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:

Passed

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

Nurse Hamilton: [regarding Cantor] According to his pulse, he's been dead for 43 weeks.

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Crazy Credits

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

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Bette Davis/Martin Short (1988)

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Soundtracks

Love Isn't Born (It's Made)
(1943) (uncredited)
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Performed by Ann Sheridan and chorus girls
Reprised by her at the end

User Reviews

Your favorite WB stars go vaudeville!

See all of your favorite 1940s Warner Bros. stars as you've never seen them before!

This star-studded WWII morale-booster is not unlike similar star-studded WWII morale-boosters put out by other studios, featuring the big names in brief cameos sprinkled throughout a thin "let's put on a benefit" plot. Here the WB stars perform little vaudeville sketches, singing and dancing, as part of a charity show. And we're talking some big names here: Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, John Garfield, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan, Jack Carson, etc.

The real star, however, is Eddie Cantor. Much of the movie is about how annoying and overbearing Cantor is, with Cantor in a dual role as both a parody of himself and his resentful look-alike. In an exhibit of good-humored self-deprecation, Cantor allows his name to be dragged through the mud by critics of his corny jokes and swollen ego (his alternate character among them). As one character or the other Cantor moves the screwy plot along.

This movie is simply a star-studded, feel-good musical. And it is a lot of fun. The stars who really shine in this are John Garfield, Bette Davis, and Cantor. Dinah Shore is featured prominently in her first screen appearance and we even get to see Spike Jones and His City Slickers in action. Errol Flynn has a nice number and Alexis Smith shows off her dancing background. S.Z. Sakall is hilarious as always and the young romantic couple (Joan Leslie and Dennis Morgan) make sure to plug recent WB successes. (Leslie lets go with impressions of Lupino and James Cagney.)

It's interesting, in the scene where Olivia de Havilland and Ida Lupino dance on either side of George Tobias (in a slightly awkward jive routine), to note the contrast in the actresses' performances. Both de Havilland and Lupino are in the frame, basically playing clones of each other. But it seems like de Havilland just put so much more into her performance, particularly with her facial expressions.

It's a treat to see all of these stars in one movie and it's a treat to see them do something fun and different. The songs won't always blow you away, but they're pleasant enough. The finale is a medley of all the songs we've heard, with the welcome return of the stars we've seen. It's a fitting cap to the viewer's journey, and should leave everyone in a good mood. I think I liked the music more after hearing it all reprised in the finale.

Top-billed Humphrey Bogart has about a minute of screen time and, though he leaves an impression, he doesn't do any singing or dancing.

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