''Zis Boom Bah'', also known as ''College Sweethearts'', is a 1941 American

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 ...

directed by

William Nigh William Nigh (October 12, 1881 – November 27, 1955) was an American film director, writer, and actor. His film work sometimes lists him as either "Will Nigh" or "William Nye". Biography Nigh was born Emil Kreuske''Silent Film Necrology'', ...

, and starring Grace Hayes,

Peter Lind Hayes Peter Lind Hayes (born Joseph Conrad Lind Jr.; June 25, 1915 – April 21, 1998) was an American vaudeville entertainer, songwriter, and film and television actor. Early life Hayes was born in San Francisco, the son of Joseph Conrad Lind Sr., a ...

and Mary Healy. The plot concerns a vaudeville singer who comes to a floundering college to instill values and self-confidence in its entitled students.

Plot

Grace Hayes Grace Hayes (August 3, 1895 – February 1, 1989) was an American actress, singer, vaudeville entertainer and nightclub owner. Hayes owned the Grace Hayes Lodge in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California, and later the Las Vegas ...

—essentially playing herself—has been playing the

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

circuit to finance her son's college education after her wealthy family has shunned her. Tiring of the road, she goes incognito to visit her son, Peter Kendricks (played by her real-life son

) with her personal assistant Mary Healy (played by her real-life daughter-in-law of the same name). She finds her son and the college " going to Hell in a hand basket", despite the earnest efforts of the kindhearted Dean, Prof. Warren (played by

Richard "Skeets" Gallagher Richard "Skeets" Gallagher (July 28, 1891 – May 22, 1955) was an American actor. He had blue eyes and his naturally blond hair was tinged with grey from the age of sixteen. Biography He was born on July 28, 1891 in Terre Haute, Indiana ...

). The college and the old families are running out of money and spirit. Grace buys the local diner, turns it into a version of her real-life club, and encourages the kids to put on a show to raise the funds and spirit the college needs to survive.

Cast

as Grace Hayes *

as Peter Kendricks * Mary Healy as Mary Healy *

Huntz Hall Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall (August 15, 1920 – January 30, 1999) was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular "Dead End Kids" movies, including ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), and in the later " Bowery ...

as Skeets Skillhorn *

Jan Wiley Jan Wiley (February 21, 1916 – May 26, 1993) was an American film actress. Early years Wiley was born Jan Harriet Wiley in Marion, Indiana and early in her career was billed as Harriet Brandon. Film Beginning in 1937 with ''New Faces of ...

as Annabella * Frank Elliott as Mr. Kendricks *

as Professor Warren *

Benny Rubin Benny Rubin (February 2, 1899 – July 15, 1986) was an American comedian and film actor. Born in Boston, Rubin made more than 200 radio, film and television appearances over a span of 50 years. Career In 1929, Rubin went to Hollywood, where he ...

as Nick *

Eddie Kane Eddie Kane (August 12, 1889 – April 30, 1969) was an American actor who appeared in over 250 productions from 1928 to 1959. Biography Kane was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His early career was in vaudeville as a member of the two-man te ...

as James J. Kane *

Leonard Sues Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' L ...

as Noisey *

Roland Dupree Roland Dupree (born Roland Furtado, September 20, 1925 - June 21, 2015) was an American actor, dancer, and choreographer. He is best known for founding the Roland Dupree Dance Academy and his work as the action model for Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan ( ...

as Pee Wee *

Betty Compson Betty Compson (born Eleanor Luicime Compson; March 19, 1897 – April 18, 1974) was an American actress and film producer who got her start during Hollywood's silent era. She is best known for her performances in ''The Docks of New York'' and ...

(uncredited)

Soundtrack

* "Annabella" (by

Johnny Lange John George Lange (August 15, 1905 – January 6, 2006) was an American songwriter, working mostly in the motion picture industry. His chief musical collaborators were Archie Gottler and Jack Meskill. Biography Lange was born in Philadelphia ...

and

Lew Porter Lew Porter (February 4, 1892, New York City – January 29, 1956, Los Angeles) was an American composer and songwriter, contributing to the soundtracks of 72 films.Neville Fleeson Neville may refer to: Places *Neville, New South Wales, Australia *Neville, Saskatchewan, Canada *Néville, in the Seine-Maritime department, France *Néville-sur-Mer, in the Manche department, France *Neville, Ohio, USA *Neville Township, Penns ...

) * "Good News Tomorrow" (by Neville Fleeson) * "Put Your Trust in the Moon" (by

Joan Baldwin Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

and Charles R. Callender) * "Miss America" (by

Earl Hammand Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

and Lee Ellon)

Production

was famous as a performer, and for opening the "movie stars' hang-out", Grace Hayes Lodge, and the chic

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

nightclub, The Red Rooster.

and Mary Healy were married from 1940 until Hayes' death in 1998, and regularly worked together, notably on the film ''

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T ''The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.'' is a 1953 American musical fantasy film about a boy who dreams himself into a fantasy world ruled by a diabolical piano teacher enslaving children to practice piano forever. It was the only feature film written b ...

'' (1953). Katzman hired a musical troupe to perform numbers live to promote the film.R.K.O. Pacts Goldwyn Los Angeles Times 28 Apr 1941: A14.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zis Boom Bah 1941 films 1940s English-language films American black-and-white films 1941 romantic comedy films 1941 musical comedy films Monogram Pictures films American romantic musical films 1940s romantic musical films Films directed by William Nigh 1940s American films