MOON OVER MIAMI (1941). Cast: Don Ameche, Betty Grable, Robert Cummings, and Carole Landis.
Kay and Barbara Latimer, both holding down jobs, singing at the Texas drive-in restaurant as car hops, with their aunt Susan, who is flipping burgers.
Waiting for the mailman to bring their inheritance check of $55,000. Only to read the disappointing news they will only receive only $4,000. They talk Susan, into spending the money on a trip to Miami, to find rich husbands.
Barbara, comes up with a plan to pretend to be Kay's secretary, and Susan her maid.
They fly off to the Flamingo Hotel and make quick friends with Jack, a bartender who tells them he will protect them from the Gold Diggers.
Kay tricks Jeff into an invitation, to his party. Where she also meets Phil, heir to the McNeil Mines. Close friends Jeff and Phil, begin a playful competition for Kay affections. Kay finds herself not able to choose whom she would like to marry. Her sister Barbara has secretly fallen in love with Jeff.
The women find themselves in financial trouble, after a couple weeks of living it up at the fancy hotel. They need $150 to pay their hotel bill. Kay, has plans to go dancing with her two friends later that evening.
Kay invites Barbara, to come along so she can dance with Jeff, while she talks with Phil. Phil admits to her that he is broke. Kay, also admits, that she came to Miami, to find a rich husband. They decide that they are not right for each other. Phil searches out Jeff to tell him that Kay loves him, after which they becomes engaged .
As the women are packing to leave for Jeff's families island, Jack overhears them talking about their Gold Digging plans, and threatens to tell Jeff. Jack finds himself locked in the bathroom, while the women quickly leave for the island.
Phil, decides he can not live without Kay, and comes up with a plan to stop the wedding. The woman are surprised to see Jack, who came to inform Jeff that Kay, is not really love him.
Will Phil get there in time to stop the wedding, or ...Will Jack ruin the girls plans?
I really enjoyed watching Betty Grable sing and dance in this fun/colorful movie. I also really enjoyed the location scenes of Cypress Gardens and Silver Springs.
She dyed her hair blond and changed her name to "Carole Landis" after her favorite actress, Carole Lombard.
Her 1937 film debut was as an extra in A Star Is Born.
She performed in bit parts until 1940 when Hal Roach cast her as a cave girl in One Million B.C.. The movie turned Carole into a star. A press agent nicknamed her "The Ping Girl" (because "she makes you purr").
Landis performed in many successful films in the early forties, usually as the second female lead.
In a time when the singing of many actresses was dubbed in, Landis's own voice was considered good enough and was used in her few musical roles.
Landis landed a contract with 20th Century Fox.
She had roles playing opposite fellow pin-up girl Betty Grable in Moon Over Miami and I Wake Up Screaming, both in 1941.
Dawn, the first time I saw this film was when I was about 13 years old back in the late 70's. I also enjoyed watching this wonderful film. I want to see it again and take a look at the location scenes of Cypress Gardens because I visited that area in the summer of 2007. I want to see how much it has changed since the 40's.
ReplyDeleteYes...good movie and good post Dawn. I enjoyed Betty's run of those fun musicals she did in the early 40's. In addition to this one, I also liked Down Argentine Way, Coney Island, and Springtime in the Rockies.
ReplyDeleteMonty, Iam a huge fan of Betty Grable. Her movies are so hard to find on DVD.
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