no, sir. Although you did have Whiffen cook you six pancakes and you spent an hour trying to play them on the Victrola.
Cyrus Drake: Mmm...how'd they sound?
Byngham: Much better after you put the syrup on.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Magnavox Presents Frank Sinatra (1973) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Saw You First

This may not be the greatest movie ever made but......

This may not be one of the best movies ever made but overall it's a very enjoyable, light-hearted piece of froth in which everyone involved seems to be having a good time. Highly recommended for it's feel-good factor alone. OK, so Frank Sinatra's "acting" leaves a lot to be desired but his singing is a great redeeming feature and the songs fit in perfectly with the romantic atmosphere of the film. Sinatra went on to make many more films where his undoubted acting ability shone through but in this, his first venture into Hollywood, his voice, not his acting, is his main contribution to this movie. I've just watched it again on TV and it still lifts my mood as much as it did the first time I saw it many many years ago.