Best Foot Forward (1943)

A nice trip back to the musical 40s

Best Foot Forward is a pleasant diversion to watch even still today.It was originally a successful Broadway play which MGM got the rights to and filmed in colour.
The movie was definitely aimed at a teenage audience to inspire them to get into the military swing of things,you might say.It concerns three young cadet sergeants and their girls.There is an up coming prom with the neighbouring girls school but one of the sergeants has written to Lucille Ball who has unexpectedly accepted his invitation to attend the prom with him.Now he has the task of trying to keep his girl from finding out AND attending the prom.To top things off Lucille Ball,due to academy rules,can only go with him under his girlfriends' name! And she's only there at her managers' insistence,to get publicity! His girlfriend eventually finds out,and boy falls out with girl,mayhem ensues but alls well that ends well.
The plot is nothing special and the script could/should have been much better.Instead alot of the lines are plain,trite and miss the mark much too often.Lucille Ball unfortunately gives her best but just isn't given enough of signifigance to say or do.
However there are two elements that save the movie.The first is Nancy Walker who does a terrific turn as a smart alecky debutante.She provides the film with the majority of its' laughs.
The second is Harry James.I have always considered him to be the greatest trumpet player of the 20th century and this movie provides more than ample proof,and all within two numbers.The first is "Two O'Clock Jump",one of his big hits and a real great jump tune.The second is "Flight of the Bumblebee".There are no adjectives that I could use to adequately describe the fingerwork and technique on this number.It was astonishing to watch in /43 and is STILL a wonder to this day.He even does a duet dance number with Nancy Walker.And all this in colour!
And speaking of colour.This print generally is very good.There are a couple of short cut scenes that appear a little out of focus but other than that it looks like it was filmed yesterday.
To recap; Best Foot Forward while "OSCAR caliber" is NOT one of its' attributes,and while it is a film very much of its' time,it is still a very plesant diversion.It is in crisp colour and Lucille Ball fans will find a nice spot for it in their library I'm sure.Also to watch out for is a young Gloria De Haven and June Allyson.Nancy Walker is the comic standout and Harry James rounds things out beautifully in the music department with his peerless horn playing.
I might also add that the soundtrack is still available,but not for long.It is made by Rhino records in a very limited addition CD.Only 2500 copies have been pressed in all so may I suggest if you like the numbers in this movie you will love the CD also. September 28, 2007

Best Foot Forward

This is a wonderful musical that moves along at a quick pace. June Allyson made I believe her screen dubut along with the wonderful Nancy Walker who shines here. Lucille Ball also plays herself, a movie star who Hollywood thinks is washed up. Her agent sets her up on a prom date with a student from a military school. Complications ensue and the laughs begin. A great movie for when you want to escape the pressues of today. July 19, 2007

A Favorite

That this bit of fluff has long been one of my favorite movies may not be the best advertisement for my taste, but it truly is a wonderful bit of fluff. Lucille Ball shows well, but oddly enough her presence is interesting mostly because we rarely get to see much of her pre-TV work. It's worth getting just for that.

It's the music and the youngsters that make this one so much fun, though. The early Nancy Walker is hilarious and something of a revelation. Her business with a bass drum still cracks me up, thirty odd years after the first time I saw it. June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven are likewise seen at the beginnings of their careers, and show why they went on to be so notable. The three of them doing "The Three B's" are a treat. Allyson and DeHaven also shine in the opening number ("Wish I May" - MGM used almost the same scene and setup for this as they did for the opening of Good News three years later). The then veteran Virginia Weidler is the actually the weakest link among the young women and this was one of her last performances on screen, but she gave a very affecting, if truncated, rendition of "Every Time."

The male leads are also good, although they don't stand out quite as much. Tommy Dix did a great job with the rousing Buckle Down Winsocki. Jack Jordan was handsome and stalwart in his role. Kenny Bowers was a direct contrast with the other two, being a definite ham. The three of them showed very well singing "Three Men on A Date."

I doubt too many 1940's military academies had Harry James' band playing the dances at the senior prom and Lucille Ball making a surprise guest appearance. But it's all done with so much humor and spirit that you can't help but have a hell of a good time watching what happens when they do. Bring it out on DVD please. June 9, 2007

A flawed comedy

Though I am a fan of Lucille Ball movies, I found this movie to be quite dull and overacted. I don't know why a director would think that the particular hijinks of the college boys in this film would be entertaining. The inept acting or comedic timing was distracting though the storyline was anticipated to be promising. I feel I wasted my money on this DVD. May 12, 2007

Your Best Foot Forward

This is a great movie to just sit down and relax to. I gave it four stars mainly because the comedy today cannot match the comedy movies of yesteryear. If you have never watched the Marx Brothers then you will enjoy their antics. Sit back grab a bag of popcorn and have fun. March 24, 2007

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