''Excuse My Dust'' is a 1951

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

starring

Red Skelton Richard Red Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelton Show''. He has stars ...

. It was directed by Roy Rowland and an uncredited

Edward Sedgwick Edward Sedgwick (November 7, 1889 – March 7, 1953) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. Early life He was born in Galveston, Texas, the son of Edward Sedgwick, Sr. and Josephine Walker, both stage actors. At the age ...

Plot

Amateur inventor Joe Belden has his Indiana hometown in a tizzy over his new "horseless carriage" in 1895. It runs on gasoline, but the townspeople aren't impressed and only Joe's mom and his sweetheart Liz Bullitt are supportive. Mechanical breakdowns make Joe even more unpopular with some, including Liz's father, who prefers his daughter's other suitor, Ivy Leaguer Cyrus Ransom, Jr. A $5,000 first prize in a road race attracts newfangled contraptions from all over the land. Cy enters one himself that runs on ether and cheats in every way he can to drive Joe off the road. He succeeds, but Liz comes to the rescue and joins Joe all the way to the finish line—well, almost all the way.

Cast

as Joe Belden *

Sally Forrest Sally Forrest (born Katherine Feeney; May 28, 1928 – March 15, 2015), was an American film, stage and TV actress of the 1940s and 1950s. She studied dance from a young age and shortly out of high school was signed to a contract by Metro-Gol ...

as Liz Bullitt (singing voice dubbed by Gloria Gray) * Macdonald Carey as Cyrus Ransom, Jr. * William Demarest as Harvey Bullitt * Monica Lewis as Daisy Lou * Raymond Walburn as Mayor Fred Haskell * Jane Darwell as Mrs. Belden * Lillian Bronson as Mrs. Matilda Bullitt *

Herbert Anderson Herbert Anderson (March 30, 1917 – June 11, 1994) was an American character actor from Oakland, California, probably best remembered for his role as Henry Mitchell, the father, on the CBS television sitcom '' Dennis the Menace.'' Backg ...

as Ben Parrott *

Paul Harvey Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous ''The Rest o ...

as Cyrus Random, Sr. *

Marjorie Wood Marjorie Wood (5 September 1882 – 9 November 1955) was a British-born American actress on stage and in film. Early life Marjorie Wood was born in Dublin (some sources give her birthplace as London ) on 5 September 1882. Career Wood's stage ...

as Mrs. Cyrus Random Sr. * Lee Scott as Horace Antler * Alex Gerry as Mr. Antler * Jim Hayward as Nick Tosca * Will Wright as Race judge

Production

The film was an original script by George Wells.

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

was at one stage intended to star.

Musical numbers

* I'd Like to Take You Out Dreaming Performed by Macdonald Carey and Chorus * Lorelei Brown Performed by Monica Lewis and Chorus, introduced by Herbert Anderson and Sally Forrest * Goin' Steady Sung by Macdonald Carey, Monica Lewis, Sally Forrest, Red Skelton and Chorus * Spring Has Sprung Performed by Red Skelton and Sally Forrest (dubbed by Gloria Gray) * Get a Horse Performed by Macdonald Carey, William Demarest and Chorus * That's for Children Performed by Monica Lewis, Red Skelton and Chorus * Lorelei Brown (reprise) Danced by Sally Forrest and Chorus * Spring Has Sprung (reprise) Sung by Sally Forrest (dubbed by Gloria Gray)

Reception

According to MGM records, the film earned $1,645,000 in the US and Canada and $653,000 elsewhere, resulting in a loss of $501,000.

References

External links

* 1951 films 1951 musical comedy films American musical comedy films American auto racing films Films directed by Roy Rowland Films set in Indiana Films set in the 1890s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films with screenplays by George Wells Films with screenplays by Buster Keaton Films directed by Edward Sedgwick 1950s historical comedy films American historical comedy films American historical musical films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{historic-musical-film-stub