BLONDE FROM BROOKLYN

Thurston Hall, Lynn Merrick and Robert Stanton/Haymes

BLONDE FROM BROOKLYN (1945). Director: Del Lord.

Fresh out of the Army, Dixon Harper (Robert Stanton), who loves everything Southern although he was born a Yankee, runs into a jukebox gal and wannabe singer named Susan (Lynn Merrick of I Love Trouble). For reasons that make little sense, the two decide to pretend to be from the deep South with the aid of lovable con man Colonel Hubert Fransworth (Thurston Hall of Theodora Goes Wild). Changing her name to Susanna Bellwithers, Susan learns that she is now considered the heir to a fortune that isn't rightfully hers, but if she confesses the truth she and Bob may lose a radio contract with their sponsors... Blonde from Brooklyn has amiable players, with Hall the most professional of the bunch and Merrick and Stanton being comely and in good voice. Mary Treen [Let's Do It Again] is also in the cast as Susan's disapproving roommate. The songs are pleasantly forgettable although "Lost a Wonderful Girl" is a rather nice number. Hugh Beaumont has a small role as an Army man, and Byron Foulger registers as the lawyer who brings news of the inheritance. Stanton, who was good-looking and capable if no great actor, and was also the younger brother of Dick Haymes, later became a busy emcee under his real name, Bob Haymes. [Imdb. com claims he appeared in 1998's The Wedding Singer even though he died nine years earlier!; stock footage maybe?]

Verdict: Pleasant but you forget it even while you're watching it. **.

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD (1945). Director: S. Sylvan Simon.

Some great gags and funny sequences tied to a plot in which barbers Bud and Lou decide to become agents when they see a Hollywood hopeful, Jeff Parker (Robert Stanton), being treated miserably by the system. Frances Rafferty is an actress who also wants to help Jeff, and Jean Parker a manicurist who hopes to become a star even as Lou hopes she'll give him a date. Carleton G. Young is the established star who's threatened by Jeff's abilities, and Donald MacBride is the bristling head of the studio. Lucille Ball appears briefly as herself. Highlights include a protracted scene wherein Lou is mistaken for a movie dummy; a bit where he tries to beat insomnia by listening to a soothing voice on a record; and the climactic chase on a roller coaster. Bud Abbott, an excellent straight man, has a nice scene where he gets all cracked up when he thinks his buddy Lou is dead.

Verdict: Not a classic, but entertaining and amusing. **1/2.