''Call Me Mister'' is a

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

American

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

musical film released by

Twentieth Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. The feature was directed by Lloyd Bacon and re-written from the 1946

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

play version by Albert E. Lewin and Burt Styler with music by

Harold Rome Harold Jacob "Hecky" Rome (May 27, 1908 – October 26, 1993) was an American composer, lyricist, and writer for musical theater. Biography Rome was born in Hartford, Connecticut and graduated from Hartford Public High School. Originally, he c ...

that featured cast members from the US armed forces. ''Call Me Mister'' was filmed in

, and starred

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

and

Dan Dailey Daniel James Dailey Jr. (December 14, 1915 – October 16, 1978) was an American dancer and actor. He is best remembered for a series of popular musicals he made at 20th Century Fox such as '' Mother Wore Tights'' (1947). Biography Early life D ...

and co-starred

Danny Thomas Danny Thomas (born Amos Muzyad Yaqoob Kairouz; January 6, 1912 – February 6, 1991) was an American actor, singer, nightclub comedian, producer, and philanthropist. He created and starred in one of the most successful and long-running sitc ...

with supporting players

Dale Robertson Dayle Lymoine Robertson (July 14, 1923February 27, 2013) was an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the roving investigator Jim Hardie in the television series ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' and railroad owner Ben ...

Benay Venuta Benay Venuta (born Benvenuta Rose Crooke, January 27, 1910 – September 1, 1995) was an American actress, singer and dancer. Early life Born in San Francisco, Venuta was a graduate of Hollywood High School. She attended finishing school in G ...

, and

Richard Boone Richard Allen Boone (June 18, 1917 – January 10, 1981) was an American actor who starred in over 50 films and was notable for his roles in Westerns, including his starring role in the television series '' Have Gun – Will Travel''. Early li ...

. Only a couple Harold Rome numbers were kept in the film.

Background

Screen version of the Broadway musical '' Call Me Mister'' was one of Grable's final "successful" films as her

box-office A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is fr ...

power was beginning to diminish. This was also Grable's last film with Dan Dailey, with whom she co-starred in several of her previous films. ''Call Me Mister'' was a "moderate success" at the box-office. The finale is a production number of "Love Is Back in Business" staged by

Busby Berkeley Busby Berkeley (born Berkeley William Enos; November 29, 1895 – March 14, 1976) was an American film director and musical choreographer. Berkeley devised elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns. Berke ...

, ending with four leading players on a precarious, high-rising disc surrounded by water fountains. Benay Venuta is replaced by a lookalike in the same clothes for this. Asked in the 1970s about it, she explained, "Betty Grable said, ‘I’m the star. I gotta do it.’ Dan Dailey was so drunk he didn’t care what he was doing. Danny Thomas said, ‘I’m on the way up. I gotta do it.’ Well, I didn’t gotta do it."

Plot

After the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

American soldiers in occupied Japan are entertained with a show put on by one of their own Sergeant Shep Dooley (

) and his former wife who is an entertainer Kay Hudson (

Cast

as Kay Hudson *

as Sergeant Shep Dooley *

as P.F.C. Stanley Poppoplis *

as Captain Johnny Comstock *

as Billie Barton *

as Mess Sergeant * Jeffrey Hunter as the Kid *

Frank Fontaine Frank Fontaine (April 19, 1920 – August 4, 1978) was an American stage, radio, film and television comedian, singer and actor. Early years and personal life Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fontaine came from a family of entertai ...

as First Sergeant * The Dunhill Trio as Dancers

Soundtrack

* ''Call Me Mister'' ** Written by

** Performed by chorus during credits ** Reprised by Betty Grable and Dan Dailey * ''Japanese Girl Like 'Merican Boy'' ** Written by Sammy Fain ** Lyrics by

Mack Gordon Mack Gordon (born Morris Gittler; June 21, 1904 – February 28, 1959) was an American composer and lyricist for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times in 11 years, including five consecutive years betwee ...

** Sung and danced by Betty Grable and chorus * ''I'm Gonna Love That Guy Like He's Never Been Loved Before'' ** Written by Frances Ash ** Performed by Betty Grable and male chorus * ''Lament to the Pots and Pans'' ** Written by Earl K. Brent ** Lyrics by

Jerry Seelen Jerome Lincoln Seelen (March 11, 1912 - September 12, 1981) was an American screenwriter and lyricist . Biography Jerry Seelen wrote lyrics for songs in musical films and wrote screenplays for radio and television. During his lyricist career, ...

** Performed by Danny Thomas * ''Goin' Home Train'' ** Written by Harold Rome ** Performed by

Bobby Short Robert Waltrip Short (September 15, 1924 – March 21, 2005) was an American cabaret singer and pianist, who interpreted songs by popular composers from the first half of the 20th century such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold ...

and male chorus * ''I Just Can't Do Enough for You, Baby'' ** Written by Sammy Fain ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Performed by Betty Grable and Dan Dailey * ''Military Life'' ** Written by Harold Rome ** Revised lyrics by

** Performed by Danny Thomas * ''Love is Back in Business'' ** Written by Sammy Fain ** Lyrics by Mack Gordon ** Performed by Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, Benay Venuta, and Danny Thomas

References

External links

* * * * 1951 films 20th Century Fox films 1951 musical films Films set in Japan Films scored by Leigh Harline Films directed by Lloyd Bacon Films based on musicals Japan in non-Japanese culture American musical films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films {{musical-film-stub