Thousands Cheer (1943)

That was an excellent one.

Absolutely the worst movie.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This is one of those WWII era musicals where a studio assembles all their top talent for an all-star extravaganza. The stars' appearances are incorporated via a very thin plot. The plot doesn't matter, because the real point in watching this film is to see the musical talent. This film stars Kathryn Grayson who is the daughter of military colonel John Boles and Mary Astor. Grayson is a singer who is performing onstage with Jose Iturbi. Grayson decides to put her musical career on hold in order to entertain the troops on her father's base. One of her father's new recruits is acrobat Gene Kelly, who is drafted into the Army, but would rather be in the Air Force. Kelly and Grayson end up falling in love (of course). Things are complicated when Astor wants to take Grayson back home because she doesn't want Grayson falling in love with a soldier. Astor tells her that being the wife of a soldier is undesirable because the army will always be a priority. There is also another subplot where Grayson tries to get her parents back together. The highlight of the first half, IMHO, is Gene Kelly's "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" dance with a broom.However, all of that plot is meaningless, because the second half of the film is where all the action is. Mickey Rooney appears as himself. He emcees the show and also provides some impressions along the way. The best performances in the second half are Eleanor Powell, Lena Horne and Judy Garland's. Lucille Ball, Ann Sothern and Marcia Hunt appear in a skit with Frank Morgan, and Donna Reed and Margaret O'Brien appear in a routine with Red Skelton. Virginia O'Brien does another of her awful deadpan routines with Gloria de Haven and June Allyson providing support. Gene Kelly's stunt double performs a trapeze act. Kathryn Grayson come out to sing another song while, almost literally, "thousands cheer" - the soldiers that is.Thousands Cheer is an average film viewed from today, although it is fun to watch for Kelly, Garland, Powell, and Horne. As little as they gave Kelly to do here, you can tell MGM just didn't know what to do with the fellow yet After all he had only been on the MGM lot for about a year. However, they did give him some great comic bits. I guess you have to view this one from the wartime perspective of when the world was a canteen and morale boosting on the home front was the order of the day.

Besides its silly title, "Thousands Cheer" has some major problems that make it a mediocre film at best.Released during WWII, it was designed to uplift morale at home (for civilians) and overseas (for the military). The film starts rather well, with the prodigious talents and adorability of Kathryn Grayson on display. It has a lighthearted air and is filled with colorful (Technicolor) scenes, plenty of quality music, and sharp fashions.But as the story unfolds, it proves to be thin and little more than an excuse to display the talents of various studio stars. In one scene, Ms. Grayson is listening to Jose Iturbi play the piano over the phone. What a way to put a piano solo into the story! Before she hangs up the phone, Iturbi says he is coming to the base to put on a show for the troops there. And in the wink of an eye, the entire storyline is hijacked for a concert of performances by orchestras, dancers, comedians, a trapeze act, etc. The romantic plot is addressed briefly at the end--with a totally ridiculous denouement that involves two couples. And then the film wraps with a rousing anthem designed to invoke a plethora of stirring motivations within the viewer.As a story, the film is almost a flop. It is better to appraise its value as a concert show. On that basis, the film does sometimes succeed. As I mentioned, Kathryn Grayson's singing is one of the highlights. As star after star steps onstage, there are other good moments, like the song "In a Little Spanish Town", with vocals by Gloria DeHaven, June Allyson and Virginia O'Brien. Personally, I would have enjoyed some strong swing dancing.The song "I Dug a Ditch" is fun when performed by a comic lead singer, and it is even more fun when operatic Grayson croons its silly lyrics, but when it is performed for a third time later in the show, it feels like the song is driven into the ground.

Thousands Cheer had a lot going for it from the get go, the biggest selling point being the amount of talent involved. While it is not a great film there is still plenty to enjoy and on the most part the cast are well-used.Thousands Cheers' story is very thin and very contrived with the lead in to the film's second half feeling rather abrupt and the script is even thinner with a lot of hokey dialogue and too many moments where it sags in energy. A vast majority of the cast are great and are well-utilised, but Mary Astor is wasted with not very much to do and Red Skelton is more irritating than funny.It is on the other hand very well-made with lavish sets and gorgeous photography while the Oscar nomination for the music score was deserved, it's very characterful and lush. The songs are not exactly memorable, apart from Honeysuckle Rose, but they are very pleasant and don't bog the film down at all, they are also very well-choreographed. Of all the show segments the highlights were Gene Kelly's dance with the mop, Eleanor Powell's tap dance, Lena Horne's beautiful rendition of Honeysuckle Rose and Judy Garland's uproarious The Joint Is Really Jumpin' in Carnegie Hall. You do wish that Gene Kelly had more dancing to do but he is dashing and very watchable and Kathryn Grayson is charm personified and sings beautifully.All in all, not a great film but I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. 6/10 Bethany Cox

When I saw the cast, I really got my hopes up. But they were dashed and then some. I kept waiting for Gene Kelly to cut the rug, but he danced one measly scene. I like Katherine Grayson, but seriously, the material she had was nothing special. In fact, most of the songs were awful. The exception was Lena Horne's Honeysuckle Rose, but sitting through the rest of the movie was a high price to pay for one quality number. There were such great tunes written during wartime. Where were they? Compare with Irving Berlin's This is the Army. It doesn't. It was nice to see a young Gene Kelly show us he can act, as well as dance. If you like vintage musicals, there are much better ones.