Six Hits and a Miss

It's very difficult for most of us to write a fair review on any kind of musical, because we all see things from the viewpoint of the standards of our era.

To modern-day audiences, big band musicals of any sort are hard to watch, but one must "turn over the coin": how many wartime audiences would have been able to watch modern rap music videos for more than a few seconds, without reaching for smelling salts?

But one must, indeed, try to shed that modern viewpoint to review this movie fairly. Having done that, it's not difficult to see that this short is not badly done at all; in fact, it's quite entertaining. Featured by a slick production, and smooth, tight harmonies that are bridged by a dance sequence of impressive choreography, it must have been high entertainment to wartime audiences. The only drawback was that the dance sequence was just a little bit too long.

In 1942, this short would have certainly been a big hit. I quite enjoyed it. Try to get yourself in the wartime mood, and you will enjoy it, too.

7 & 1/2 stars