Here Come the Waves *** (1944, Bing Crosby, Betty Hutton, Sonny Tufts, Ann Doran) – Classic Movie Review 7393

Director Mark Sandrich’s rather feebly written 1944 wartime patriotic musical Here Come the Waves is rescued by exuberant stars Bing Crosby and Betty Hutton and by one great new song –  Harold Arlen (music) and Johnny Mercer (lyrics)’s ‘Accentuate the Positive’, which was Oscar nominated as Best Original Song.

Crosby plays singer Johnny Cabot, who joins the US Navy to see WW2 war service, but instead is made to stage shows with women sailors, including twins Rosemary and Susie Allison (a blonde and a brunette Hutton getting to duet with herself). Rosemary and Susie had a nightclub act on dry land, but serious Rosemary wants to join the war effort and sexy Susie joins her when she hears that singer Johnny Cabot is on board.

With some nice tunes to trill, Crosby is excellent and, if Hutton is a bit strident, at least it keeps the show lively. Amusingly, the ‘Old Groaner’ Crosby sings ‘That Old Black Magic’ to the bobby-soxer fans of his real-life rival ‘Old Blue Eyes’ Frank Sinatra.

Here Come the Waves also features Ann Doran, Gwen Crawford, Noel Neill, Catherine Craig, Anabel Shaw (billed under her birth name of as Marjorie Henshaw), Harry Barris, Mae Clarke, Yvonne De Carlo, Lillian Bronson, Jimmie Dundee, James Flavin, William Forrest, William Haade, Mona Freeman, Jack Norton, Oscar O’Shea, Kay Linaker, George Turner, Jean Wiles, Minor Watson and Cyril Ring.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7393

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