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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Genres:

Comedy | Musical

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adorables estrellas

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,568,000 (estimated)

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.

---

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.

---

Quotes

John Garfield: Let's just do it the way we did in rehearsals.
Eddie Cantor: But you'll be hiding my face!
John Garfield: [Shoves him against the wall] Is that bad?

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Connections

References Whoopee! (1930)

---

Soundtracks

Ice Cold Katy
(1943) (uncredited)
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Performed by Hattie McDaniel, Willie Best, Rita Christiani, Jess Lee Brooks and others
Reprised by McDaniel and others at the end

User Reviews

All-star wartime film is breezy fun thanks to Eddie Cantor's antics...

Before I comment on the film, I just have to say that Dinah Shore's songs in this film are as bad as the "bad" song Joan Leslie is supposed to have written. I think she called it "Moondust" or some such thing.

While the stars occasionally shine in this Warner Bros. musical tribute, it's Eddie Cantor who deserves the most praise for providing most of the laughs. Cantor's dual role as a taxicab driver and an Eddie Cantor lookalike gives him some hilarious moments as he helps Joan Leslie and Dennis Morgan crash the studio gates with his Cantor impersonation. The Warner stock company (including S.Z. Sakall, Edward Everett Horton and many others) is on hand in supporting roles while the stars are given some amusing skits to appear in.

Errol Flynn is amusing in a cockney song-and-dance routine in a pub, Bette Davis talk-sings her way through 'They're Either Too Young Or Too Old', Ida Lupino and Olivia de Havilland do a jive number, mugging outrageously while chewing gum and mouthing words to a song called 'The Dreamer', Dinah Shore warbles an undistinguished song or two, Alexis Smith dances with style and grace, Ann Sheridan does a rather tiresome song number and Jack Carson and Alan Hale struggle through a less than witty routine that defeats both of them.

Humphrey Bogart, John Garfield (obviously tone deaf when he renders "Blues in the Night") and Sydney Greenstreet make fleeting appearances. Hattie McDaniel appears in an unusual novelty number. As one reviewer pointed out, "It's more like amateur night at the studio." But thanks to Cantor, the perky charm of Joan Leslie despite some awful songs and the appealing Dennis Morgan, it all comes together--silly, but lots of fun. Must have been a big hit with the servicemen during the war years, but just don't expect Grade A entertainment.