''Mister Big'' is a 1943 musical directed by

Charles Lamont Charles Lamont (May 5, 1895 – September 11, 1993) was a prolific filmmaker, directing over 200 titles and producing and writing many others. He directed several Abbott and Costello comedies and many Ma and Pa Kettle films. Biography A Calif ...

, starring

Donald O'Connor Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule. His best ...

Gloria Jean Gloria Jean (born Gloria Jean Schoonover; April 14, 1926 – August 31, 2018) was an American actress and singer who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films from 1939 to 1959, and made numerous radio, television, stage, and nightclub app ...

and

Peggy Ryan Margaret O'Rene Ryan (August 28, 1924 – October 30, 2004) was an American dancer and actress, best known for starring in a series of movie musicals at Universal Pictures with Donald O'Connor and Gloria Jean. Career Ryan joined her paren ...

. The film features the song "Rude, Crude, and Unattractive". This was the final of seven, successive

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

musicals that

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

cast with Donald O’Connor after he signed in 1941. When his popularity soared prior to release, the studio added $50,000 in musical numbers and distributed it as an A. His subsequent films were all A's.

Plot

In a school for the dramatic arts called the Davis School of the Theatre, run by Jeremy Taswell, Donald (

) has written a musical comedy for the school play. But the owner of the school, Mrs. Davis (

Florence Bates Florence Bates ( Rabe; April 15, 1888 - January 31, 1954), was an American film and stage character actress who often played grande dame characters in supporting roles. Life and career Bates was the second child born to Jewish immigrant pare ...

) (whose niece, played by

, secretly has a crush on Donald), disapproves and insists that they do a play by Sophocles instead. The students manage to change the play into a musical while Mrs. Davis is traveling to New York. Their triumph is short lived, however, for Mrs. Davis comes back from New York on opening night. At first she becomes quite angry at the students, but changes her tune when a Broadway producer agrees to finance the show and produce it in New York.

Cast

- Patricia *

- Donald *

- Peggy *

Robert Paige Robert Paige (born John Arthur Paige, December 2, 1911 – December 21, 1987) was an actor and a TV newscaster and political correspondent and Universal Pictures leading man who made 65 films in his lifetime: he was the only actor ever allowed t ...

- Johnny Hanley *

Elyse Knox Elyse Knox (born Elsie M. Kornbrath, December 14, 1917 – February 16, 2012) was an American actress, model, and fashion designer. Early life Knox was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Austrian immigrants Hermine Sophie (née Muc ...

- Alice Taswell *

Samuel S. Hinds Samuel Southey Hinds (April 4, 1875 – October 13, 1948) was an American actor and former lawyer. He was often cast as kindly authority figures and appeared in more than 200 films until his death. Early years Hinds was born in Brooklyn, New Y ...

- Jeremy Taswell *

- Mrs. Mary Davis *

Mary Eleanor Donahue Elinor Donahue (born Mary Eleanor Donahue, April 19, 1937) is a retired American actress, best known today for playing the role of Betty Anderson, the eldest child of Jim and Margaret Anderson on the 1950s American sitcom ''Father Knows Best''. ...

- Muggsy

Production

The film was known as ''School for Jive''. This was changed to ''Mister Big'' in April 1943. Donald O'Connor was promoted to star billing for the film following the positive reception he had received at previews.Of Local Origin New York Times ]20 Apr 1943: 27.

Songs

*Serenade (Joy) performed by Gloria Jean *Soliloquy performed by Donald O'Connor and chorus *This Must Be a Dream performed by

Ray Eberle Raymond Eberle (January 19, 1919 – August 25, 1979) was a vocalist during the Big Band Era, making his name with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. His elder brother, Bob Eberly, sang with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Career Eberle was born in Mech ...

*Niagara performed by

the Jivin' Jacks and Jills The Jivin' Jacks and Jills were a twentieth century American dance group of the World War II era. The group was assembled by Universal Pictures via open audition. The intent was to assemble a group of young dancers with appeal to a teen audience. L ...

, featuring Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan *Moonlight and Roses performed by Gloria Jean *All the Things I Wanta Say performed by Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan *Kitten with My Mittens Laced performed by the Jivin' Jacks and Jills *Rude, Crude, and Unattractive performed by Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and the Jivin' Jacks and Jills *We're Not Obvious performed by Donald O'Connor and Gloria Jean *Thee and Me performed by Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Gloria Jean *Come Along, My Mandy performed by Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan, sung by the Ben Carter Choir *We'll Meet Again performed by the Ben Carter Choir *Egyptian Boogie performed by the Jivin' Jacks and Jills *Hi, Character performed by Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan *The Spirit Is in Me sung by Gloria Jean, performed by the Jivin' Jacks and Jills, featuring Peggy Ryan

References

External links

* * 1943 films 1943 musical films Films directed by Charles Lamont American black-and-white films Universal Pictures films American musical films 1940s American films {{musical-film-stub