And the Angels Sing

What better way to fund his acquisition of a soya-bean farm than for "Pop" (Raymond Walburn) to get his singing daughters to get on stage and wow the crowd. Thing is, they just don't want to and given their differing personalities that's not really surprising. He does manage to get them to agree to ... an one-off performance though where "Bobby" (Betty Hutton) turns their ten dollar fee into $190! Meantime, band leader "Happy" (Fred McMurray) can't afford to pay the wages for his musicians so he taps up "Bobby" in a quid pro quo for a singing gig but before she has a chance to belt out a single note, he's done a bunk with her money! When she finds out where he's skedaddled to, they follow en-masse and find there chance for sweet revenge when the club will only employ "Happy" if the four girls accompany him! Along the way in this engaging theatrical romp, we have "Nancy" (an on-form Dorothy Lamour) serenading us with "It Could Happen to You" and, indeed, Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke have written quite a few decent numbers that Danny Dare has quite spontaneously choreographed with feathers and glittery costumes galore. There's also quite an enjoyable chemistry between the mischievous McMurray and just about everyone, but Hutton and Diana Lynn stand out as the comedy stays just the right side of the slapstick. It's light and fluffy, sure, and I doubt nowadays anyone would be allowed to get spanked without half a dozen "intimacy consultants" on set, but it's quite entertaining. read more