criterionforum.org

Heads up to anyone in SF Bay area this month, Stanford Theatre is featuring Fox musicals this month:

September 11-13
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) 7:30 (plus 3:45 Sat/Sun)
Tin Pan Alley (1940) 5:45, 9:30

September 18-20
Moon Over Miami (1941) 7:30 (plus 4:05 Sat/Sun)
Down Argentine Way (1940) 5:50, 9:15

September 25-27
Sun Valley Serenade (1941) 7:30 (plus 4:00 Sat/Sun)
Orchestra Wives (1942) 5:40, 9:10

Orchestra Wives is the best of those I’ve seen from that lot. With a few exceptions Fox is not a great studio for musicals. I just slogged through my remaining titles from the Carmen Miranda box set and while it’s amusing to see how she was seen by the studio track across the films (from featured novelty act to literal second banana comic relief counting down to her contract not getting renewed), these aren’t very good (and I don’t need to see three Perry Como movies in a row ever). Doll Face fared best for basically riffing on Gypsy, I guess, but Miranda barely factors into it and most of the movies in the box devoted to her