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And the Angels Singis a 1944 Americanmusical comedy filmdirected byGeorge Marshalland starringDorothy Lamour,Fred MacMurray,andBetty Hutton.Released byParamount Pictures,it is a classic example of a film written to capitalize on the title of a previously popular song, in this caseBenny Goodman's 1939 number one hit, "And the Angels Sing" byZiggy ElmanandJohnny Mercer,sung byMartha Tilton,though the song is not actually in the film. The standout original songs in the musical were "It Could Happen To You",sung byDorothy Lamour,which quickly became a pop standard, and "His Rocking Horse Ran Away", which became one ofBetty Hutton's most popular numbers.
And the Angels Sing | |
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Directed by | George Marshall |
Written by | Claude Binyon Melvin Frank Norman Panama |
Starring | Dorothy Lamour Betty Hutton Fred MacMurray Diana Lynn Mimi Chandler |
Cinematography | Karl Struss |
Edited by | Eda Warren |
Music by | Victor Young James Van Heusen Johnny Burke |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The story is about a singing sister group, their exploitation by a bandleader, and their subsequent rise to fame. One of the sisters is portrayed by Mimi Chandler, daughter of formerKentuckygovernor and baseball commissionerHappy Chandler."Happy" is also the name ofFred MacMurray's character in the story.
Timemagazine wrote about the film at the time, "From [the start of] Happy's two-timing, [it] gets more & more complicated and less & less funny. Too much of this dizzy story shows signs of hard labor; about half is rather enjoyable. Betty Hutton (The Miracle of Morgan's Creek) gets funnier with every picture. She is the most startling expression of natural force since theJohnstown Flood.[1]
Plot
editThe four Angel sisters are singers, although all wish to pursue other careers. At a roadhouse, bandleader Happy Marshall makes a pass at Nancy Angel, but she already has a boyfriend, cab driver Oliver.
After the girls are paid just $10 for a performance, Bobby Angel gambles with her sisters' money and wins $190. But she is conned out of it by Happy, whose band needs it to make a trip to Brooklyn to perform at a club. Bobby thinks he wants to both hire and romance her, neither of which is true.
Happy ends up falling for Nancy, and the girls' act is so good, the club's owner will not hire Happy's band in the future without them. Nancy is fine with the arrangement, particularly when Bobby ends up falling for Happy's friend in the band, Fuzzy.
Cast
edit- Dorothy Lamouras Nancy Angel
- Betty Huttonas Bobby Angel
- Diana Lynnas Josie Angel
- Mimi Chandler as Patti Angel
- Raymond Walburnas Daddy Angel
- Fred MacMurrayas Happy Marshall
- Eddie Foy, Jr.as Fuzzy
- Frank Albertsonas Oliver
- Mikhail Rasumnias Schultz
See also
editReferences
edit- Film Review 1945byF. Maurice Speed