Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)

Two producers are putting together a wartime charity show with an all-star cast but the egotism of radio personality Eddie Cantor disrupts their plans.

Director:

David Butler

Writers:

Norman Panama (screen play), Melvin Frank (screen play)

Stars:

Eddie Cantor, Dennis Morgan, Humphrey Bogart

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Humphrey Bogart	...	Humphrey Bogart
Eddie Cantor	...	Eddie Cantor / Joe Simpson
Bette Davis	...	Bette Davis
Olivia de Havilland	...	Olivia de Havilland
Errol Flynn	...	Errol Flynn
John Garfield	...	John Garfield
Joan Leslie	...	Pat Dixon
Ida Lupino	...	Ida Lupino
Dennis Morgan	...	Tommy Randolph
Ann Sheridan	...	Ann Sheridan
Dinah Shore	...	Dinah Shore
Alexis Smith	...	Alexis Smith
Jack Carson	...	Jack Carson
Alan Hale	...	Alan Hale
George Tobias	...	George Tobias

Storyline

Two producers are putting together a Calvacade of Stars for a wartime charity show. Along with a list of well-knowns they promote the work of an unknown singer and songwriter.

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Plot Keywords:

dual role | theater | stage door | song writer | song and dance | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adorables estrellas

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min (Turner library print) (copyright length)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bette Davis insisted Warner's studio boss Jack L. Warner contribute the profits from this film to the war effort.

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Goofs

In one of the scenes where Eddie Cantor, dressed as an American Indian, is being chased by other men dressed as American Indians, the film negative has been flipped - you can see the signs on store windows are clearly backward/mirror images of what they are supposed to read.

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Quotes

Dr. Kirby: Ah, my favorite scalpel. Who's the patient?
Nurse Hamilton: Eddie Cantor.
Dr. Kirby: Ha-ha-ha-ha! Start the anesthetic.

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Crazy Credits

At the end, the words "THE END" are sewn into the curtains.

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Connections

Featured in Arena: Bette Davis: A Basically Benevolent Volcano (1983)

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Soundtracks

We're Staying Home Tonight
(1943) (uncredited)
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Performed by Eddie Cantor
Reprised by him at the end

User Reviews

Discovering Eddie Cantor

Cantor was one of the biggest stars of his time. And this WW-II extravaganza showcases his comedy talents playing himself and a look-alike cab driver. Dennis Morgan and Joan Leslie are the lovers, Dinah Shore gets a big buildup but her songs are drippy and awful. Edward Everett Horton and S.Z. Sakall are fun as the guys running the Cavalcade that Cantor forces himself into. Humphrey Bogart does a limp cameo, and big Warners stars appear in a series of funny stage numbers. Bette Davis, Ann Sheridan, and Errol Flynn sing; Olivia de Havilland and Ida Lupino do a jive number; Hattie McDaniel sings in a Harlem number; Jack Carson and Alan Hale do an old-time Vaudeville number; Alexis Smith dances; Spike Jones does a novelty number; John Garfield sings on Cantor's radio show, etc. But aside from seeing these big stars, it's Eddie Cantor who makes this worthwhile. A HUGE stage, movie, and radio star, Cantor is wonderful lampooning himself (a la Bob Hope) and playing the nebbish cabbie (a la Woody Allen). While many of his Broadway contemporaries never quite made it in films (Sophie Tucker, Fannie Brice, George Jessell, Al Jolson, Marilyn Miller), Cantor's starring film career lasted almost 20 years, dating from the smash hit Whoopie! in 1930; his radio career lasted 30 years. Cantor is sadly forgotten now, but he was such a big star he won a special Oscar for his film work and his humanitarian efforts.