Up in Arms (1944) User Reviews

An impressive start

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 16 May 2014]

For his debut film Danny Kaye was given an impressive production for a typical service comedy, a little more than most got during wartime years. Sam Goldwyn was a man who never did anything by halves and Kaye's stardom was assured. Kaye's so funny that you might not notice that the plot was taken and used the following year by MGM for Anchors Aweigh.

If you can wrap yourself around the concept that Dana Andrews would want to pal around with hypochondriac Danny Kaye than you'll find this a very funny film. As with so many others the Selective Service didn't find any one of Kaye's thousand or so ailments reason enough to keep him out of World War II.

A couple of nurses played by Dinah Shore and Constance Dowling are in the cast. Kaye is absolutely bug eyed over Dowling, but it's Andrews that she likes. In the meantime Dinah Shore who has a couple of good songs to sing can't get Kaye to notice her.

Up In Arms got two Oscar nominations for Best Musical Scoring and for Dinah Shore's song Now I Know. Personally I've always liked Tess's Torch Song which you can hear her perform in this film. But the real treat are Kaye's patter numbers done by Max Liebman and Mrs. Danny Kaye Sylvia Fine. The Melody in 4-F is a classic and loved by all of Danny Kaye's fans.

This was the start of a great comic career and an impressive start at that.

Window opens on multi-talented Danny Kaye

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 27 November 2014]

Other reviewers have noted that "Up in Arms" was the first major movie that launched Danny Kaye's star. It certainly is a foretaste of the versatile Kaye's many talents. It includes a couple tongue-twister sequences, a couple of other language impersonations, and just a little song and dance. But, none of these are at the accomplished level Kaye would reach and show in films that followed. What he is good at in this career opener, he is fantastic at in films such as "The Inspector General" of 1949, "On the Riviera" of 1951, "Knock on Wood" of 1954, and "The Court Jester" of 1955.

Venues to showcase talents like Kaye don't have to have great plots. Films such as this are good and enjoyable just for the entertainment of the star or stars. But, when films also have interesting stories, they often click better and enhance the viewing enjoyment. At least I find that so in Kaye films. With much better scripts in those later movies, he moved more naturally and smoothly into his tongue twisters, impersonations, or song and dance numbers.

"Up in Arms" doesn't have a very solid plot. So, it seemed to me a number of times that the producers forced the next Kaye sequence on us. Like an old-fashioned entertainment break between scenes in an otherwise not-too-good stage show. Those few who praise this film as among Kaye's best had best watch again those films I named above. His impersonations, tongue twisters, and song and dance advanced remarkably in just a few years as he perfected his talents in each of these fields. Still, it is his comic performance alone that earns this movie seven stars in my book. Dinah Shore's singing supported the film some, but otherwise I think the cast was lackluster. Dana Andrews had more than a dozen movies under his belt, and would rise to become a leading man and male co-star in many films of the late 1940s and 1950s. But, he did not fit in comedies or musicals. He's clearly out of place here.

One other thing that struck me, with the rich Technicolor for such an early film, was the makeup worn by the ladies. In the musical scene with everyone boarding a ship, all the WAC nurses line up along the ship railing. As the camera pans their pretty faces, their heavy use of makeup really stands out. That may have been a sign of the times, and I appreciate the lesser use of pancake makeup in modern days. Our sharp lenses and cameras can give us very close shots that show the natural beauty of the human face. I think the pancake would be obvious and not very enticing.

Not Danny's Best

[MissMellieY · 6/10 · 16 December 2005]

This is not Danny Kaye's best effort. That would be The Court Jester, as far as I am concerned. This movie was badly written. It wasn't horribly acted but the actors weren't given anything much to work with. Danny deserved better and so did Dinah Shore. She should have been a much bigger movie star than she was. She was very talented and had excellent screen presence. Too bad this movie is one of her few movies.

At the end of the day, don't waste your time. If you want to see GOOD Danny Kaye movies, find The Court Jester, The Inspector General, White Christmas...or his dramas The Five Pennies or Skokie. He was a brilliant comedian AND dramatic actor. Don't use this movie as an example of his best work.

A fun old fashioned musical comedy

[douglashansen66 · 22 January 2007]

I remember seeing Up In Arms on TV when I was a young boy and found it thoroughly entertaining. I remember so much of it as if I'd just seen it and now it's been at least ten years.

The story concerns a hypochondriac (Danny) who gets drafted despite his terrible perceived problems. Along the way he hitches up with his friend Joe(Dana Andrews), Dinah Shore in one of her better roles and Constance Cummings. I'll not tell you which girl Danny gets but this is the movie that has his famous spoof on the movies of the time. It's his incredible "Lobby Number" which precedes to get him and his friends "escorted" out of the movie theater before the show even starts.

There is also a great Technicolor musical number towards the end of the film "Tess's Torch Song" with Danny and Dinah. It's a swingy, torchy, blues of a thing that has always left me smiling. Sure it's a fluff of a movie but that's what many pictures were in those days.

So if you wish to escape reality and go along for a tuneful and comedic ride, just get Up In Arms. Personally I'd jump at a box set of Danny Kaye DVD's. I don't understand why the Inspector General gets a release but Up In Arms, Knock On Wood and the Kid From Brooklyn are left in VHS form. These are some enjoyable movies and truly highlight Danny Kaye's knock out entertaining.

Danny Kaye at his singularly irritating worst......

[661jda · 2/10 · 25 October 2020]

This is a picture that doesn't know what it wants to be. It's released in 1944 so is it a comedy? Is it a war film? Is it patriotic drivel? IT IS Danny Kaye being so irritating that I would welcome fingernails on a chalk board. Kaye plays an idiot/klutz who is a hypochondriac in love with a girl that his roommate eventually falls in love with. Now why a stud like Dana Andrews would hang with Kaye is beyond me. Some of the very improbably situations is singing in the middle of a theatre lobby. 160 "Goldwyn Girls" who play nurses and they share the same ship Kaye and all the other soldiers. When they board the ship, all the other soldiers are in line for one gangplank singing while the "Goldwyn Girls and Kaye get exclusive access to a separate gangplank. Then the nurses have their own club med on the upper deck. Not to mention that they smuggle 1 nurse on board that doesn't belong there. How come no one is concerned with her going AWOL? Danny Kaye was good in films like WHITE CHRISTMAS, MERRY ANDREW and HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON. This is NOT memorable Kaye - while I rated this 2 stars, this is a 5 aspirin movie. When this is available, make sure your DVR is set to "erase".

A rare talent at work, and if you've not seen it, then hurry up!

[moose-51 · 10/10 · 25 June 1999]

This is only the second Danny Kaye film I've had the pleasure of watching, and he certainly didn't disappoint. The scene at the beginning of the film is fantastic, and Kaye's outstanding ability to tongue-twist in a song mixed in a conversation is hilarious! It has a lovely plot and Kaye steals every scene, from his serious romantic side, to his outrageous physical comedy. There are loads of brilliant one liners in there from Kaye, and his character being a hypochondriac just adds to the enjoyment! If you haven't seen this film yet, then what are you waiting for?!

I Was Up in Arms After Seeing this Picture *

[edwagreen · 1/10 · 26 June 2006]

A colossal Danny Kaye bomb.

It's amazing that Danny's film career went anywhere after a film as miserable as this. This was not the film to showcase his talents.

Dana Andrews was not for musicals. It was as simple as that. He played his sidekick in this and was Jeanne Crain's love interest in "State Fair." Andrews hit his stride in "The Best Years of Our Lives."

Danny is a severe hypochondriac in this film. He gets drafted and loves Constance Dowling who doesn't have the heart to tell him that it's Andrews who is her love interest. Dinah Shore, as Virginia, loves Danny but he can't see it.

General mayhem develops when all 4 of the characters are on the ship and Dowling becomes a castaway by accident.

Look for Margaret Dumont in 2 brief scenes. I guess she was taking a respite from the Marx Brothers. She is not even at her gawky best here.

Also miscast are Louie Calhern and Lyle Talbot, both wonderful character actors, who have little to do here and are wasted.

Dinah sings nicely and I guess that she and Kaye make a nice Jewish couple. That's about it.

My all-time favourite comedy-musical!

[classickai · 10/10 · 7 December 2002]

The first Danny Kaye vehicle, this film still has the power to make me laugh. The action revolves around a hypochondriac named Danny Weems who is hopelessly in love with a beautiful nurse named Mary (played by the lovely Constance Dowling) at the hospital he works as a doorman at, while completely unaware of the attentions of her multi-talented best friend and fellow nurse, Virginia (played by the talented Dinah Shore, a singer known to those alive in the '70s as the host of "Dinah! & Friends"). Meanwhile, Danny introduces his handsome roommate Joe to Virginia, but Joe and Mary end up hitting it off, though Danny is completely oblivious to it all.

This movie was contemporary with World War II, of course, and the real action begins when Danny is drafted by the U.S. Army despite the multiple ailments he believes he has. Joe joins up along with him, and -- of course -- the two nurses join up as well. And the movie goes along from there.

As with Kaye's other well-known movies, "Up In Arms" is a virtual showcase of his comedic talents when they were still very fresh and seemingly spontaneous. The musical numbers are particularly enjoyable.

This is a film one needs to see if one needs a good, clean laugh. I saw this movie as a kid a decade ago when I was home from school and sick, and Danny Kaye kept me laughing throughout the whole thing -- it definitely made me forget my troubles.

The only downside to this film is the stereotypical characterisation of the Japanese soldiers seen near the end, but the viewer must remember when this film was made, and that wartime propaganda like this was common. In comparison to others from that era, the comedy is fairly tame.

My rating for this movie is 10 out of 10. They truly don't make them like this any more.

A hilarious, supremely entertaining film

[cjprentiss · 10/10 · 11 April 2005]

One of the funniest movies of all-time. Danny Kaye's first film. Catapulted him from a virtual unknown to an international super-star. Two songs co-authored by his wife, Sylvia Fine, did the trick for him: "The Lobby Number" and "Melody In 4-F." These two songs put Danny's virtuoso tongue-twisting genius on full display. Danny Kaye plays a hypochondriac who is drafted into the Army in World War II and ends up single-handedly capturing a platoon of Japanese soldiers in the South Pacific while winning the heart of beautiful songstress Dinah Shore. Now, 60 years later, the film remains thoroughly enjoyable, and no other entertainer has emerged who can equal Danny Kaye's extraordinary comedic talents. If I had to make a list of the 10 funniest films ever made, "Up In Arms" would surely be on that list.

Dated but Still Delightful

[dunkiin · 8/10 · 23 January 2006]

This recently showed on Turner Classic Movies and I was lucky enough to catch most of it. The film is old and features some cartoonesque lampooning of racial stereotypes (especially the Japanese, but hey it was made in 1944 - do the math), but nothing as offensive as incidental references made in the modern media. Danny Kaye's antics had me in stitches and the ladies are still lovely despite the age of the material - the song-and-dance silly humor is unlike anything you'll find in Hollywood these days but was quite fitting at the time. Overall it was highly entertaining and I would not mind watching it again either alone or with company.

Not Only Funny -- But Psychedelic FreakyWeird: Way Ahead of Its Time

[kent-wicker · 8/10 · 25 June 2006]

I just saw this for the first time. I'm an old Danny Kaye fan -- grew up with Court Jester & other DK films; always appreciated his particular genius.

I only saw the second half of this film -- but it just blew me away. Of course, it already features the trademark Danny Kaye combination of showmanship, clowning, doe-eyed sincerity, patter-songs and absolutely beautiful vocal control that others mention here. And that is truly impressive. Also impressive in this film is the playing with gender, which is something DK could always get away with, but here comes out as particularly hyper and intense.

But what really shocked me was how ahead of its time this film was. Made during WWII, and absolutely full of patriotism and wartime idealism, all somehow mixed together with the idealism of romance and home and family, this was clearly a 1944 deal, with fake-looking classic Hollywood sound stage warships and sea scenes. But it looks much more like something out of 1955 or, God help us, 1966.

They don't really hide from that sound-set fakeness, esp. in the truly weird dream sequences, and the whole thing ends up looking more like Bob Fosse than the WWII propaganda film it's also trying to be. These sequences feature sets and costumes in co-ordinated "hot" pastels, a bartender-cum-minister-cum-scat singer, and I kid you not a bright sky blue goat. This segues into a scene with intense women in skimpy black clothing (think Robt Palmer's "Addicted to Love" video from the 1980s meets a 1890's bordello), some of whom are mounted/pinned/crucifed on trees/crosses/black wings set on poles.

In front of this, Danny Kaye in a devilish red suit does some of the most pure and outrageous absurdities I have EVER seen him do -- phasing in and out like the young Robin Williams on cocaine, switching into and out of a pastiche of popular song styles, slang, scat and African-American impersonation as if he were a black guy pretending to be a white guy pretending to be a black guy pretending to be a black guy. (In most of this, he is echoed capably -- but not brilliantly -- by Dinah Shore.) He is manic and brilliant and so very American and post-modern.

He is also incredibly young, and looks quite a bit like some manic, visionary rock star of today. (He resembles a bit the young Sting or Billy Idol.) And esp. in those fantasy scenes, the intensity combined with the costuming and showmanship made me realize that DK can be seen in that line of intense musical innovators/showmen that includes Prince and probably Jack White of the White Stripes.

Got me hooked on Danny Kaye

[lena-30 · 10/10 · 20 November 2000]

I have no idea why the rating for this film is so low! This was the first Kaye film I saw and, now after having seen most of his others it's still my favorite.

I had this preconception about Danny Kaye that he just made some early, cheesy musicals. Well, that is kinda true... but he is such an amazing, funny performer! One of my new favorites. Who woulda thunk it.

worth the watch !

[patriciafruge · 8/10 · 16 December 2005]

this is an old movie and looks really great now in color, looks like they remastered it? i read a comment about the movie and the fellow really did not like the film, said unless you were a Danny Kaye fan it was bad. NOT SO !! and that fellow had the gals reversed. Danny was in love with Mary and Virginia wanted him. poor friend Joe, he was stuck there somewhere in the middle. this is just one of those funny old movies that take place when the war was the biggest deal ever. this is one of those feel good movies that proves what good friends some people have in their time of need, whatever their need is. the film is worth a watch if you like old films that are funny, plus Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore both sing. take a chance, we really enjoyed it !!

I just got up off the ground laughing

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 22 January 2006]

As a general Rule, I hate Hollywood musicals - Certain Musicals. This is just my personal taste and no offense to those who love musicals. Mostly because, and I bet a lot of people will agree with me, the music is just badly written. Always there are exceptions to the rule, and one of those being Danny Kaye (Another being Kay Kaiser).

The Technicolor on this is just fantastic and the music and lyrics are of the best of the Danny Kaye films. It is a great comedy on it's own having a pretty hilarious premise and several incidents that have you howling in laughter even after 60 years or so. Danny Kaye is a dailectition of superb talent, and his fake Scottish in this movie is hilarious.

Finally, Danny Kaye was a Musical genius, and I do not know any other entertainer who could use his flapper and a musical instrument as well. I have laughed Long Hours due to this guy all through my life, even if I have seen the film several times! Hahaha! Dinah Shore has a real swell number as well- Kind of in the middle of the film. I like Dinah Shore as his "leading lady" - I like how she is dressed, I love the sharp shoulders on her costumes, she was about as odd as he was. And this oddity is what made this film so classic. His most beautiful leading lady was always Virginia Mayo, but Shore is really funny and so it is a good match up.

Of course there is the Danny Kaye­™ "Dream Sequence" and this one is fantastic. I love the flaming Women Torches- Goldwyn always made a little mini production out of those sequences. I don't know if Danny himself suggested these, but several of his movies have them and "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" Practically consists of them. Wonder Man is another. So of course "Up in Arms" has a couple very good imagination sequences like that, including the ending.

But nothing is as good as Kaye standing in front of a full Orchestra, dementing the music. This film has one scene in particular, where you can certainly say, that music, used as a comedy tool, works very well.

What's that clicking in your throat?

[rmax304823 · 8/10 · 21 December 2005]

This is about as corny as they come. Everybody's so -- NICE. Danny Kaye is a shy elevator operator. Dinah Shore is a nurse who loves him. Constance Dowling is the girl Danny Kaye thinks he loves, but when she meets Danny's roommate, Dana Andrews, they fall for one another. (During a scene involving a horse-drawn milk wagon -- those were the days.) They all wind up in the Army and are sent to the Pacific. Danny accidentally becomes a hero. He winds up with Dinah, and Constance winds up with Dana. Everybody lives happily ever after.

The whole thing was shot in an MGM studio and looks entirely phony.

I love it. I used to watch it repeatedly with my kid when he was about ten. We had practically all the dialog memorized. The hypochondriacal Kaye is taking a passenger in his elevator, down from a doctor's office to the lobby. The guy tells Kaye he's feeling just fine now and clears his throat a bit. "What's that clicking in your throat?" asks Kaye, backing away. By the time they reach the lobby the poor guy staggers out, his face pale, his hands clutched to his chest.

Well, no need to go on about this. It's a salubrious mixture of romance and comedy, with Kaye having to imitate a Scotsman and so forth, acquiring the reputation of a real lady's man and the nickname "The Purple Flash." His ridiculous song is in my opinion the funniest he's done on screen. We glean from the gibberish that he's been drafted and is trying to get out of it by offering all kinds of excuses to the draft board. In one of them -- I guess I can mention this, since it seemed to have slipped by the censors -- he's offering medical reasons why he should be exempt. Weeping piteously, still sputtering nonsense, he makes a pumping motion with his fist then points to his head and twirls his finger. At the end he falls off the stage into the band.

Just two more things, I swear, then I'll quit. Dinah Shore gets to sing and record a really lovely gelatinous 1940s ballad. What a marvelous voice she had, so on pitch, feminine, and full of feeling. The name of the song is "Now I Know." The lyricist should be drummed out of his professional society. Here -- as in the other one or two songs -- the lyrics are about as bad as they come. ("Ten million Yankees are standing PAT and the world knows THAT isn't hay!")

At any rate, Kaye takes the record and a forbidden record player on board the troopship, where he is harassed by most of the other soldiers, big tough specimens too. During one confrontation with them, the record starts playing and Kaye has to lip-synch the words while the others stare at him goggle-eyed. Finally, the stylus gets caught in a groove and Dinah Shore's voice repeats itself -- "Now I know....Now I know.....Now I know...." One of the soldiers, a suspicious and particularly feral brute, Blackie, slowly traces the music to its source, uncovers the record player and says in his working-class New York accent, "Now we BOTE know," and flings Kaye against the bulkhead.

It's an engaging movie, well worth catching if it's on, and suitable for family viewing. (Never mind that gesture during Kaye's gibberish song. I'm sure the practice flourishes but the causal meme has faded.)