''Swing Hostess'' is a 1944 American

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

film directed by

Sam Newfield Sam Newfield, born Samuel Neufeld, (December 6, 1899 - November 10, 1964), also known as Sherman Scott or Peter Stewart, was an American B-movie Film director, director, one of the most prolific in American film history—he is credited with d ...

for

Producers Releasing Corporation Producers Releasing Corporation was the smallest and least prestigious of the Hollywood film studios of the 1940s. It was considered a prime example of what was called "Poverty Row": a low-rent stretch of Gower Street in Hollywood where shoest ...

and starring

Martha Tilton Martha Tilton (November 14, 1915 – December 8, 2006) was an American popular singer during America's swing era and traditional pop period. She is best known for her 1939 recording of "And the Angels Sing" with Benny Goodman. Tilton was born ...

Iris Adrian Iris Adrian Hostetter (May 29, 1912 – September 17, 1994) was an American stage, film actress and dancer. Life and career Adrian was an only child, born in Los Angeles, California, to Florence (née Van Every) and Adrian Earl Hostetter, who ...

, Charles Collins, Betty Brodel,

Cliff Nazarro Clifford Nazarro (January 31, 1904 – February 18, 1961) was an American double-talk Double-talk is a form of speech in which inappropriate, invented, or nonsense words are interpolated into normal speech to give the appearance of knowledg ...

and

Harry Holman Harry James Holman (March 15, 1862 – May 3, 1947) was an American character actor. He appeared in approximately 130 films between 1923 and 1947. Biography Born in Conway, Missouri, Holman dropped out of school in the ninth grade and ...

. The film's sets were designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Paul Palmentola Paul Palmentola (1888–1966) was an Italian-born American art director.Stephens p.233 He designed the film sets for more than two hundred productions during his career, much of his work during the 1930s and 1940s at low-budget studios such as Ma ...

Plot summary

A down-on-her-luck would-be singer keeps encountering roadblocks on her way to stardom. Judy Alvin (Martha Tilton) has a fine voice but is no match for the politics of a musical producer pushing his girlfriend, the amazingly untalented Phoebe (Betty Brodel, the sister of

Joan Leslie Joan Leslie (born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel; January 26, 1925 – October 12, 2015) was an American actress and vaudevillian, who during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in such films as '' High Sierra'' (1941), ''Sergeant York'' (1941) ...

) who has obtained employment by using a record of Judy's voice rather than hers. Living at a theatrical boarding house with a variety of eccentric entertainers, Judy's best friend Marge (Irish Adrian) is determined to find Judy a job to pay her bills that has something, anything, to do with music. A chance encounter with a

Rock-Ola The Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation is an American developer and manufacturer of juke boxes and related machinery. It was founded in 1927 by Coin-Op pioneer David Cullen Rockola to manufacture slot machines, scales, and pinball machines. The ...

3701 Master telephone juke box gets Judy employment at the company where the duties involve taking telephone calls from patrons of a bar selecting music to hear over loud speakers.''WPB Okays Cable for Installation of Phone Juke Circuit'' ''Billboard'' May 22, 1943

Cast

as Judy Alvin *

as Marge O'Day * Charles Collins as Benny Jackson *

as Bobo *

as Fralick *

Emmett Lynn Emmett Earl Lynn (February 14, 1897 – October 20, 1958) was an American actor of the stage and screen. Early life Lynn was born in Muscatine, Iowa. When he was nine years old, Lynn became a song plugger in Denver, Colorado. From that ...

as Blodgett * Betty Brodel as Phoebe *

Claire Rochelle Claire Rochelle (1908–1981) was an American film actress. She played the female lead A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer ...

as Fralick's Secretary *

Paul Porcasi Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

as Spumoni *

Terry Frost Sir Terence Ernest Manitou Frost RA (13 October 1915 – 1 September 2003) was a British abstract artist, who worked in Newlyn, Cornwall. Frost was renowned for his use of the Cornish light, colour and shape to start a new art movement in ...

as Hank *

Philip Van Zandt Philip Van Zandt (October 4, 1904 – February 15, 1958), sometimes billed as Phil Van Zandt, was a Dutch-American actor of stage, film, and television. He made nearly 250 film and television appearances between 1939 and 1958. Life and career ...

as Merlini, the Magician *

Earle Bruce Earle Bruce (March 8, 1931 – April 20, 2018) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Tampa (1972), Iowa State University (1973–1978), Ohio State University (1979–1987), the University of N ...

as Joe Sweeney * Bob Gooding as 1st Butch, Speciality Act * Walter Pietila as 2nd Butch, Speciality Act * Gene Windson as 3rd Butch, Speciality Act *Dave White as Chick, Chick and Chuck Dance Team *John Evans as Chuck, Chick and Chuck Dance Team

Soundtrack

*Martha Tilton - "Let's Capture That Moment" (Written by

Jay Livingston Jay Livingston (born Jacob Harold Levison, March 28, 1915 – October 17, 2001) was an American composer best known as half of a song-writing duo with Ray Evans that specialized in songs composed for films. Livingston wrote music and Evans t ...

Ray Evans Raymond Bernard Evans (February 4, 1915 – February 15, 2007) was an American songwriter. He was a partner in a composing and song-writing duo with Jay Livingston, known for the songs they composed for films. Evans wrote the lyrics and Living ...

and Lewis Bellin) *Martha Tilton - "Say It With Love" (Written by Jay Livingston, Ray Evans and Lewis Bellin) *Betty Brodel - "Say It With Love" *Martha Tilton - "I'll Eat My Hat" (Written by Jay Livingston, Ray Evans and Lewis Bellin) Also performed as an instrumental at the Tropics Club *Martha Tilton, Iris Adrian, Earle Bruce, and Cliff Nazarro - "Highway Polka" (Written by Jay Livingston, Ray Evans and Lewis Bellin) *Martha Tilton - "Got an Invitation" (Written by Jay Livingston, Ray Evans and Lewis Bellin) *Martha Tilton - "Music to My Ears" (Written by Jay Livingston, Ray Evans and Lewis Bellin) Also sung twice by Betty Brodel

Notes

External links

* * 1944 films American musical comedy-drama films 1940s romantic comedy-drama films 1940s musical comedy-drama films American black-and-white films Films directed by Sam Newfield Producers Releasing Corporation films American romantic musical films American romantic comedy-drama films 1940s romantic musical films 1944 comedy films 1944 drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{romantic-musical-film-stub