Rosie the Riveter (1944)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Fresh and Exciting

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

There are women in the film, but none has anything you could call a personality.

This above average farce is Republic studio's comment on the housing shortage of the war years, a battle of the sexes comedy where each gender gives as good as they get. No namby pamby ladies the two female leads here: tough beauty Jane Frazee and tall, lanky Vera Vague, another member of the Mary Wickes school of wisecrack, with a tongue so sharp she could slice a roast beef with it. The two men trying to beat them to getting a room in vinegary Maude Eburne's already crowded home are Frank Albertsin and Frank Jenks who aren't beyond a bit of roughhousing to get the one available room before they claim it.Set in a war factory community where the women work the day shift and the men on the swing, this mixes music, comedy and a patriotic atmosphere all together where you might find yourself stewed from laughing. Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer is pretty grown up here, no more squeaky voice and actually quite good looking minus his freckles and standing strand of hair. Louise Erickson is a typical teenage girl, battling brother Switzer every chance she gets. Ellen Lowe plays their aunt, a discontented much married woman who is on the outs with her latest husband, making her room a target for Frazee and Vague, and a recurring gag throughout the film. Lloyd Corrigan is her sap of a husband who keeps letting her slip through his fingers.This is one of those wacky, improbable comedies that works strictly on the performances, pacing and pizazz, a snap, crackle and pop formula that is crowd pleasing and never dull. The story of Rosie the Riviter could have gone too serious and ridiculous by being obvious with spies and saboteurs but this is surprisingly effective even in its absurdity. The women score performance wise and comically, showing just like the famous World War II poster, "We can do it!"

"Rosie the Riveter" is a cute B-movie that is set during WWII. It stars Jane Frazee as the title character, a young lady who goes to work at a defense plant but has a serious problem finding a place to sleep. This actually was a serious problem during the war, as many small towns boomed--filling with thousands of workers and not enough housing for them all. It's the subject of several comedies of the day, such as "The More the Merrier" as well as this film. Well, Rosie and her friend come up with an interesting solution--share the room with a couple guys. The guys will get it one shift, they will get it the next. However, Rosie's very prim and proper boyfriend would not approve so she spends much of the film hiding it from the guy. Additionally, there is a LOT of tension between the various roommates. How it's all resolved is cute and enjoyable. Just understand...this is not nor was it intended to be anything more than a low-budget comedy with modest pretensions. It does the trick but is not exactly what I'd call a must-see film. Cute and enjoyable.

ROSIE THE RIVETER-- a musical Republic produced in 1943--features one of my favorite singing stars from the war years, Jane Frazee. Yesterday I checked the Paramount Vault page on YouTube for new uploads. Paramount controls the Republic library. And to my great pleasure, ROSIE had just been uploaded. They have done a perfect job with the restoration.The script is well written-- a hilarious romantic comedy set-up with Jane and her girlfriend Vera Vague sharing a room in a boarding house with two single men. The way the writers get around the production code is quite clever!The gals of course wind up battling and falling in love with the guys. Vera's deadpan deliveries are wonderful; there's a lot of witty dialogue from beginning to end; a marvelous supporting cast that includes Maude Eburne and Carl (Alfalfa) Switzer as a teenager. Plus, there's a great scene where the gals have no clothes on and are locked out of the boarding house in the rain and get picked up by police (you have to see it!)..and a rousing finale filmed at an aviation factory. So much to make it enjoyable.

This is a breezy musical about the housing shortage in wartime America, circa 1944. As usual Jane Frazee is a delight to watch and listen to and here she is paired with the female Jerry Colonna, Vera Vague as the work/roommate. Rosie and her pal squabble with two guys over the only remaining boardinghouse room in town and Rosie, after "working overtime on a B-19" down at the plane factory, eventually warms up to Frank Albertson (not your typical young juvenile lead, this was wartime after all) and everything works out for the big finale sung at the work site. Three or four nice tunes and some light comedy (a couple of very funny moments - all the teenagers seem to be a lot more mature about their romantic relationships than the adults and they stay up all night doing the conga!)make this an easy hour to pass.