One for the Book (1940)

On a desktop with many books, familiar characters in literature (such as Captain Kidd, Huckleberry Finn, Robinson Crusoe, and Rip Van Winkle) come out of their books after dark. When the ... See full summary »

Director:

Roy Mack

Writers:

Cyrus Wood, Eddie Forman

Stars:

Betty Hutton, Hal Sherman, Miriam Grahame

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Betty Hutton	...	Cinderella
Hal Sherman	...	Joe Miller
Miriam Grahame	...	Book Character
Beaus & Belles	...	Book Characters
Gae Foster Girls	...	Dancing Ensemble

Storyline

On a desktop with many books, familiar characters in literature (such as Captain Kidd, Huckleberry Finn, Robinson Crusoe, and Rip Van Winkle) come out of their books after dark. When the book "Minstrel Days" is placed on the desk, the people who emerge from this book put on an old fashioned minstrel show, with comedians, an orchestra, chorus, and dancing girls.

---

Plot Keywords:

book | minstrel | rip van winkle | dancing | minstrel show | 

---

Genres:

Short | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Broadway Brevities: One for the Book

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vitaphone Corporation, The, Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

18 min 18 min (TCM print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vitaphone production reels #B224-225.

---

Soundtracks

"The Glad Girl"
(uncredited)
Music by J. Bodewalt Lampe
Danced by Hal Sherman during Joe Miller's dance

User Reviews

Decent If Old Fashioned

One for the Book (1940)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Decent musical from Warner features Betty Hutton playing a singing Cinderella. The film takes place on a book shelf where several famous characters come out of the books for some nice music. Captain Kidd, Huck Finn, Ben-Hur, Rip Van Winkle and Robinson Crusoe are a few of the other characters who show up. Fans of Hutton will certainly want to check this short out as she clearly steals the film with her Jitterbug singing that really packs a nice punch and makes for a fun time. The story itself doesn't make a bit of sense and at times gets downright confusing but we can overlook this. Some will probably be offended by the politically incorrect humor, which includes actors in blackface talking black slang. Having seen enough of this humor, I know this is just a part of film history so I don't get offended by it even though it's incredibly out of touch with today's common sense. With that said, it really brings the film down because the humor is just lame and not funny at all.