Thousands Cheer
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Eleanor Powell was one of many MGM stars who appeared as themselves in Thousands Cheer. |
Thousands Cheer was an
American musical-
comedy released by
MGM in 1943.
Produced at the height of the
Second World War, the film was intended as a morale booster for American troops and their families. The movie is essentially a two-part program. The first half consists of a romantic comedy storyline involving an aerialist, played by
Gene Kelly, who is drafted into the
US Army but really wants to join the air force. During training, he falls in love with Kathryn (played by
Kathryn Grayson), the daughter of his commanding officer, who has similarly put her singing career on hold in order to serve in the military and provide entertainment for the troops. Unusually for this type of a film (and for this era of Hollywood), the character Kathryn has only recently met her father for the first time since she was a baby, her parents having divorced. A related subplot has Kathryn conniving to get her parents (played by
John Boles and
Mary Astor) to reconcile. During the first part of the film, Grayson sings several numbers and Kelly performs one of his most famous routines, dancing with a mop as a partner.
The secondary plot involves preparations for a major live show for the soldiers which will feature many MGM musical and comedy stars. For the second half of the film, all pretences of a storyline are effectively abandoned as the film instead becomes a variety showcase of comedy, song, and dance, with all of the performers (save Kelly and Grayson) appearing as themselves. The show portion is hosted by
Mickey Rooney.
Performing as "guest stars" in the film's show segment were:
Judy Garland,
Lena Horne,
Red Skelton,
Ann Sothern,
Lucille Ball,
Frank Morgan,
Virginia O'Brien,
Eleanor Powell,
Marilyn Maxwell,
Margaret O'Brien,
June Allyson, the
Kay Kyser Orchestra and others. Highlights included a performance of "Honeysuckle Rose" by Horne, a
tap dance solo by Powell (making her first color film and her final MGM movie until 1950's
Duchess of Idaho), Kay Kyser's band delivering a frantic and humorous medley of "I Dug a Ditch in Wichita"/"Should I?", and a Garland performance of "The Joint is Really Jumpin' in Carnegie Hall" which includes an early use of the word "
rock" in a musical sense.
"I Dug a Ditch in Wichita", a song told from the point of view of a soldier who used to dig ditches, is the movie's underlying theme song, performed several times in the film with different arrangements and approaches, climaxing in the above mentioned Kay Kyser performance. Kathryn Grayson also sings a version, using an exaggerated (and out-of-character) "cowboy" accent, and Gene Kelly dances to an instrumental version, using a mop as a partner.
After a brief resumption (and resolution) of the earlier storyline, the film ends with Grayson leading an international chorus of men (the United Nations Chorus) in a song pleading for world peace. The song, entitled "United Nations", actually predates the establishment of the
United Nations political body by two years.
* A bizarre moment occurs when Mickey Rooney, introducing Garland's performance, states earnestly and without apparent irony that he hopes to work with her someday. In reality, Rooney and Garland had co-starred in numerous films over the previous five years.
* Garland filmed her performance during a break in shooting
Presenting Lily Mars, which is why she appears as a blonde in this film since her hair color was changed for
Lily Mars.
*
