George White's Scandals (1945)

This Broadway revue is about two love affairs. The romance between the comedienne Joan Mason and Jack Evans of Boston is easily disturbed by Jack's cynical sister, Clara Belle Evans, who is... See full summary »

Director:

Felix E. Feist

Writers:

Hugh Wedlock Jr. (screenplay) (as Hugh Wedlock), Howard Snyder (screenplay)

Stars:

Joan Davis, Jack Haley, Phillip Terry

Cast

Credited cast:
Joan Davis	...	Joan Mason
Jack Haley	...	Jack Evans
Phillip Terry	...	Tom McGrath
Martha Holliday	...	Jill Martin
Ethel Smith	...	Hit Parade Swing Organist
Margaret Hamilton	...	Clarabelle Evans
Glenn Tryon	...	George White
Jane Greer	...	Billie Randall (as Bettejane Greer)
Audrey Young	...	Maxine Manner
Rose Murphy	...	Hilda - Joan's Maid
Fritz Feld	...	Montescu
Beverly Wills	...	Joan, as a Child
Gene Krupa	...	Gene Krupa (as Gene Krupa His Drums and His Band)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Effie Laird	...	Scrubwoman (scenes deleted)
Florence Lake	...	Mother (scenes deleted)

Storyline

This Broadway revue is about two love affairs. The romance between the comedienne Joan Mason and Jack Evans of Boston is easily disturbed by Jack's cynical sister, Clara Belle Evans, who is against their relationship. The romance between the wealthy British Jill Martin and Tom McGrath, the assistant to the impresario George White Brodway is a love hate relationship. Gene Krupa and his band keep, together with the virtuoso organist Ethel Smith, both couples dancing a lot.

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Plot Keywords:

revue | dancing | manhattan new york city | waiter | vaudeville | 

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Taglines:

Always a tradition on the stage...now a sensation on the screen!

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 February 1946 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

George White's Scandals of 1945

Company Credits

Production Co:

RKO Radio Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack Haley's and Margaret Hamilton's only screen appearance together other than The Wizard of Oz (1939).

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Goofs

In the nightclub early in the film, a waiter jumps from Joan's right to her left between shots.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are shown on curtains pulled on stage by ladies, as the ladies walk across stage.

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Connections

Featured in Make Mine Laughs (1949)

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Soundtracks

Who Killed Vaudeville?
(uncredited)
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Jack Yellen
Performed onstage by unidentified caped M.C., Joan Davis and Jack Haley

User Reviews

Escape to 1945

I gave this film "5" out of "10", but there's a caveat.

The movie itself might be described anywhere along the continuim, from "Awful" to "Excellent", depending on what the viewer is looking for. My rating is purely arbitrary.

It's total escapist fare, one of hundreds of films ground out during WWII to divert the American people from the horrors of war for an hour or two, and it must have done its job. It's certainly diverting.

But what it is, more than anything else, is a time capsule of the fashions, manners and mores of a particular time and place. It is the year 1945 preserved in amber, and it was completely dated by 1947.

From the showgirls in the musical numbers - pompadoured, lacquered and outrageously costumed in what looks like whatever the wardrobe department had left over, to the irrepressible Joan Davis dressed to the nines and beyond in shoulder pads, sequins and hair, hair, hair - this picture is a never-ending parade of "What Not to Wear", '40's style, and it's a hoot.

Add a couple of silly romantic sub-plots and the slinky Jane Greer as the backstage back-stabber, and you have the whole package. There's even leading man Phillip Terry - briefly married to Joan Crawford in real life, and the scene-stealing Margaret Hamilton thrown in for good measure. And believe me, anyone who can steal a scene from Joan Davis and Jack Haley in their prime is guilty of grand theft thespeus.

So there you have it. This one is not likely to show up on AFI's list of anything. If you're looking for a Golden Age musical, this isn't it. But if you're in the mood to spend a little time watching how your grandparents did it, this one's for you.