Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)

Thank Your Lucky Stars - 1943

Coming up next is another film that was made to support our troops.  It comes in the form of 1943's "Thank Your Lucky Stars" and features another large ensemble cast full of stars.

The film's cast includes Eddie Cantor, Dennis Morgan, Joan Leslie, S.Z. Sakall, Edward Everett Horton, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Errol Flynn, John Garfield, Ida Lupino, Ann Sheridan, Dinah Shore, Alexis Smith, Jack Carson, Alan Hale, George Tobias, Hattie McDaniel, Ruth Donnelly, Paul Harvey, and Lynn Baggett.

The film opens with Dinah Shore singing on an Eddie Cantor radio program.  Dinah is a delightful performer.  Everyone loves it as she sings "Thank Your Lucky Stars".

Two people in particular want Dinah to do a benefit for the Cavalcade of Stars they are hosting.

The problem is that Dinah is under contract to egotistical Eddie Cantor.  The only way Cantor will allow her to appear is if he is named chairman of the Cavalcade of Stars committee.  It's agreed that he can do so.  He quickly takes over the entire production.

Aspiring singer Tommy Randolph is looking for a spot in the show.  His agent doesn't seem to be able to do anything for him.

Aspiring songwriter Pat Dixon doesn't seem to be getting anywhere either.  He's supposed to be selling her songs.  The only thing the agent seems capable of doing is selling out.

Tommy and Pat meet up and get along swimmingly.  They also meet up with their pal, Joe, an Eddie Cantor lookalike who runs bus tours of movie stars' homes.

While the three of them are together, they come up with a plot to get Tommy in the show.  Joe will take the place of Eddie Cantor somehow and get Tommy his big break in show business.

Meanwhile, Eddie Cantor exasperates the other members of the committee with his ideas.  He seems to want to make the entire show about him.

Rehearsals for the show are in full swing.  Ann Sheridan sings "Love Isn't Born It's Made" to a bunch of young schoolgirls.

Still, Cantor makes things difficult.  When Humphrey Bogart comes looking for him, S.Z. Sakall exclaims, "If he would be where I like him to be, he’s already crisp on both sides!"

Dinah Shore rehearses another number called "The Dreamer", which features her as a farm girl singing to her love.

Hattie McDaniel belts out a number called "Ice Cold Katie Won't You Marry The Soldier?".

On the actual night of the performance, Eddie Cantor is taken to a mental hospital and prepared for a lobotomy, which gives lookalike Cantor Joe and Tommy Randolph their chance at being in the show.

Dinah Shore sings another dazzling number entitled "How Sweet You Are".  The song takes place in 1861, and the production features a number of couples waltzing along in period costumes.  It's really a beautifully done part of the movie.

Errol Flynn even gets in on the action and sings a song called "That's What You Jolly Well Get".

The audience is delighted when Bette Davis arrives on the stage in a limousine and sings "They're Either Too Young Or Too Old".

This part of the film is notable because this is the only film in which Bette Davis sings.  She even jitterbugs.  A professional jitterbug dancer was hired.  She told him not to hold back when they did their dance.  She actually injured her knee during the performance and you can see her limping off the set at the end of the dance.

George Tobias, Olivia de Havilland, and Ida Lupino scat along to a hipped up version of "The Dreamer".

And Tommy Randolph gets his big chance in show business when he gets to sing "Good Night Good Neighbor".  Following his song, Alexis Smith dances to the music.

Meanwhile, Eddie Cantor has escaped from the mental hospital and is back at the theater.  His own staff don't recognize him.  The lookalike Eddie Cantor is thought to be the "real" Cantor.  Too bad for the real Cantor...he gets thrown out of the theater.

The cast assembles on stage for the finale.  We find out that a studio head is in the audience and loves Tommy's performance and has offered him a contract.

The assembled cast gives a short reprise of each of their songs before they all break into the main theme "Thank Your Lucky Stars".

Cast rundown:

   Eddie Cantor....................................Himself/Joe Simpson

   Dennis Morgan.................................Tommy Randolph

   Joan Leslie......................................Pat Dixon

   S.Z. Sakall......................................Dr. Schlenna

   Edward Everett Horton.....................Farnsworth

   Humphrey Bogart............................Himself

   Bette Davis.....................................Herself

   Olivia de Havilland...........................Herself

   Errol Flynn......................................Himself

   John Garfield...................................Himself

   Ida Lupino......................................Herself

   Ann Sheridan..................................Herself

   Dinah Shore....................................Herself

   Alexis Smith...................................Herself

   Jack Carson....................................Himself

   Alan Hale.......................................Himself

   George Tobias.................................Himself

   Hattie McDaniel...............................Herself

   Ruth Donnelly.................................Nurse Hamilton

   Paul Harvey....................................Dr. Kirby

   Lynn Baggett..................................Miss Latin America

And that's all for Thank Your Lucky Stars.  Each star in this film was paid $50,000 (about $747,000 in 2020), and each star donated this money to the Hollywood Canteen.  Bette Davis convinced the head of Warner Bros. to give all profits from this film to the war effort.

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