Sinatra Singing at His Best (2004) - Star of the month... Frank Sinatra

'Sinatra Singing at His Best' is a 2004 DVD release featuring some of Sinatra's best performances with a linking narration by Henry Stephens providing some context to the songs.

The release features the following songs:

• "I've Got the World on a String"
• "Stardust"
• "I've Got my Love to Keep Me Warm"
• "Ol' Man River" (footage from the film 'Till the Clouds Roll By')
• "Fly Me to the Moon" (with Count Basie)
• "Last Night When We Were Young"
• "I'll Never Smile Again" (with The High-Lows)
• "When You're Smiling the Whole World Smiles With You"
• "My Romance" (with June Hutton)
• "Hello, Young Lovers"
• "Oh, Look at me Now" (with Eileen Barton)
• "That Old Black Magic"
• "Talk To Me" (with Mitzi Gaynor)
• "It Had to be You" (featuring montage footage of Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Shirley MacLaine, Gina Lollobrigida, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker & other screen sirens)
• "Luck Be A Lady" (with Count Basie)
• "High Hopes" (begins with a brief clip from the film 'A Hole in the Head', followed by a performance with a children's choir)
• "Angel Eyes"
• A montage of images from his many films to close

Show-Business at War (1943) - Star of the month... Frank Sinatra

'Show-Business at War' (March of Time, Volume 9, Number 10) is a 1943 short film newsreel chronicling the many ways in which the American entertainment industry was assisting during World War II. 

Watch the film:

From the publication of the "Show Business at War" edition of Variety newspaper, to the many stars dedicating their time to raise money on war bonds, to the volunteering at the Hollywood Canteen. I found it interesting to see Hollywood cameraman up-skilling army officers in how to use film cameras  to enable them to film their combats.

Hollywood studios had an important role to play during the war, by not only  providing entertainment to those risking their lives, but to also produce propaganda films to discredit the enemy.

The newsreel features the following personalities:

• Al Jolson (actor, who entertained troops)
• Alfred Hitchcock (director)
• Alfred Lunt (stage actor, who cooked for soldiers)
• Anatole Litvak (director)
• Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (ballet company, who entertained troops)
• Bette Davis (actress)
• Bing Crosby (singer)
• Bob Hope (actor)
• Carole Lombarde (actress, who was tragically killed in a plane crash returning from a war bond rally)
• Clark Gable (actor, who enlisted)
• Daryl Zanuck (film producer)
• Deanna Durbin (actress, who danced with soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Dorothy Lamour (actress)
• Edgar Bergen (ventriloquist, who entertained troops with his doll Charlie McCarthy)
• Errol Flynn (actor)
• Ethel Barrymore (actress)
• Frank Sinatra (actor)
• Fred MacMurray (actor)
• Gertrude Lawrence (actress)
• Ginger Rogers (actress)
• Glenn Ford (actor)
• Hal B. Wallis (producer)
• Hedy Lamarr (actress, who danced with soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Irene Dunne (actress)
• Irving Berlin (composer, who wrote the songs in the wartime musical 'This is the Army', which featured an all-soldier cast)
• Jack Benny (radio comedian, who entertained troops)
• Jack L. Warner (head of Warner Bros.)
• James Cagney (actor)
• Joe E. Brown (comedian, who entertained troops)
• John Ford (film director, who headed the film producing unit of the Office of Strategic Services)
• John Garfield (actor, who co-founded the Hollywood Canteen)
• Kay Francis (actress)
• Lana Turner (actress)
• Linda Darnell (actress)
• Loretta Young (actress)
• Louis Armstrong (entertainer, who entertained troops)
• Marlene Dietrich (actress, who danced with soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Michael Curtiz (director)
• Mickey Rooney (actor)
• Myrna Loy (actress)
• Olivia de Havilland (actress, who danced with soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Orson Welles (actor/director)
• Rita Hayworth (actress)
• Robert Benchley (comedian, who volunteered at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Tyrone Power (actor, who enlisted)
• Walt Disney (who provided Disney studio resources to aid the production of instructional films for the armed forces)
• W.C. Fields (actor)

The musical highlight in the film is Al Jolson singing his signature tune "Mammy".

Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002) - Star of the month... Frank Sinatra

'Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer" is a 2002 documentary, narrated by Stanley Tucci.

Featuing interviews with  Betsy Blair, Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Betty Comden, Nina Foch, Betty Garrett, Adolph Green, Arthur Laurents, Fayard Nicholas, Andre Previn, Debbie Reynolds,

The documentary begins with his childhood, and early dance training, which took him to Broadway, where he featured in musicals 'Leave it to Me', 'The Time of Your Life' and the leading role in 'Pal Joey'.

The documentary features some of the only known footage of Gene dancing in 'Pal Joey', as well clips from two early appearances in 'The Kelly Brothers' (1932) and 'The Cap and Gown Revue' (1932).

Many films from throughout Gene's career are represented including:

• For Me and My Gal (1942) - features the song 'For Me & My Gal'
• Thousands Cheer (1943) - features the song 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart'
• Cover Girl (1944) - features the song 'Long Ago and Far Away' & 'Alter Ego'
• Anchors Aweigh (1945) -  features the song 'I Begged Her' & 'The Worry Song'
• Ziegfeld Follies (1945) - features the song 'The Babbit and the Bromide'
• Words and Music (1948) - features the song 'Slaughter on Tenth Avenue'
• The Pirate (1948) - features the songs 'The Pirate Ballet' & 'Be A Clown'
• Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) - features the songs 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' & 'Strictly USA'
• On the Town (1949) - features the songs 'New York, New York', 'On the Town' & 'A Day in New York Ballet'
• Summer Stock (1950) - features the songs 'You Wonderful You', 'Dig-Dig-Dig- Dig for Your Dinner'
• An American In Paris (1951) - features the songs 'I Got Rhythm' & 'An American In Paris Ballet'
• Singin' in the Rain (1952) - features the songs 'Singin' in the Rain', 'Moses Supposes', 'Dreaming Of You', 'Would You?', 'Good Morning' & 'The Broadway Melody Ballet'
• Invitation to the Dance (1956) - features excerpts from all 3 dance segments
• Brigadoon (1953) - features the song 'Heather on the Hill'
• It's Always Fair Weather (1955) - features the songs 'March, March', 'The Binge', 'I Like Myself'
• Omnibus (1958) (TV Series) - features a clip from episode 'Dancing: A Man's Game'
• Hello Dolly! (1969) -  features the song "Before the Parade Passes By"
• That's Entertainment! (1974) - features a clip from Kelly's narration

Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer (2002) - Star of the month... Gene Kelly

'Gene Kelly: Anatomy of a Dancer" is a 2002 documentary, narrated by Stanley Tucci.

Featuing interviews with  Betsy Blair, Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Betty Comden, Nina Foch, Betty Garrett, Adolph Green, Arthur Laurents, Fayard Nicholas, Andre Previn, Debbie Reynolds,

The documentary begins with his childhood, and early dance training, which took him to Broadway, where he featured in musicals 'Leave it to Me', 'The Time of Your Life' and the leading role in 'Pal Joey'.

The documentary features some of the only known footage of Gene dancing in 'Pal Joey', as well clips from two early appearances in 'The Kelly Brothers' (1932) and 'The Cap and Gown Revue' (1932).

Many films from throughout Gene's career are represented including:

• For Me and My Gal (1942) - features the song 'For Me & My Gal'
• Thousands Cheer (1943) - features the song 'Let Me Call You Sweetheart'
• Cover Girl (1944) - features the song 'Long Ago and Far Away' & 'Alter Ego'
• Anchors Aweigh (1945) -  features the song 'I Begged Her' & 'The Worry Song'
• Ziegfeld Follies (1945) - features the song 'The Babbit and the Bromide'
• Words and Music (1948) - features the song 'Slaughter on Tenth Avenue'
• The Pirate (1948) - features the songs 'The Pirate Ballet' & 'Be A Clown'
• Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949) - features the songs 'Take Me Out to the Ball Game' & 'Strictly USA'
• On the Town (1949) - features the songs 'New York, New York', 'On the Town' & 'A Day in New York Ballet'
• Summer Stock (1950) - features the songs 'You Wonderful You', 'Dig-Dig-Dig- Dig for Your Dinner'
• An American In Paris (1951) - features the songs 'I Got Rhythm' & 'An American In Paris Ballet'
• Singin' in the Rain (1952) - features the songs 'Singin' in the Rain', 'Moses Supposes', 'Dreaming Of You', 'Would You?', 'Good Morning' & 'The Broadway Melody Ballet'
• Invitation to the Dance (1956) - features excerpts from all 3 dance segments
• Brigadoon (1953) - features the song 'Heather on the Hill'
• It's Always Fair Weather (1955) - features the songs 'March, March', 'The Binge', 'I Like Myself'
• Omnibus (1958) (TV Series) - features a clip from episode 'Dancing: A Man's Game'
• Hello Dolly! (1969) -  features the song "Before the Parade Passes By"
• That's Entertainment! (1974) - features a clip from Kelly's narration

Cover Girl (1944) - Star of the month... Gene Kelly

'Cover Girl' is a 1944 musical comedy directed by Charles Vidor, and starring Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Phil Silvers, Eve Arden, Otto Kruger and Lee Bowman. 'Cover Girl' features songs by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin, including the Oscar nominated song 'Long Ago (And Far Away)'.

Rusty Parker (played by Hayworth) is a chorus girl working at a nightclub owned by her boyfriend Danny McGuire (played by Kelly). When wealthy magazine editor John Coudar (played by Kruger) notices Rusty's resemblance to her grandmother, Maribelle Hicks (also played by Hayworth), who he'd been in love with many years earlier, Rusty is  offered the opportunity to be a cover girl for his magazine.

Musical program

Musical highlights include an ingenious and fascinating number where Gene Kelly dances with himself, and the classic 'Long Ago (And Far Away)'.

The musical program includes:

• 'The Show Must Go On' - Rita Hayworth, Leslie Brooks & Chorus
• 'Who's Complaining?' - Phil Silvers (with Rita Hayworth, Leslie Brooks & Chorus)
• 'Sure Thing' - Rita Hayworth
• 'Make Way For Tomorrow' - Gene Kelly, Rita Hayworth & Phil Silvers
• 'Put Me To the Test' - Gene Kelly (with Rita Hayworth)
• 'Put Me To the Test' (Reprise) - Gene Kelly & Phil Silvers
• 'Long Ago (And Far Away)' - Gene Kelly & Rita Hayworth
• 'Poor John' - Rita Hayworth
• 'Alter Ego Dance' - Gene Kelly (Dancing with Himself)
• 'Cover Girl (That Girl on the Cover)' - Rita Hayworth & Chorus

Song: 'Alter Ego Dance' - Gene Kelly (dancing with Himself)

Song: 'Long Ago (And Far Away)' - Rita Hayworth & Gene Kelly

Song: 'Poor John' - Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth dresses as a cabby

Did you know...

Rusty (played by Rita Hayworth) is made over to be a
Cover Girl

• Rita Hayworth's singing voice was dubbed by Martha Mears
• This was Columbia Pictures' first Technicolor musical
• Columbia had originally wanted Dennis Morgan to play Danny McGuire
• Columbia had wanted Lauren Bacall (then unknown) to appear as the Harper's Bizarre cover girl - Bacall instead played the lead in 'To Have & Have Not' (1944) and became a star
• This was the time Gene Kelly was able to choreograph his own dances - MGM had previously not allowed him to do so
• To enable Gene Kelly to appear as if he is dancing with himself, duel footage of Kelly was superimposed over each other to give the ghost-like alter ego appearance
• This was Rita Hayworth's third musical - previous musicals include 'You'll Never Get Rich' & 'You Were Never Lovelier', both with Fred Astaire
• This was the first film produced by songwriter Arthur Schwartz
• Columbia had hoped to reunite Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly some years later when they purchased the rights to 'Pal Joey' (a show which Kelly starred on Broadway) - MGM refused to loan Kelly, so the film was made with Frank Sinatra instead

Rita Hayworth & Gene Kelly dance

Awards and nominations

• Academy Award winner for Best Musical Score
• Academy Award nomination Best Art Direction
• Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography
• Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song ('Long Ago (And Far Away)')
• Academy Award nomination for Best Sound Recording

Closing remarks

With it's lavish costume design and show stopping musical numbers, this was the closest to an MGM quality musical Columbia ever got - and possibly the best musical to come from Columbia.

Gene Kelly dances with himself in an
ingenious number from the film

Two members of the supporting cast deliver memorable performances - Phil Silver is hilarious as always, and Eve Arden steals every scene she is in.

Although initially intended to be a glamour showcase for Columbia's new star Rita Hayworth, the film made overnight stars of both Hayworth and Gene Kelly. It was the success of 'Cover Girl' which enabled MGM to take Gene Kelly serious as a creative force, which resulted in them giving him the opportunity to choreograph his future films.

A big hit at the time of it's release, 'Cover Girl' is still today considered to be one of the most popular musicals made during World War II.

Show-Business at War (1943) - Star of the month... Olivia de Havilland

'Show-Business at War' (March of Time, Volume 9, Number 10) is a 1943 short film newsreel chronicling the many ways in which the American entertainment industry was assisting during World War II. 


Watch the film:

From the publication of the "Show Business at War" edition of Variety newspaper, to the many stars dedicating their time to raise money on war bonds, to the volunteering at the Hollywood Canteen. I found it interesting to see Hollywood cameraman up-skilling army officers in how to use film cameras  to enable them to film their combats.


Hollywood studios had an important role to play during the war, by not only  providing entertainment to those risking their lives, but to also produce propaganda films to discredit the enemy.


The newsreel features the following personalities:

• Al Jolson (actor, who entertained troops)
• Alfred Hitchcock (director)
• Alfred Lunt (stage actor, who cooked for soldiers)
• Anatole Litvak (director)
• Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (ballet company, who entertained troops)
• Bette Davis (actress)
• Bing Crosby (singer)
• Bob Hope (actor)
• Carole Lombarde (actress, who was tragically killed in a plane crash returning from a war bond rally)
• Clark Gable (actor, who enlisted)
• Daryl Zanuck (film producer)
• Deanna Durbin (actress, who danced with soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Dorothy Lamour (actress)
• Edgar Bergen (ventriloquist, who entertained troops with his doll Charlie McCarthy)
• Errol Flynn (actor)
• Ethel Barrymore (actress)
• Frank Sinatra (actor)
• Fred MacMurray (actor)
• Gertrude Lawrence (actress)
• Ginger Rogers (actress)
• Glenn Ford (actor)
• Hal B. Wallis (producer)
• Hedy Lamarr (actress, who danced with soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Irene Dunne (actress)
• Irving Berlin (composer, who wrote the songs in the wartime musical 'This is the Army', which featured an all-soldier cast)
• Jack Benny (radio comedian, who entertained troops)
• Jack L. Warner (head of Warner Bros.)
• James Cagney (actor)
• Joe E. Brown (comedian, who entertained troops)
• John Ford (film director, who headed the film producing unit of the Office of Strategic Services)
• John Garfield (actor, who co-founded the Hollywood Canteen)
• Kay Francis (actress)
• Lana Turner (actress)
• Linda Darnell (actress)
• Loretta Young (actress)
• Louis Armstrong (entertainer, who entertained troops)
• Marlene Dietrich (actress, who danced with soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Michael Curtiz (director)
• Mickey Rooney (actor)
• Myrna Loy (actress)
• Olivia de Havilland (actress, who danced with soldiers at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Orson Welles (actor/director)
• Rita Hayworth (actress)
• Robert Benchley (comedian, who volunteered at the Hollywood Canteen)
• Tyrone Power (actor, who enlisted)
• Walt Disney (who provided Disney studio resources to aid the production of instructional films for the armed forces)
• W.C. Fields (actor)

The musical highlight in the film is Al Jolson singing his signature tune "Mammy".

The Strawberry Blonde (1941) - Star of the month... Olivia de Havilland

"Oh for Pete's sake Virginia, cut out the nonsense. This is a pre-arranged date and we all know it. I've got to get back on duty by eleven, so come on, let's shake our tootsies!" - Olivia de Havilland (as Amy Lind)

Olivia de Havilland as Amy shocks James Cagney
as Biff with her modern way of thinking

The Strawberry Blonde is a good old fashioned jolly folly from 1941 starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland and Rita Hayworth with Jack Carson, Alan Hale, George Tobias, Una O'Connor and George Reeves. The film is directed by Raoul Walsh and written by Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein.


Biff Grimes (played by Cagney) is infatuated by "the strawberry blonde" Virginia Brush (played by Rita Hayworth). Society girl Virginia chooses to give her affections to Biff's best friend Hugo Barnstead (played by Carson). Biff eventually marries Virginia's best friend, nurse Amy Lind (played by de Havilland).

Cagney returns to Warner Bros.

This was James Cagney's return to Warner Bros. after his 18 months contractual dispute. A clause in Cagney's new contract allowed Cagney to choose his own films. After showing his versatility in musical films such as 'Footlight Parade' and his ability play Shakespeare in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', Cagney thought it fit to expand his repertoire with a nostalgic film set in the 1890s.

Musical program

As with all old fashioned jolly follies, 'The Strawberry Blonde' is jam packed with some great old fashioned jolly American songs from the 1890s such as "And the Band Played On", "Bill Bailey" and "Meet Me In St. Louis".


Watch a clip from the film:

Movie trailer
I really like the movie trailer for 'The Strawberry Blonde'. I wasn't able to find it on YouTube, so here are some images I managed to find online.

Did you know...

• James Cagney had wanted Brian Donlevy or Lloyd Nolan to play the role of as Hugo Barnstead, as he felt Jack Carson was too tall for him
• John Garfield was considered for the role of Biff Grimes
• Ann Sheridan was originally intended to play Virginia Brush, however she refused due to a contractual dispute
• Brenda Marshall screen tested for the role of Virginia Brush
• This film is believed to feature the only time Rita Hayworth is heard singing with her own voice - in her other films, her singing voice is dubbed

Award nominations

• Academy Award nomination for Best Musical Score

Closing remarks

'The Strawberry Blonde' features an iconic Olivia de Havilland image where she cheekily winks at the camera.  I like this film a lot, and there is only one thing I dislike about watching this film. Every time I finish watching it, I can never get the bloody song ("And the Band Played On") out of my head!!