Delightfully Dangerous

Astor Pictures Corp. / United Artists, 1945, B/W, 92 minutes, ***

Jane Powell's second feature film finds her attending Fernridge School for Girls. Her sister is a well-known burlesque star, but she covers that up by telling Jane that she's a big star on the New York stage. Trouble brews when Jane arrives unannounced in the big city to visit her sister. Cute film with a bright young singing actress on the verge of superstardom!

This film is apparently in public domain. As far as I know, only print-mastered tapes are available. The VHS videotape I bought (shown right) is of very poor quality, but I still think it's worth watching. I recently bought the DVD Box set shown here, and it is mastered from a much better print.

Crew:

Produced by: Charles R. Rogers
Associate Producer: Joseph S. Tushinsky
Production Manager: Joseph H. Nadel
Directed by: Arthur Lubin
Dialogue Director: Joan Hathaway
Screen Play by: Walter DeLeon and Arthur Phillips
Based on a Story by: Irving Phillips, Edward Verdier and Frank Tashlin
Original Music and Arrangements by: Morton Gould
Lyrics for Original Songs and Adaptations by: Edward Heyman
Original Songs: "Once Upon a Song," "I'm Only Teasin'," "In a Shower of Stars," "Through Your Eyes... To Your Heart"
Associate Musical Director: Charles Previn
Musical Numbers Staged by: Ernst Matray
Art Director: Duncan Cramer
Set Dressing: Jacques Mapes
Make-up by: Ern Westmore
Costumes Supervised by: Maria Donovan
Sound Engineer: Max Hutchinson
Costume Supervisor: Maria Dencran
Director of Photography: Milton Krasner
Film Editor: Harvey Manger

Cast:

Jane Powell ... Cheryl Williams
Ralph Bellamy ... Arthur Hale
Constance Moore ... Josephine Williams (aka "Bubbles Barton")
Morton Gould and His Orchestra ... Themselves
Arthur Treacher ... Jeffers, Hale's Butler
Louise Beavers ... Hannah, Hale's Maid
Ruth Tobey ... Molly
Ruth Robinson ... Mrs. Jones
Andre Charlot ... Professor Bremond
Shirley Hunter Williams ... Nadine
Chris Drake ... Sailor Jimmy Burns
Sunny Burkette ... Cathy Gahagan
Bess Flowers ... Mrs. Hopkins
Earle Hodgins ... Burlesque Barker

Music:

[0:00] Overture (played by Orchestra behind credits and into opening scene)
[0:03] In a Shower of Stars (sung by Jane Powell)
[0:18] The Show at the Girls School with a dance by the Chorus to the background score, which was scored to fit the action - contains strains of many popular tunes, classical music and opera arias
[0:22] Once upon a Song (sung by Jane Powell on a tight-rope)
[0:34] That Rocky Feeling (?) (Burlesque number sung and danced by Chorus Girls)
[0:35] I'm Only Teasin' (sung by Constance Moore at the Burlesque house)
[1:01] Through Your Eyes...To Your Heart (sung by Jane Powell with Morton Guold and His Orchestra)
[1:21] Mr. Strauss Goes to Town (consisting of a medley of jazzed-up Strauss Waltzes played by Orchestra, danced by Constance Moore, Jane Powell and Chorus; partly sung by Constance Moore; partly sung by Jane Powell)
[1:25] In a Shower of Stars (sung by Jane Powell and Constance Moore)
[1:29] In a Shower of Stars (reprised by Jane Powell);