To call "Doll Face" dated would be an understatement. First of all, it deals with burlesque. Secondly, Dennis O'Keefe recommends hitting women to keep them in line. And third, and most egregious, lyrics of one song celebrate the bombing the Japanese.Vivian Blaine, called Doll Face, real name Mary Elizabeth, plays a queen of burlesque who auditions for a Broadway musical, only to be recognized by one of her patrons. Though she's a lovely singer, she's rejected for the show because the producers don't feel she has enough class for their production. Nowadays they would put a chimpanzee in a Broadway musical if they thought he could make money, so there's another indication that this is an old movie.Her boyfriend (O'Keefe) decides she should ghost-write her autobiography and, after using a lot of high-faluting language, she'll be classy enough for Broadway. The man he hires, however (Michael Dunne), becomes interested in Doll Face, and not just as a client. Problems ensue.For me, this film was interesting because of the presence of a very young, extremely adorable Perry Como. I grew up with him, every Saturday night, and it was a delight to see him and hear him sing. He had a beautiful voice, singing "Red, Hot, and Beautiful," "Here Comes Heaven Again," and "Dig You Later." Martha Stewart, a vivacious performer, did an energetic job as someone wanting to take Doll Face's place. And Carmen Miranda was...Carmen Miranda, singing "Chico Chico."There were lots of numbers in this film and not much story. The music was by Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson and was pleasant. It was just hard to get past extolling domestic abuse and bombing innocent people. Don't get me wrong. The Japanese government was very aggressive against the U.S., and what they did in China was atrocious. But that was their government, and not its citizens, who were told Japan was winning. The bombing remains controversial. And it doesn't belong in a song.

Gypsy Rose Lee's literary career certainly got a lot of good imitations going. Though not as good as Pal Joey, Doll Face is a pleasant and snappy musical about a stripper who gets involved with her manager and a ghost writer. And who wrote the play on which this is based on, none other than Gypsy Rose Lee. She certainly exploited her literary talent and persona to the max.Vivian Blaine plays our Queen of Burlesque who wants very much to break into Broadway and the legitimate theater. Her manager Dennis O'Keefe encourages her, but it's no go, legitimate producer are afraid of her notorious burlesque reputation. So O'Keefe gets the brilliant idea to have her write a book on her life, but we'll alter it a bit and he gets an author who has a good literary reputation but who hasn't cracked the popular market yet. That would be Stephen Dunne. I think you see the basis for the romantic triangle.Though the three leads do fine the plot is an excuse to display some musical numbers that songwriters Jimmy McHugh and Harold Adamson wrote for this film. Carmen Miranda is here and just those two words tell you exactly what to expect. And Perry Como is our lead singer and he's got a secondary romance going with Martha Stewart.Which brings me to the big hit of the show A Hubba Hubba Hubba (Dig You Later). It was Como's first million selling record and even given World War II mores I'm a bit shocked. Part of the lyrics involve the celebration of bombing of the Japanese and mind you this film came out on 12/31/45 three months after V-J day. That would be four months after Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Though those atomic bombings are not mentioned we have such lyrics about a B-29 pilot dropping another load for luck and then turning away saying Yuk Yuk. There's still controversy about whether the atomic bomb use was right or not, but there sure ain't reason for any Yuk Yuks.I'd probably rate Doll Face higher because over all it's a pretty good musical. But that Yuk Yuk has not worn well over time. In fact it's downright ghastly.

If I remembered the quotes exactly, I'd add them to the quotes section... the Gayety owner advices one of his male friends who is having trouble with his girlfriend, that women, like carpets, need to be beaten regularly! The man later says to his girlfriend, "yeah, I'll give you your rights, and a couple lefts too!" Predictably, she loves this and he is grateful for the advice he was given. Yikes!But anyway, it was an OK movie overall. A "burley-Q" performer tries getting a straight job with the support of her manager/boyfriend, but she's not "cultured" enough. After getting a free book with his purchase of chocolates, he hits on the idea of hiring a ghostwriter to do her "autobiography," which will make her seem cultured. He then hits on the idea of using the pre-publicity to stage his own musical starring her at his own theater, rather than give the pleasure to the man that rejected her. The ghostwriter grows sweet on her, and there's a bit of an idiot plot involving a misunderstanding when they get stranded in a boat en route to the publisher.Carmen Miranda is underutilized, apparently she had a number cut. Hopefully it can be restored someday.

Doll Face proves the point that all old movies aren't classics. In fact, Doll Face proves the point that most movies, whether made 60 years ago, 30 years ago or last week, are deservedly forgotten because they age so badly. This guy-has-doll, guy-loses-doll, guy-wins-doll-back story gives us Doll Face Carroll (Vivian Blaine), a burleyque star with a great voice and a big following among the bald- headed set, and Mike Hannegan (Dennis O'Keefe), her manager and the impresario of the burlesque house where she stars. Doll Face wants to go legit as a singer on Broadway and Mike wants to help her...but her notoriety as a burlesque queen gets in the way. So Mike cooks up an idea to have a noted author ghost Doll Face's memoirs and smooth over the rough spots. Doll Face will get culture and that will get her legit stage offers. Ah, but the author who agreed to be the ghostwriter happens to be a very handsome guy. Wouldn't you know it, misunderstandings arise between Mike and Doll Face. But everything works out. A producer puts on a Broadway show based on Doll Face's hit memoirs. Doll Face not only stars but so do all her pals from Mike's burlesque show, which means Perry Como, Carmen Miranda and Martha Stewart. And Mike manages to win back Doll Face's love, along with 25 per cent of the smash show. We get Como and Stewart singing and sort of dancing to "A-hubba, Hubba, Hubba," Blaine, Como and Stewart separately and in various combinations singing "Somebody's Walking in My Dreams," Como fronting the girls with "Red, Hot and Beautiful" and crooning "Here Comes Heaven Again," plus Carmen Miranda rolling her hips and eyes while trilling her r's through "Chico Chico," the big production number. The songs by Jimmy McHugh (music) and Harold Adamson (lyrics) are professional but that's about it. The only song that became a hit was Como's recording of "A-hubba, Hubba, Hubba." The big Latin production number with Miranda looks like 20th Century Fox was economizing. In this black-and-white movie it badly needs color and Busby Berkeley. For about half the movie, when guy loses doll and before guy gets her back, Doll Face the movie flops into angst and anguish, with over-acting by Blaine and far too much screen time with her and her ghostwriter, Frederick Gerard (Steven Dunne). Dunne was probably one of the handsomest actors never to make it. He had a smooth, assured voice perfect for radio. He can cock an eyebrow but he's as bland as Como. What drives the nail in, however, are the rest of the actors. Dennis O'Keefe was a versatile guy, but even he can't make Mike Hannegan interesting. O'Keefe has to speak with a "funny" Brooklyn accent most of the time, something that sounds like journeymen Hollywood writers trying to channel Damon Runyon. He's stuck wearing a suit with padded shoulders, wide labels, a bow tie and a pork-pie hat with a snap-brim. This is someone's idea of a guy from the funny world of burlesque. At least O'Keefe is actor enough to bring some humanity to Hannegan. Vivian Blaine, on the other hand, was an actress who, at least to me, always came across on film as so polished and professional as to be bloodless. She'd hit her marks but not your heart. Blaine made a big hit on Broadway four years later as Adelaide in Guys and Dolls, so perhaps movies simply didn't do her talent justice. As far as Carmen Miranda, she's Carmen Miranda; you either like her or after a while she gets on your nerves. Perry Como is so laid back he seems half asleep most of the time. The standout, for me, is Martha Stewart. She's vivacious and knows how to sell an upbeat song. But let's hear it for the people who never get a mention; in this case, a bit player named Charles Williams. He was a small guy with a little mustache and an energetic manner. Did he ever get a credit line in any of the movies he appeared in? In Doll Face he has a tiny part as a drug store clerk reading a notice to Mike Hannegan. It's not much but he makes the most of it. For those with long memories or big DVD collections, you might remember him from Vogues of 1938. Williams plays a customs clerk in a big production number. We're watching him through a window where he works. For about two minutes he goes into a song and dance, not quite imitating Eddie Cantor. That's all the screen time he has. It's funny and first- rate, and he didn't get billing there, either. (Dennis O'Keefe was in Vogues, too, as an unbilled dance extra.)