Pin-Up Girl [1944] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

"We should have used our imaginations".......2006-07-10

Skewering her real life role of a pin up girl, this 1944 movie stars Betty Grable as Lorry Jones a pretty and feisty young girl who works for the USO and is heading for Washington DC. Aboard the train, a conversation with friend Kay (Dorothea Kent) reveals that the pair isn't headed for the USO, but will instead take jobs as stenographers.

On the way, the pair decides to visit New York, where they see Molly McKay (Martha Raye) flirting with Guadalcanal hero Tommy Dooley (John Harvey). Later, Lorry claims to know the hero to gain admittance to the packed Club Chanteuse. The Club itself is a grand affair; a huge swing band plays on a giant stage that stretches from floor to ceiling, whilst the actual show consists of singers, dancers and even roller-skating routine featuring the Skating Vanities!

When Tommy eventually turns up at the club, he is immediately besotted with the cute Lorry. But Molly - the real star of the Club Chanteuse - is secretly seething; she knows that Molly is a fake so she asks her sing a song from the show. Lorry gets back at Molly when she belts out the tune as if she sang it every night on stage, even with back up singers!

Lorry and Kay continue on their journey to Washington DC and eventually bump into Tommy who coincidentally is looking for a stenographer - of course he picks Lorry. Of course Tommy can't tell who Lorry is because she's wearing glasses and has her hair in a bun, and every time he looks at her, she's looking back at him with crossed-eyes!

The story is silly and trite and almost non-existent, and it's all merely an excuse for framing the elaborate musical numbers, which are centered on the three-tiered bandstands where Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra sit. Indeed most of the action takes place in the nightclubs where Lorry and Tommy mostly hang out.

Obviously made for all the GI's, the film has an innocent quality combined with a sort of fierce patriotism and you really get the sense that the film is pushing the merits of the allied war effort. There's no doubt that Grable is sparkling and bubbly and she does a good job with the singing and dancing, even though the role is a bit of a caricature. But you can easily see how much she contributed to the war effort.

It's interesting to watch films such as this - not just for the flashy musical numbers, which sometimes border in the gaudy, but also for the social relevance, and for the forties nostalgia. Although Pin Up Girl may not be the best example of a War musical - the film is slight and is basically restricted to the pattern of boy-meets-girl and they live happily ever after - it's still a welcome and harmless diversion - just like the 1940s pin-up girls were a distraction for lonely soldiers of World War II. Mike Leonard July 06.

Average customer rating:

Pin Up Girl [1944] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Starring: John Harvey
Manufacturer: Fox Home Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Musicals | Classics | Categories | DVD | Video

DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
ASIN: 6309847228
Release Date: 2006-02-21
Pin Up Girl [1944] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics - Chart Toppers 1965/66/67
Average customer rating:
Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics - Chart Toppers 1965/66/67
Starring: Ed Sullivan
Manufacturer: Eagle Rock Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Music DVDs | Music DVDs | Categories | DVD | Video
DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics - Chart Toppers 1968/69/70

Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics - Rockin' The Sixties

Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics - The British Invasion

Ed Sullivan's Rock 'N' Roll Classics - Legends Of Rock

Ed Sullivan Presents The Mamas And The Papas And Other 60's Greats

ASIN: B000216XG2
Release Date: 2004-05-31

Engelbert Humperdinck - Live In Concert [1990]
Average customer rating:
Engelbert Humperdinck - Live In Concert [1990]
Starring: Engelbert Humperdinck
Manufacturer: DVD UK
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Concerts | Music DVDs | Categories | DVD | Video
All Music DVDs | Music DVDs | Categories | DVD | Video
DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Engelbert Humperdinck - King Of Romance [1995]

Engelbert Humperdinck With The RPO [2005]

Engelbert Humperdinck - Live

Engelbert Humperdinck - Totally Amazing

Engelbert Humperdinck - The Greatest Performances 1967 - 1977

ASIN: B0000DCXUK
Release Date: 2004-01-26
Engelbert Humperdinck - Live In Concert [1990]

DVD Review:

DVD Review List

DVD Review