Pin-Up Girl (1944)

Betty Grable in the role that she made famous throughout World War II. A classic musical romance with Martha Raye and Joe E. Brown.

Engaging musical comedy

This is a great film if you enjoy silly humor, musical comedy and hair brained high jinx. Betty Grable's character gets into the thick of it with this film when she and a girlfriend head off to Washington for a new start but like Bing Crosby gets talked into stopping in Vermont in White Christmas, Betty Grable convinces her girlfriend to stop in New York City.

After a few white lies the girls find themselves neck deep and more in trouble. If you enjoy classic musical comedies by entertainers such as Ginger Rogers, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire you'll laugh and sing along with Pin-Up Girl. November 19, 2008

Typical Betty Grable Movie

This movie starring Betty Grable is the typical Grable fare as served up
by Fox in the 40's. The plot is relatively the same, with the one exceptional spot being the comedic scenes with Joe E. Brown and Martha Raye. For grable fans this is a good opportunity to watch Ms. Grable in action again. The film is short on plot but heavily dosed with some great character actors and songs for Grable. April 24, 2008

Terrible, but still entertaining

This is a third-rate 1940s musical starring the then-megafamous Betty Grable as a small-town girl whose little fibs keep getting her into big trouble. Actually, things work out pretty well for her: she gets a job headlining a famous nightclub and she marries the man she loves.

What's terrible about this film are the musical numbers: they lack spark and go on way too long, particularly the dreadful "Skating Vanities" sequence, which must clock in at at least ten minutes in length. There's an awful lot of padding here, even for a b-line musical, but like most old movies, it has some fascinating cultural value... There's a not-too-subtle sexual undertone, involving the interactions between USO girls and the military personnel they entertain: the movie opens with a sequence where all three branches of the service implore the hometown gals to be their "pin-up", to which the girls demurely reply that they "know what you mean" but that they can't give them what they want. Later, when Grable's character has conned her way into sitting at a war hero's nightclub table, the sailor and his pal assume that she and her friend are call girls that the club owner has arranged for them... They don't quite put it in those terms, but the message is unmistakable. Nice glimpse into the hormonal rituals of America during wartime... and lots of crazy piled-up hairdos! (Axton) September 18, 2007

Art imitates life as Grable plays "The Pin Up Girl"

Betty Grable may have been seven months pregnant when this picture wrapped; but she puts in a fine performance with this musical. She sings well and dances, too. Fox does a marvelous job of hiding the fact that she's pregnant. The plot is razor thin as it was with many musicals of its time; but again the singing and dancing are why people go to see musicals--and you won't be disappointed there.

Grable plays Lorry Jones, a carefree gal who promises her heart to a mere 500 men to make them happy since she figures she'll never bump into them again when World War II is over. Lorry goes to New York for a weekend romp with her friend Kay, played by Dorothea Kent, before the two have to report for their new jobs as stenographers at the Naval Department in Washington. Naturally, the moment the ladies hit New York things begin to happen--and fast. They see the famous war hero Tommy Dooley played by John Harvey at Grand Central Station and there's competition for him right from the start in nightclub singer Molly McKay who is played by Martha Raye. Eventually they all wind up in a nightclub as the romantic sparks begin to fly between Lorry Jones and Tommy Dooley. Several musical numbers later, along with some incredible dancing both on foot and on roller skates, Lorry and Tommy may actually have the chance at a longer term relationship--provided, that is, that Molly, a Marine and the other 499 men Lorry casually said she was engaged to don't get in their way.

As one reviewer notes, I couldn't help but compare this to the great MGM musicals of the day. The two numbers in which the two men tap dance are wonderful; and I also thoroughly enjoyed the colorful number where the beautiful dancing girls wear huge feathers of red, white and blue. However, Grable fans will be the ones who will be the happiest with this movie as it really doesn't quite measure up to other musicals--even the other musicals in which Grable starred while she was at Fox!

The cinematography reflects good judgment and forethought; the characters are well framed within the picture which gives this mid 1940s war time musical a rather "pure" and "conservative, going with the mainstream" quality. The choreography shines with each and every dance number; I believe that a great deal of work went into figuring out how to stage those musical numbers.

The DVD has a few extras worth noting: you get a deleted scene of Grable singing a song that was cut from the final production; and there is a commentary by Richard Schickel. There are trailers for this movie and three other Fox musicals, too.

After all is said and done, however, this is Betty Grable's movie; and Grable's fans will enjoy Pin-Up Girl the most. The plot is rather thin and the acting by John Harvey is nothing special; but Grable gives a solid performance. Fox takes great advantage of the fact that Grable WAS a "pin-up girl" in real life. If you like musicals you'll probably enjoy this one but rate it about a B+. However, true blue Grable fans will love every minute of this movie.
March 27, 2007

"We should have used our imaginations"

Skewering her real life role of a pin up girl, this 1944 movie stars Betty Grable as Lorry Jones a pretty and feisty young girl who works for the USO and is heading for Washington DC. Aboard the train, a conversation with friend Kay (Dorothea Kent) reveals that the pair isn't headed for the USO, but will instead take jobs as stenographers.

On the way, the pair decides to visit New York, where they see Molly McKay (Martha Raye) flirting with Guadalcanal hero Tommy Dooley (John Harvey). Later, Lorry claims to know the hero to gain admittance to the packed Club Chanteuse. The Club itself is a grand affair; a huge swing band plays on a giant stage that stretches from floor to ceiling, whilst the actual show consists of singers, dancers and even roller-skating routine featuring the Skating Vanities!

When Tommy eventually turns up at the club, he is immediately besotted with the cute Lorry. But Molly - the real star of the Club Chanteuse - is secretly seething; she knows that Molly is a fake so she asks her sing a song from the show. Lorry gets back at Molly when she belts out the tune as if she sang it every night on stage, even with back up singers!

Lorry and Kay continue on their journey to Washington DC and eventually bump into Tommy who coincidentally is looking for a stenographer - of course he picks Lorry. Of course Tommy can't tell who Lorry is because she's wearing glasses and has her hair in a bun, and every time he looks at her, she's looking back at him with crossed-eyes!

The story is silly and trite and almost non-existent, and it's all merely an excuse for framing the elaborate musical numbers, which are centered on the three-tiered bandstands where Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra sit. Indeed most of the action takes place in the nightclubs where Lorry and Tommy mostly hang out.

Obviously made for all the GI's, the film has an innocent quality combined with a sort of fierce patriotism and you really get the sense that the film is pushing the merits of the allied war effort. There's no doubt that Grable is sparkling and bubbly and she does a good job with the singing and dancing, even though the role is a bit of a caricature. But you can easily see how much she contributed to the war effort.

It's interesting to watch films such as this - not just for the flashy musical numbers, which sometimes border in the gaudy, but also for the social relevance, and for the forties nostalgia.

Although Pin-Up Girl may not be the best example of a War musical - the film is slight and is basically restricted to the pattern of boy-meets-girl and they live happily ever after - it's still a welcome and harmless diversion - just like Betty Grable, with her long silken legs, was a distraction for lonely soldiers of World War II. Mike Leonard July 06.
July 10, 2006

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