Treasure this multitalented Technicolor musical-variety extravaganza, featuring Gloria De Haven at her teeny bopper prime, and the lovely Ginny Simms, an equal singing talent, minimally featured by Hollywood, whose singing voice reminds me of Dina Shore's. Gloria was featured in two other musicals that year, but those were in B&W. Here we get to see her and so many others in splashy Technicolor.My title is a quote from personable George Murphy, as he argues with stage singer Helen Hoyt(Ginny Simms) about which production she should be starring in. Murphy's character(Johnny), as a stage producer, provides most of the interpersonal friction in this film. Besides his sometimes stormy relation with Ginny, he wants to tell sister Patsy(Gloria) she must finish high school and college before she can think about a career, and argues with his semi-retired father show producer(Charles Winninger) about what shows to produce, and where. Ginny and Gloria are the female costars, with underutilized Nancy Walker an occasional presence in comic relief. George Murphy is the male star, with Gloria's boyfriend Ray(Kenny Bowers), Charles Winninger("State Fair"), friend Ben Blue, servant "Rochester" Anderson(Jack Benny's foil) and band leader Tommy Dorsey the other main male characters.Ben and Rochester are present mostly for occasional comic relief. Winninger, Bowers(who looks and acts rather like Joe E. Brown) and Murphy also have comedic, as well as musical skills. Ben and Nancy also do a comical skit and dance involving milk bottles, accompanied by Dorsey's band.Impersonator Dean Murphy adds further to the comedic element with his impersonations of a variety of film and political figures of the time. I didn't catch who he was impersonating in about half the cases, but I clearly detected Joe E. Brown, Edgar Bergen's Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd puppets(his best and longest act), Jimmy Stewart, FDR and wife Eleanor. Ginny was 10 years older than Gloria and taller. Thus, she plays the grande dame actress/singer to Gloria's teeny bopper character, who is just trying to get started in show business. The wardrobe department gave Ginny a variety a solid one color outfits. While Dorsey's band and singing group are doing "Irresistible You", she makes her grand entry into a nightspot in a striking all white outfit, including a large ermine stole, which contrasted nicely with her dark hair. In her "Amor" number, she was in an all black traditional Spanish garb, including a large headpiece. She wore a blond wig, again, to contrast with her dress. The accompanying Matadors had capes black on one side and pink on the other, to match her dress and the pink flowers in her hair. She sports a simple blue evening dress while crooning "All the Things You Are" to Murphy in his studio. In her final appearance, she is in a flaming orange gown, reclining in a see-through love seat set on a large float-like circular platform that initially is distantly centered in a dark backdrop, behind a veil curtain. Her float descends and comes forward as she croons "Irresistible You", then "All the Things You Are". She is accompanied by a female chorus in bright contrasting blue and pink outfits. This is a variation on the 'Goddess descending to earth' theme, which was given to a number of singers in the '40s. De Haven did it in "Step Lively"; Rita Hayworth in "Cover Girl", Judy Garland in " 'Till the Clouds Roll By" and Arlene Dahl, in "Three Little Words". This performance differs from the others in that Ginny does not descend on foot and she has a female, rather than a male, chorus awaiting her(because the chorus had just finished a number backing up Winninger and Murphy).In Gloria's best number, she does a song and dance to "Pretty Baby", first with Kenny, later with Winninger. The latter is a daydream sequence in which Winninger imagines he is dancing with Gloria in a gay '90s setting, when he was a young man in vaudeville. Before this, Winninger does a comical trombone duet with Dorsey to "I Love Corny Music". Murphy also gets to do a couple of dances here and there, being an ex-vaudevillian himself.He starts with a beautiful romantic dance with an unnamed partner in a gorgeous yellow gown. African Americans have a good presence, with gravely- voiced 'Rochester' as comedian and Hazel Scott playing a classical jazz number on the piano, accompanied by an AA band. Lena Horne is featured in two numbers: the colorful sensual "Brazilian Boogie", which includes quite a few AA extras,some in Carmen-Miranda-like outfits, and the more conventional "Somebody Loves Me", both among her most memorable performances.I can't leave out the show stopper: the unique song and contortionist dance/performance by the young Ross Sisters. This has to be seen to be believed! One sister would be sensational enough, but 3 sisters equally talented makes it 3X as amazing. You can also see this on the "That's Entertainment" compendium DVD.Although Nancy Walker hardly had the looks and personality of a leading lady, she had tremendous talent as a comedienne, as well as musical and dancing talent. She had several smash hit roles on Broadway in the early '40s, as well as later success on TV. Unfortunately, she only had a couple of roles in Hollywood films, with the best in "Best Foot Forward". We could have used another good skit featuring her in the present film.

Another typical Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland like film with a family rehearsing for a show in the barnyard. How many times has this theme been used in Hollywood musicals?That being said, the film is long on entertainment. Song and dance man George Murphy is wonderful as the son who feuds with his dad (an excellent Charles Winninger) over which show to produce. The supporting cast is great with Ginnie Simms just wonderful in a lead role. Too bad that her career was short circuited by Louis Mayer.I just loved Nancy Walker with her long hair and devilish looks. She with Ben Blue dance up a storm in "The Milkman" song-dance segment.The guy who did those fabulous imitations of James Stewart, Clark Gable, Ronald Colman and Bette Davis was phenomenal. How can I forget his take-off on FDR as well?This is a high entertaining musical even if the theme has been repeated.

I've always enjoyed this movie and consider it one of the better musicals of the 1940's. There has been quite a bit of interest in the Ross Sisters as they have popped up all over the internet due to their performance in Broadway Rhythm. They were billed as Aggie, Maggie, and Elmira but their real names were Vicki, Dixie, and Betsy. They hailed from Colorado City, Texas and were daughters of dirt farmers during the dust bowl days. They trained on their own and began working theaters and fairs in the Midwest. Pooling their money, they bought a trailer and moved to New Jersey to a trailer park about a mile from the George Washington bridge on Route 6. They earned minor roles in a George Kaufman play, Count Me In, and went on to Broadway Rhythm then Pickadilly Hayride at the Prince of Wales Theater in London. They were summoned before the King and Queen for a command performance on Nov. 4, 1946.

Hey Gang let's put on a musical! We can use that barn down the road and I know a Hollywood star who's just dying for a launching pad to Broadway. She's read the script and she's sure that it's a winner, much better than that new one that Uncle Johnny wrote. Boy we'll show him won't we? There's the story of Broadway Rhythm in a nutshell. With a great cast it might have made a passable time waster. But then great casts usually steer clear of lame scripts. So this movie got a pretty uneven cast. When Tommy Dorsey is a standout in the acting department you know you have to worry. Apparently Gene Kelly and Eleanor Powell were originally slated for this movie, fortunately they took different paths in their careers. The movie would have been much much better, but it might have sandbagged their careers. Unfortunately the leads went to George Murphy and Ginny Simms. Simms wears more make-up than a Macdonald's clown and always has a fake TV commercial smile plastered on her kisser. The effect is eerie. She gets to sing one of the finest songs of that era, "All the Things You Are" and it is almost a complete waste. It's her best moment but it certainly isn't the song's. Murphy's idea of wooing Ms Simms appears remarkably similar to dickering for a used car. According to the plot he's supposed to be a much better dancer than the youngster he won't give a break to even though he's the son of his father's former partner. To prove that he's such a great dancer, he doesn't dance. There is some dancing and singing that is worth watching. Most of it comes from Gloria deHaven, who looks gorgeous and natural next to Simms. She may just have inspired the term hot pants with her outfit in one of the scenes from their little musical. Nancy Walker, the comedy relief in "MacMillan and Wife" appears as a wannabe performer and she is a standout especially in her musical number. In an unrelated sighting (to the plot that is) we also see Lena Horne, who is given the number "Brazilian Boogie Woogie". For some that alone will be worth watching. The strangest bit has to be a trio who pop out of nowhere as the kids are negotiating for the barn. They sing like the Andrew Sisters and dance like Chinese acrobats. Was it a measure of the times that everybody seems to be under the impression that Spanish is the language of Brazil? Gobble! Gobble! Gobble!