Screen Chronology: 1945 to 1949
Compiled by John Kenrick

• **** - Sensational
• *** - Good entertainment
• ** - Beats a finger in the eye
• * - You'd rather mow a lawn
• (NO stars) - Run for your life

1945

• A Song For Miss Julie
• Anchors Aweigh *** - Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra are sailors on leave, dancing and singing up a genial storm. Don't miss Kelly's dance with Jerry the animated mouse.
• Belle of the Yukon ** - Randolph Scott and Gypsy Rose Lee trudge about the Klondike. Some good songs.
• Billy Rose's Diamond Horshoe ** - Betty Grable falls for medical student Dick Haymes, with Billy Gaxton wasted as the guy who loses the girl
• Blonde from Brooklyn
• Blonde Ransom
• Bring on the Girls ** - A young millionaire joins the navy to escape women out for his money. Only memorable because of numbers by Spike Jones and his wacky band.
• Delightfully Dangerous ** - Jane Powell finds out her sister is a burlesque stripper – geepers!
• Diamond Horseshoe ** - Betty Grable and pop singer Dick Haymes find romance in the legendary NY nightspot – good numbers almost redeem lifeless story.
• Dixie Jamboree
• Doll Face ** - Vivian Blane moves from burlesque to Broadway while falling for Perry Como. 
• Dolly Sisters, The *** - Betty Grable and June Haver in pleasant bio of the famous vaudeville team. Great period score, plus newly minted hit "I Can't Begin to Tell You."
• Duffy's Tavern
• Eadie Was a Lady
• Earl Carroll Vanities ** - Meager attempt to bring Carroll's saucy stage revues to the screen.
• Easy to Look At
• Gay Senorita, The
• George White's Scandals of 1945 ** - Jack Haley has good moments in this creaky backstage yarn
• Her Lucky Night ** - The Andrews Sisters as Manhattan night club singers.
• Here Come the Blondes
• Hitchhike to Happiness
• Honeymoon Ahead
• I Love a Bandleader
• I'll Tell the World
• Incendiary Blonde *** - Betty Hutton at her best as 1920s celebrity Texas Guinan. Period songs make up for the heavily sanitized story.
• Let's Go Steady
• Mexicana
• Naughty Nineties, The ** - Abbott & Costello on a show boat -- old tunes and old routines.
• Nob Hill
• On Stage Everybody * - Lackluster behind the scenes look at a fictional radio variety show.
• Out of This World ** - Genial Eddie Bracken becomes a popular crooner – when you hear who dubbed the vocals, you'll know why.
• Pan-Americana ** - Reporters travel through South America, stumbling across various RKO contact performers along the way. Less than thrilling results.
• Patrick the Great
• Penthouse Rhythm
• Radio Stars on Parade
• Rhapsody in Blue *** - Robert Alda stars in a highly fictionalized bio of George Gershwin. Great songs help, as do turns by Al Jolson and Oscar Levant.
• Rockin' in the Rockies * - The Three Stooges run a ranch. Strictly for fans.
• See My Lawyer
• Senorita From the West
• Shady Lady
• Sing Your Way Home * - Jack Haley shepherds teenagers home to US after WW II. Waterlogged nonsense.
• Song of the Sarong
• State Fair **** - A real all-American winner! Farm family finds love and blue ribbons at the Iowa State Fair. Rodgers & Hammerstein's super score includes "It Might as Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing."
• Stork Club, The ** - Betty Hutton works the hat check in the legendary nightclub. A promising idea that goes nowhere.
• Sunbonnet Sue ** - Gale Storm works in her father's Bowery saloon. Lots of period songs help.
• Swing Out, Sister
• Tell It To a Star
• That Night With You
• That's the Spirit * - Dead man's ghost returns to apologize to his wife – too silly to bear, but some good songs.
• Three Caballeros, The **** - Underrated animated winner from Disney has Donald Duck traveling everywhere from Mexico to the inner reaches of the imagination.
• Thrill of Romance, The
• Tonight and Every Night *** - Rita Hayworth goes on with the show in war-torn Britain.
• Under Western Skies (not seen)
• Where Do We Go from Here? *** - Fred MacMurray travels back across American history, backed by an ambitious Kurt Weill-Ira Gershwin score.
• Wonder Man *** - Great special effects and Danny Kaye playing twins make this worth catching.
• Yolanda and the Thief ** - Fred Astaire tries to convince convent girl Lucille Bremer that he's her guardian angel. This one has its fans, but I'm not one of them.

1946

• Bamboo Blonde, The
• Blue Skies *** - Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby are one-time show business partners battling for the same girl, set to some great Irving Berlin tunes. A blatant rehash of the Holiday Inn (1942) formula, but these guys make it great fun to watch again.
• Centennial Summer ** - Sisters seek romance in 1876 Philadelphia, set to an unremarkable Jerome Kern score. Weak rip off of Meet Me in St. Louis.
• Cinderella Jones
• Cross My Heart
• Cuban Pete
• Do You Love Me ** - Dick Haymes as a bandleader in love. 
• Doll Face
• Earl Carroll Sketchbook
• Easy to Wed ** - When playgirl Esther Williams sues a newspaper for libel, the paper hires playboy Van Johnson to compromise her. Colorful but unexciting formula entertainment.
• Freddie Steps Out
• Harvey Girls, The *** - Judy Garland heads a team of waitresses trying to bring civilization to the Wild West. Fun numbers like "On the Atchison Topeka" help immensely.
• High School Hero
• Hit the Hay
• Holiday in Mexico
• If I'm Lucky ** - Harry James and his big band get mixed up with politics. Pretty dull, even with Carmen Miranda on hand.
• It's Great To Be Young
• Jolson Story, The *** - Heavily fictionalized bio of the great entertainer energized by his renditions of dozens of period hits. Larry Parks does some swell lip synching.
• Junior Prom
• Kid From Brooklyn, The
• Make Mine Music *** - Ten animated Disney shorts, some better than others. Best bits include "Peter and the Wolf" and an operatic whale.
• Margie
• Meet Me On Broadway
• Night and Day ** - Cary Grant as Cole Porter? Ignore the fictitious plot and enjoy the songs. Mary Martin plays herself, giving the film its liveliest bit.
• No Leave, No Love
• People Are Funny
• Road to Utopia *** - Hope & Crosby at their best.
• Sing While You Dance
• Singin' in the Corn * - Judy Canova in the desert. "Corn" is no match for "Rain."
• Slightly Scandalous
• Song of the South *** - Unhappy child finds solace in an old man's wise fables. Great animation, and the live cast make this a sadly underestimated pleasure.
• Susie Steps Out
• Sweetheart of Sigma Chi
• Swing Parade of 1946
• Talk About a Lady
• Tars and Spars ** - A Coast Guard camp show, with a rare film appearance by stage star Alfred Drake.
• Three Little Girls in Blue *** - Predictable but fun tale of three sisters in search of rich husbands helped by a good score and solid cast.
• Thrill of Brazil, The ** - Minor romantic shenanigans in South America.
• Till the Clouds Roll By *** - Highly fictionalized screen bio of Jerome Kern packed with great songs and cameo performances by top MGM stars.
• Time, the Place and the Girl, The * - Utterly missable backstage tale.
• Two Sisters from Boston *** - Kathryn Grayson and June Allyson go to work in Jimmy Durante's Bowery saloon – a triumph of MGM style.
• Ziegfeld Follies *** - One of MGM's grandest all-star revues, with enough dazzling bits to offset the few squeakers. Astaire & Kelly's only dance duet is priceless, as is Garland's "Interview" number.

1947

• Beat the Band
• Boy! What a Girl *** - Producers struggle to win backing for an all-black musical. Great fun – musical numbers include super jitterbug routines.
• Calendar Girl
• Carnegie Hall *** - The teeny plot about an aspiring pianist is an excuse to tort out some of the greatest classical musicians of the 1940s in rare screen appearances. If classical is your bag, settle in and enjoy.
• Carnival in Costa Rica * - Dick Jaymes and Vera Ellen on a honeymoon trip to boredom.
• Cigarette Girl
• Copacabana ** - Even the combo of Carmen Miranda and Groucho Marx as her agent can't breathe much life into this dud.
• Down to Earth ** - Rita Hayworth as the Goddess of Dance comes to earth to help save a troubled Broadway musical – pity she didn't fix this film.
• Fabulous Dorseys, The * - Even Dorsey fans will have trouble stomaching this syrupy bio of Tom & James. Fast forward to the musical numbers and skip the dialogue.
• Fiesta * - Esther Williams takes an ill-advised trip south of the border with Ricardo Montalban.
• Fun and Fancy Free *** - Disney's charming animated take on Jack and the Beanstalk stars Mickey Mouse and company. Second section on Bongo is less memorable.
• Glamour Girl
• Good News *** - June Allyson and Peter Lawford in a breezy remake of the classic college musical, with great songs and some top-notch dance sequences.
• I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now ** - Songwriter finds love in the 1890s. Fun period tunes are the only signs of life.
• I'll Be Yours
• It Happened in Brooklyn ** - Frank Sinatra woos and loses Kathryn Grayson as Jimmy Durante cheers him on. Best moment: Durante's "The Song's Gotta Come From the Heart."
• Ladies Man
• Linda Be Good
• Little Miss Broadway
• Living In a Big Way
• Love and Learn
• Mother Wore Tights ***  - Betty Grable and Dan Dailey in one of their better backstage love stories. Colorful production, great score, and lots of vaudeville atmosphere.
• My Wild Irish Rose
• New Orleans ** - The birth of jazz was nothing like what we're shown here, but Billie Holliday, Louis Armstrong and others make this a priceless film record of vintage performances.
• Northwest Outpost ** - Nelson Eddy's last film is a tired Yukon operetta by Friml -- both deserved something better, as did their audiences.
• Perils of Pauline *** - Betty Hutton as silent movie queen Pearl White. Some funny moments and a Frank Loesser score make the difference/
• Sarge Goes to College
• Shocking Miss Pilgrim, The ** - Betty Grable as an 1870s business woman. Boring film redeemed somewhat by several lesser Gershwin songs.
• Something in the Wind ** - Some laughs, with Deanna Durbin as a singing disc jockey.
• Song of Sheherezade
• That's My Gal
• This Time for Keeps ** - Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante, Xavier Cugat and lots of water.
• Two Blondes and a Redhead
• Unfinished Dance, The ** - Margaret O'Brien as an orphan who worships ballerina Cyd Charisse. Gets unpleasantly teary.
• Variety Girl
• Wake Up and Dream
• Welcome Stranger

1948

• A Date with Judy *** - Jane Powell sings "It's a Most Unusual Day" is a genial family film. Wallace Beery's dance with Carmen Miranda is a hoot. 
• A Song is Born
• April Showers
• Are You With It
• Big City
• Campus Honeymoon
• Campus Sleuth
• Casbah *** - Unlikely fun with Tony Martin as a thief in old Algiers. Harold Arlen tunes are an asset.
• Countess of Monte Cristo, The
• Easter Parade **** - Fred Astaire and Judy Garland as vaudeville dance team, with great songs by Irving Berlin and Ann Miller for added oomph. Lovely to look at and a pleasure in every department. And you gotta love Jules Munshin's salad routine!
• Emperor Waltz, The *** - Bing Crosby sells record players and tangles with Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. Pleasant silliness, lavishly produced.
• Feudin', Fussin' and A-Fightin'
• Give My Regards to Broadway ** - A family vaudeville act comes to the end of the line – despite Dan Dailey and Charles Winninger, this is no winner.
• I Surrender Dear
• If You Knew Susie
• Isn't It Romantic?
• Kissing Bandit, The * - Frank Sinatra as a sort of singing Zorro? Hopeless embarrassment, save for an irrelevant but dazzling dance routine by Cyd Charisse.
• Ladies of the Chorus
• Lulu Belle
• Luxury Liner
• Manhattan Angel
• Mary Lou
• Melody Time
• On An Island With You
• One Sunday Afternoon ** - Dennis Morgan as a dentist wondering if he married the right girl – you'll wonder if you're watching the wrong movie.
• One Touch of Venus* - Ava Gardner's singing is dubbed even though most of the stage score is cut -- what else do I need to tell you?
• Pirate, The *** - Judy Garland thinks acrobat Gene Kelly is really a bloodthirsty pirate. Arch style and sub-par Cole Porter score keep this way below the gem it might have been.
• Road to Rio ** - Hope & Crosby on another journey.
• Romance On  the High Seas
• So Dear to My Heart *** - Live action Disney tuner about a boy and his sheep, works thanks to good cast, charming score and a few animated sequences.
• Song Is Born, A ** - Scholars research jazz. Danny Kaye provides laughs, while legends like Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong and more provide the music.
• Summer Holiday ** - Mickey Rooney stars in handsome but mediocre musical version of Eugene O'Neill's Ah Wilderness.
• That Lady in Ermine ** - Doug Fairbanks Jr. conquers princess Betty Grable's little kingdom. Last project directed by Ernst Lubitsch, who died during filming.
• Three Daring Daughters ** - Jeanette MacDonald is a divorced editor whose daughters rebel when she announces plans to remarry.
• Two Guys From Texas
• Up In Central Park - Deanna Durbin in Romberg's stage hit.
• When My Baby Smiles at Me ** - Betty Grable and Dan Dailey go from burlesque to Broadway, with the usual misunderstandings along the way. So-so.
• Words and Music ** - Screen bio of Rodgers & Hart bears almost no similarity to their real lives, but there are great musical numbers aplenty. Rooney & Garland share their last screen duet, "I Wish I Were in Love Again."
• You Were Meant for Me ** - Jeanne Crain marries a band leader. Pleasant.

1949

• A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court ** - Bing Crosby stars in this adaptation of the stage hit, but most of the swell Rodgers & Hart score is missing.
• Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, The *** - Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow paired in animated Disney double feature. Bing Cosby voices the latter delightfully.
• Always Leave Them Laughing
• Barkleys of Broadway, The *** - Fred Astaire reunites with Ginger Rogers in this tale of a fictional show biz couple. Okay story enlivened by some enjoyable musical numbers, but not a classic.
• Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend, The
• Dancing in the Dark ** - William Powell learns the unknown performer he has discovered is his daughter. 
• Holiday in Havana
• In the Good Old Summertime *** - Judy Garland and Van Johnson as battling coworkers who don't know they are pen pals. Period songs & handsome production, with Liza Minnelli making her debut in the very final shot.
• Inspector General, The *** - Danny Kaye hilarious as a phony diplomat.
• It's a Great Feeling
• Jolson Sings Again ** - Okay sequel thanks to Jolson's vocals.
• Kissing Bandit, The * - Frank Sinatra as the son of an amorous thief taking over the family trade. Idiotic.
• Ladies of the Chorus * - Marilyn Monroe as a burlesque dancer. Luckily, she went on to far better things.
• Look For the Silver Lining
• Make Believe Ballroom
• Make Mine Laughs
• My Dream Is Yours ** - Doris Day becomes a radio star and even hangs out with Bugs Bunny. 
• Neptune's Daughter *** - Esther Williams is a bathing suit designer in one of her better vehicles. Red Skelton provides the laughs, and the score includes "Baby, It's Cold Outside."
• Oh, You Beautiful Doll ** - Clichéd pop music romance circa 1900, starring June Haver.
• On the Town *** - Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin as sailors on leave in New York. Breezy adaptation of Broadway hit.
• Red, Hot and Blue - No relation to Broadway hit of the same name.
• Slightly French
• Take Me Out to the Ball Game ** - Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra as vaudevillian baseball stars, with Esther Williams as their new team owner. Fun numbers, directed by Busby Berkeley.
• That Midnight Kiss ** - Mario Lanza woos Kathryn Grayson. Lavish production and some pretty high notes.
• Top O' The Morning
• Yes Sir, That's My Baby
• You're My Everything ** - Dan Dailey and Ann Baxter become movie stars in old Hollywood. Fun moments, but slow going in between.