Coming up next is 1945's "Doll Face", starring Vivian Blaine, Dennis O'Keefe, Perry Como, and Carmen Miranda. A burlesque star wants to break into Broadway, but her beginnings in burlesque ensure that the doors are slammed in her face. She writes a book in the hopes that a little culture will pry those doors open again. The film's supporting cast includes Martha Stewart, Stephen Dunne, Reed Hadley, and Donald MacBride.
The film opens as "Doll Face" Carroll is auditioning for a Broadway producer. She does a beautiful rendition of "Somebody's Walking In My Dreams". Unfortunately for her, someone recognizes her as Doll Face Carroll, the Queen of Burlesque, and the object of New York men's desires. She stars in a show on the other side of town. The producer says he doesn't want her because she has no class.
In order to get her some class, Doll Face's manager (and boyfriend) arranges for her to "write" a book. He gets a ghostwriter to come down to the theater for an interview. At first, the writer, Frederick Manly Gerard, wants nothing to do with this aspect of the theater. One look at Doll Face changes his mind. When he leaves, Mike shows Doll Face some engagement rings he picked up at the jeweler. They're not engaged yet, but are waiting for the right time.
While talking with Gerard the next day, Mike gets an idea. He wants to take his whole show to Broadway. Mike says why should the big, fancy Broadway producer get all the publicity? The only problem is they don't have enough money to put on the show. Gerard saves the day and says he'll invest whatever sum they need. Doll Face gives him a big hug in gratitude and Mike gets jealous.
Mike watches as the two discuss the book and get along well. Gerard says the book is nearly finished and rehearsal starts on the show soon. He's a bit sad that their relationship will be over. Mike walks away just before Gerard tells Doll Face how he feels about her. She tells him not to talk that way. She loves Mike and no other guy will do. Mike comes back and tells her she doesn't need to write the book anymore. The show will do fine because of all the publicity the news of the book generated. Just gets angry when he tries to call it off. She tells him she's going through with the book being published, and she and Gerard storm off.
Right after this, Nicky (Perry Como) sings "Here Comes Heaven Again", something he's written for the new show.
It's a beautiful ballad that he sings to his love interest, another star of the burlesque show.
The next day, Gerard and Doll Face have to go to the publisher's weekend house on an island in Jamaica Bay. They rent a boat so they can be back for Doll Face's night performance. She's been distracted that day, because of her quarrel with Mike. Gerard tells her he'll get over it. While they're on their way to the publisher's house, the motor conks out on the boat. With no way to solve their problem, the two have to swim to the nearest shore and spend the night. Mike frantically searches for them.
Doll Face is horribly worried about what he'll think when she's not back. Unfortunately, Mike calls out the Coast Guard and arrives with them after they spot the boat stranded on a beach. Mike walks up and sees the two sleeping side by side. He thinks the worst, no matter what Gerard and Doll Face tell him. Despite their protestations, he refuses to believe that things happened like they said. He leaves them on the beach, and Doll Face leaves his burlesque show.
When Doll Face leaves the show, so do the customers, and Mike is forced to close it. Chita (Carmen Miranda) sets Mike straight about Doll Face, and tells him to apologize. He tells her he's tried, but she doesn't answer his phone calls and all his letters come back unopened. Chita also gives Mike the engagement rings back, saying Doll Face told her to send them to him.
Hurt by Mike's actions, Doll Face has started a relationship with Gerard, and he's given her a ring...no strings attached. If at any time she feels it's not right for her, she can give it back. Just after he gives it, the big Broadway producer shows up and wants Doll Face for a show. She suggests using her autobiography as source material for the show. She says they can also use the cast from her old burlesque troupe, and he's all for it.
The show goes into rehearsal. A few weeks before opening, Gerard tells Chita that Doll Face has been very short with him lately. During a rehearsal of "Somebody's Walking In My Dreams", Doll Face gets emotional and wants to cut the song. She says they should cut out the part of Mike Hannegan altogether. When Gerard goes after her, Doll Face sends him away. Chita uses the opportunity to call Mike and tell him to come and see Doll Face right away. However, Doll Face doesn't want to see him after the things he said that day on the beach. Mike tells Chita he's got an idea and Doll Face will talk to him if it's the last thing he ever does.
The opening night of the show comes, and Chita opens things with the fast-paced "Chico Chico".
Carmen Miranda's band, Bando da Lua, accompanies her in the number. It's quite humorous and full of fun.
When it's Doll Face's turn to come on, she finds she can't. Mike has slapped an injunction on the show. Since he has a personal contract with Doll Face, she can't appear unless he says so. And all he wants is to talk. Doll Face is still furious about the scene he made on the beach.
While Mike talks, Doll Face falls in love with him all over again. He agrees to let Doll Face go on. Before she does, she goes to the Broadway producer and gets Mike a twenty-five percent interest in the show, plus a producer's credit and top billing. She and Nicky sing the final number of the show, a medley of "Somebody's Walking In My Dreams" and "Here Comes Heaven Again". Cast rundown:
Vivian Blaine.....................................Doll Face Carroll
Dennis O'Keefe..................................Mike Hannegan
Perry Como.......................................Nicky Ricci
Carmen Miranda.................................Chita Chula
Donald MacBride................................Lawyer Ferguson And that's a wrap on Doll Face. The film was based on a book by legendary burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee. Originally, Carole Landis had been slated to play Doll Face, but was unhappy with the script. Vivian Blaine stepped in.
One scene from the original script never made it into the movie. The film was advertised heavily using Carmen Miranda in a nautical outfit with a lighthouse headdress. The script called for her to sing the song "True To The Navy". Paramount Pictures, who owned the rights to the song, refused to let Fox use it. Although the scene was filmed, it was never used. It can be seen on the DVD release. The headdress Carmen wears can still be seen in the film, as a prop on her dressing table. As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.
Next on the list if 1944's "Greenwich Village", starring Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche, and William Bendix. The film takes place in the Roaring Twenties in the artist colony of Greenwich Village. A composer finds New York living isn't all it's cracked up to be when he gets involved with the owner of a speakeasy and his girlfriend. The film's supporting cast includes Vivian Blaine, Felix Bressart, Tony De Marco, and Sally De Marco.
Our film begins in the Twenties. Kansas composer Kenneth "Ken" Harvey is on a tour bus through Greenwich Village. He gets off after a while and roams the streets.
He comes to a speakeasy, Danny's Den, and decides to find out what's going on inside.
Inside we find Carmen Miranda singing a vibrant "I'm Just Wild About Harry" to the rapturous applause of the audience.
It's also a treat to watch delicatessen owners (real life husband and wife dancing team Tony and Sally De Marco) try out for Danny's Den.
They make what they do look just effortless. It's a real high energy sequence that brings the room to life.
In addition to her singing abilities, we find out that Carmen's name is Princess Querida, her father was a "great red chief of the Blackfoots". When Ken tries to pay for the Princess's fortune telling, he finds he has only hundred dollar bills. Believing him to be a rich man, Querida introduces him to Danny, who hopes to find backers for a Broadway show.
Songstress Bonnie Watson (Blaine) sings "Swingin' Down The Lane", and Danny notices that Ken is captivated by her, falling in love instantly.
He brings Bonnie over to meet Ken in hopes that Ken will feel inclined to put some money towards his show. Ken ends up seeing Bonnie home, which makes Danny jealous as he and Bonnie are somewhat of an item.
When Ken finds out that Bonnie has a piano, he plays a little of his concerto for her. Danny listens downstairs and gets even more jealous. He organizes a little party to break up whatever Bonnie and Ken have going.
Ken ends up passing out behind Bonnie's couch and doesn't stir until morning when Querida joins her for breakfast.
Later Danny bursts in and plunks a few notes on the piano he thinks might make a good song for the show. What he doesn't realize is that it's the same melody from Ken's concerto that he was playing for Bonnie. Danny talks Ken into writing some music for the show.
Danny hosts a Costume Ball to raise extra cash for the show. Querida sings "I Like To Be Loved By You". During the ball, Ken is approached by someone who wants to take his concerto music to be produced by a famous conductor. Ken is thrilled, but doesn't know that this is being orchestrated by Danny who wants to keep the music for his own show. Danny is renewed in his ambition to keep Ken's music for himself when he catches Ken kissing Bonnie during the ball.
Ken's contact says everything is a go and that Carnegie Hall is all set for Ken to use for rehearsals. Ken goes there, and finds the doors locked. He realizes that it's all a sham.
Meanwhile, things are moving rapidly for Danny's show. A funny moment in a montage sequence is when Querida is trying to get her costume right. She doesn't seem to be thrilled with the way things are going.
Next thing you know, she's added a birdcage with a bird in it to the top of her hat and seems to love the result.
Of course, Ken goes back to Danny's club to find out what's going on. He overhears a part of a conversation which seems to implicate Danny and Bonnie in the shady deal of his music. In reality, Bonnie found out about what Danny was planning to do and made him reverse it. She was there to wait around for Ken to give him back some money that was stolen from him, but Ken misunderstands her part in all of it.
Ken gets mad and storms out, ready to go back to Kansas. Querida meets him on the sidewalk and wants to know what happened. He figures she's been in on the deal too, which she wasn't. To stall for time so she can alert Bonnie to what's happened, she goes to the bar and asks for two bottles of Scotch. She places them under Ken's arm, telling him he'll want a drink on the train, and sends him on his way.
She goes to a nearby policeman and informs him that Ken is carrying alcohol, strictly against prohibition, and Ken is arrested. (Side note: this is a very funny scene in which Querida puts on an Irish accent to endear herself to the cop, "Tops of the mornin' to ya," she greets him.)
Ken eventually gets to the theater on opening night just as his music is about to be played. He had intended to get an injunction against the show so that his music couldn't be used. It turns out that Danny used his concerto, but as it was originally written, and conducted by the very man that Ken had tried to get in to see in the first place. It's a big success.
Also during the show, Querida sings a catchy tune, "Give Me A Band And A Bandana".
As Bonnie goes on to sing the final number, Danny explains everything to Ken, and tells him to go watch Bonnie's song. Bonnie sings "Whispering" to the rapturous applause of the audience. As they wait for her to take a bow, we find that Bonnie is no longer on the stage, but kissing Ken in the wings. Cast rundown:
Carmen Miranda.................................Princess Querida O'Toole
Don Ameche......................................Kenneth Harvey
William Bendix...................................Danny O'Mara
Felix Bressart.....................................Hofer
Tony De Marco....................................Tony
Sally De Marco....................................Sally And that's a wrap for Greenwich Village. Originally, this film was to have starred Alice Faye as Bonnie. Alice found she was expecting her second child, and the role was taken over by Vivian Blaine. Had she done the film, this would've been the seventh pairing for Alice Faye and Don Ameche. As always, if you wish to comment, please remember our posting rules.
