Step Lively (1944)

Gordon Miller is rehearsing a musical comedy in the penthouse suite of Gribble's hotel...on credit. The mounting bill is driving Gribble frantic. Chaos increases when playwright Glen ... See full summary »

Director:

Tim Whelan

Writers:

Warren Duff (screenplay), Peter Milne (screenplay)

Stars:

Adolphe Menjou, George Murphy, Frank Sinatra

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Adolphe Menjou	...	Wagner
George Murphy	...	Gordon Miller
Frank Sinatra	...	Glenn Russell
Gloria DeHaven	...	Christine Marlowe
Walter Slezak	...	Joe Gribble
Eugene Pallette	...	Simon Jenkins
Wally Brown	...	Binion
Alan Carney	...	Harry
Grant Mitchell	...	Dr. Gibbs
Anne Jeffreys	...	Miss Abbott

Storyline

Gordon Miller is rehearsing a musical comedy in the penthouse suite of Gribble's hotel...on credit. The mounting bill is driving Gribble frantic. Chaos increases when playwright Glen Russell, whose dramatic play he thinks Miller is producing, arrives. But it turns out Russell can sing like Sinatra, and Miller has leading lady Christine turn on the charm. Can Miller's crazed machinations save the show?

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Plot Keywords:

crooner | swooning | hep cat | solid jackson | song | 

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Taglines:

It's Fun!

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 January 1945 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Amor, Música e Sarilhos

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is a musical rendering of the Broadway play, 'Room Service' which was also filmed and, later, performed on television.

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Goofs

In the opening scene in the hotel lobby, there are three consecutive shots of a bellboy carrying a stack of packages where the position of the flowers sticking out of a long package reverses from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Joe Gribble: They're not human beings! They're... actors!

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Zombies on Broadway (2017)

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Soundtracks

SOME OTHER TIME
Music by Jule Styne
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Performed by Frank Sinatra and Gloria DeHaven

User Reviews

lively musicalized Room Service

"Step Lively" from 1944 is a fun, energetic musical, based on the play Room Service. It's the story of a broke producer, Gordon Miller (George Murphy) housing his actors in a hotel. The actors sign for everything to the consternation of the manager (Walter Slezak), who has to answer to the owner (Adolphe Menjou). Miller has an investor on the line but with no money yet, he has to keep making promises he can't keep.

Along comes Glenn Russell (Frank Sinatra), a serious playwright who sent Miller his script and $1500 so it could be produced. Miller hasn't produced the play, and he doesn't have the $1500. He is charmed by Miller's girlfriend and star of Miller's show, Christine (Gloria de Haven). And at dinner that evening, after watching Christine's show at the hotel, guess what, Glenn Russell sings like Sinatra! The next day, Miller stages a fake rehearsal of what is an awful play, and the man representing the potential backer (Eugene Palette) sees that rehearsal with the benefactor's girlfriend, a Miss Abbott (Anne Jeffries) and is not impressed. As a diversion, Christine has Glenn sing through a song. Abbott falls in love, and it at last looks like Miller will get his investor.

This is a charming musical with a great young cast. It's easy to see why girls were mad over Sinatra - skinny, his suits just a little too big, those huge eyes, gentle manner and romantic singing voice - he is captivating. He sings "Where Does Love Begin," "As Long as There's Music," "Some Other Time," and "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You are," some with the pretty De Haven, who does a lovely job. Walter Slezak is a scream as the put-upon Gribble, and Menjou is appropriately grumpy as the owner of the hotel.

Anne Jeffries is stunning, as she remains today, but I'm curious if her age could possibly be correct. She was supposedly born in 1923 to De Haven's 1925; that makes De Haven 19 in this film and Jeffries 21. I doubt it. The woman defies gravity, age, and everything else and if she's even older than 87 - wow! Lots of fun and nice to see the immature, sweet version of "Frankie."