mark.waltz Pelican Falls Vermont seems to have a pride that surpasses Broadway conventions. The town band seems to think that they can interrupt the Bob Crosby Show on television (without being stopped by security) to honor through their silly high school sing one of their own who just half an hour was ready to give up her dream for Broadway success. She's Janet Leigh, playing a former majorette named Nancy who just months before got a huge send-off from the same band and chorus who rhymed "Mary Martin" with "Kindergarden" and "Merman" (as in Ethel) with "German".Ironically, the composer of that song was Jule Styne who later wrote a few songs for Ms. Martin for "Peter Pan", and of course, wrote the music for Merman's final Broadway smash, "Gypsy". This Broadway of two male vaudeville performers (Smith and Dale) who run a delicatessen and argue like an old married couple has chorus girls returning from an out of town engagement on a show boat (which sunk) and a hotel for women in show business where the ladies act out a day in the city to the tune of Rodgers and Hart's "Manhattan" (which includes, ironically, new lyrics mentioning Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific"). Any comparison between this and even early 1950's Broadway reality as as close to life as Disney is.The musical numbers range from corny but fun ("The Worry Bird") to downright tacky ("Petrolium"). Ann Miller gets to do her traditional tap-and-twirl, while Gloria DeHaven is a bit less dainty than normal as the girlfriend of sleazy agent Eddie Bracken who lies to singer Tony Martin and the other girls about getting them a gig on the Bob Crosby television show. Barbara Lawrence, the fourth member of the team, has no other purpose than to fill out the female foursome. Pretty Technicolor is a major plus, although the television show finale, which would be black and white on the air, seems far too lavish for an early network variety show. Bob Crosby's spoof of brother Bing ("Let's Make Comparisons") is a wonderful novelty number, and a humorous acrobatic sketch is another highlight. Ironically, like the Russian ballet in "Bye Bye Birdie" (starring Ms. Leigh"), the acrobatic number is victim to foul play by Bracken so the group can get on the air without having to wait a week.

Andrew Schoneberg Designed partially as a showcase for RKO owner Howard Hughes girlfriend, Janet Leigh. Hughes could afford to import quite a lot of first rate talent in the effort, mostly from best in the musical business MGM. Current or former MGM talent included Leigh, Ann Miller, Gloria DeHaven, and Tony Martin, along with musical number director Busby Berkeley. Leigh proved herself competent as a singer and dancer, and is certainly pleasant in personality and a pleasure to look at.In the musical numbers featuring the four "girls", Gloria DeHaven is the standout (sorry Ann Miller fans). DeHaven sings superbly, handles the dancing with aplomb, has just the right mix of charisma, humor, sincerity, and takes a back seat to no one in the beauty department.I thought the musical numbers well staged and mostly very pleasant (exception the very banal Pellican Falls school song). The comedy of Smith and Dale, I could live without, if you'll excuse the expression. And Eddie Bracken is too frenetic and broad in his comedy for my taste.Though none of the songs became a standard, a couple are excellent; I especially enjoyed "The Worry Bird", and "The Closer You Are" has a gorgeous melody.All in all, the film is the equal of many of the lower budget MGM musicals, and that ain't bad at all.

vldazzle Tony Martin was the only singer/actor who I EVER had a crush on, so I totally disagree with the reviewer who said that he's only fit for gangster roles (REAL women don't want a man who looks pretty like a woman)! I graduated HS in 1955, so I was younger than Janet Leigh in 51, but I loved his big hit "I get ideas". As to the film, he did not look as good as I remember in publicity pictures (there was not the extent of distribution back then so I do not remember ever seeing him in film). I agree that his acting was not superb, but not much worse than Gene Kelly, tho' the dancing could be better. In those days the studios tried to make their people as versatile as possible. I think I'll save this one on DVD just for old times sake (of my old crush) because (with that "Big Chief Hole in the Ground" musical number), it will probably not get much exposure in the future. It is not at all PC (it's almost offensive even to me). It is surely offensive to native Americans.

bkoganbing Two Tickets to Broadway was to be Howard Hughes's answer to MGM type musicals and in fact he engaged the two leads from MGM, Tony Martin and Janet Leigh. The usual criticism was voiced with Martin being 15 years older than Leigh, but in this case it works because part of the plot is fresh faced Ms. Leigh avoiding being taken in by older Broadway sharpies.No memorable songs were written by composers Jule Styne and Leo Robin for this film and that's a pity because if a hit had come out of it, the film would be better remembered. Martin, I'm sure realized no hits were coming out of this and he probably had two of his own songs put in there. He had hit records around this time of the Prologue from Pagliacci and There's No Tomorrow (O Sole Mio). He performs them well. I would love to know if Janet Leigh was dubbed and by who. I don't believe she ever sang in any other film. For that reason I suspect a dubbing if for no other reason that she wouldn't want to be going up against a singer with as powerful a voice as Tony Martin.Ironic that two of the players in this Ann Miller and Janet Leigh died this year. Nobody had to worry about dubbing Ann Miller in any department. She performs her big number, Let the Worry Bird Worry for You in classic style.Bob Crosby who by that time was known as the afternoon Crosby because his radio and later TV show came on in the afternoon unlike his legendary brother. Being the Bing Crosby fan that I am, I have a soft spot in my heart for his Let's Make Comparison where he's comparing himself to brother Bing. Bob led a pretty good jazz band at that time and had a modest career in B films.Eddie Bracken who was so good in his Paramount films was cloying and annoying in this one. His machinations trying to get his clients on the Bob Crosby show were downright stupid here and not terribly funny.The ending though was an unintentional hoot. Janet Leigh comes from Pelican Falls, Vermont and early in the film she's given a send off by the high school band performing their alma mater song. I thought the ending with the high school band, interrupting Bob Crosby's broadcast to reprise their high school song was ridiculous. Was that Howard Hughes's idea? Well he didn't do as much damage here as he did on The Outlaw.The film had a lot of potential and it could have been done better even at RKO, but I suspect Howard Hughes meddled a bit too much here.