Cocoanut Grove (1938) DVD-R

Starring Fred MacMurray, Hariet Hlliard, Ben Blue, Eve Arden, Rufe Davis
Directed by Alfred Santell

Print: black/white
Runtime: 85 min.
Genre: musical
Print Quality: B

The legendary Cocoanut Grove nightclub is the setting for this all-star
Paramount musical. Fred MacMurray heads the cast as Johnny Prentice, a
small-time bandleader who heads to the Grove for an all-important
audition. He is accompanied by his foster son Half-Pint (Billy Lee), a
talented drummer in his own right. Joining the troupe is Linda Rodgers
(Harriet Hilliard), ostensibly Half-Pint's tutor but actually an aspiring
vocalist. The thinnish plot serves as an excuse for an unending stream of
specialty numbers featuring Royal Hawaiian orchestra leader Harry
Owens, comedian Ben Blue, the zany Yacht Club Boys (a WASP version of
the Ritz Brothers), funny-noise specialist Rufe Davis and bandmaster Red
Stanley. In the course of events, nine new original songs are performed,
none of which graduated to hit-parade status. Curiously, the real
Cocoanut Grove is never seen, though the Paramount mockup is
reasonably convincing.