Up in Arms *** (1944, Danny Kaye, Dana Andrews, Dinah Shore) – Classic Movie Review 8563

Director Elliott Nugent’s 1944 Up in Arms is a remake by The Samuel Goldwyn Company of Eddie Cantor’s 1930 hit Whoopee! this time starring Danny Kaye in his cinema feature film début (after four shorts and a TV movie). It is a bright, vivacious, tailor-made musical about a nervous wreck of a hypochondriac, Danny Weems (Kaye), who is drafted into the US army in wartime with predictable slapstick results.

There are some good songs – ‘Now I Know’ (Harold Arlen music, Ted Koehler lyrics), ‘The Lobby Number’, ‘Melody in 4F’- there is a sparkling co-star in Dinah Shore, as well as a splendid roster of character actors, while The Goldwyn Girls add lustre, fun and glamour.

And the effervescent young Kaye is seen at his near best here.

It was nominated for two Oscars: Best Original Song ‘Now I Know’ (Harold Arlen music, Ted Koehler lyrics) and Best Scoring of a Musical Picture (Louis Forbes, Ray Heindorf).

Also in the cast are Constance Dowling, Dana Andrews, Louis Calhern, Lyle Talbot, Elisha Cook Jr, George Mathews, Benny Baker, Walter Catlett, George Meeker, Tom Keene, Margaret Dumont, Donald Dickson, Edward Earle, Charles Arnt, Charles Halton, Tom Dugan, Sig Arno, Harry Hayden, Charles D Brown, Maurice Cass, Fred Essler, Rudy Friml, Maude Eburne, William B Davidson, Virginia Farmer, Benson Fong, John Hamilton, Eddie Kane, George Magrill, Matt McHugh, Jack Mower, Anne O’Neal, Lillian Randolph, Larry Steers, Leonard Strong, Charles Vincent, Eddy Waller and Isabel Withers.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8563

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