chuck-477
I saw the movie as a kid on Broadway when it first came out in film. It was a lot of fun, Miss Ball was great and was impressed by the young man who had such a great voice singing 'Buckle Down Winsockie'- Tom Dix.As to what happened to him later in his career, I saw him featured onstage at the Loews State Theater on Broadway, in New York City, singing quite a few songs and do remember that he was brought out for over five encores! In response to one of the earlier reviewers, as far as I could find on the internet, he is still alive and going strong - unfortunately most of all the other great cast have passed from amongst us.Maybe not one of the most creatively artistic movies, but when you were young during those years, it brought a lot of smiles to our faces, and it still does!
classicsoncall
The draw for this film is definitely Lucille Ball, a number of years before she took the country by storm in "I Love Lucy". I've always been of the opinion that she looked gorgeous in her movie roles, and with the Techicolor format here, it's more than apparent. However the hairstyles of the era didn't do her justice in this picture, especially in her first appearance of the film. Whoever was in charge of wardrobe didn't do a good job either with the tan outfit when she first arrived at Winsocki. How does tan go with bright red hair? Miss Ball's personality is a bit off-putting as well, as she arrives on scene at the Winsocki Military Institute somewhat under duress. Attempting to salvage her career in film (in the story line), her agent (William Gaxton) thought it a good idea to accept a young cadet's invitation to be his date at the annual dance. The publicity will do wonders for her career, he says. As the story progresses, Lucy warms up her character and winds up compassionately supporting her military escort (Tommy Dix as Bud Hooper).I guess you'd have to call this a musical; there's the opening 'Buckle Down Winsocki' tune to get you into the spirit of things, and later numbers feature both song and dance routines. The surprise performance of the film is Nancy Walker in an unglamorous role as 'Blind Date' Nancy, making lemonade out of every lemon thrown her way. She teams with a couple more future stars, June Allyson and Gloria DeHaven, in a lively rendition of 'The Three B's', as in Barrelhouse, Boogie-Woogie and The Blues, each actress featured with her own portion of the presentation. I liked that number the best.Lending musical support to the effort was Harry James and His Music Makers. James belts out a lively 'Flight of the Bumble Bee' on his bugle, undoubtedly meant to feature his nimble fingers. Later he does a humorous dance number with Walker, who displays a remarkable talent for not falling down considering the tempo and almost impossible steps she was required to make. Very entertaining.The military uniforms look sharp and the girls look great in their white prom dresses. There's your usual hi-jinks in a flick of this sort keeping things light and humorous. If you're in the mood for a lively and upbeat good time, this is a pretty good way to go.
Terrell-4
Best Foot Forward was a successful 1941 Broadway musical and, like Too Many Girls, was bought and adapted to be a vehicle for Lucille Ball. Like Too Many Girls, it's a simple-minded school romp where the innocence of the students and administrators makes today's educational establishments look like Sodom and Gomorra. We're at Winsocki Military Academy and the big prom is almost here. Cadet Bud Hooper (Tommy Dix) had written a fan letter to Hollywood star Lucille Ball asking if she'd be his date. He wasn't expecting she'd agree, but then he didn't know her press agent, Jack O'Reilly (William Gaxton). Seems Lucille's last couple of pictures hadn't done too well so he convinces her it would be great publicity for her to go to the prom. Bud is floored. His two roommates, Dutch (Kenny Bowers) and "Hunk" (Jack Jordan), immediately start making plans to meet her. And then Bud remembers his girl friend, Helen. Well, he tells Helen he's got the grippe, but after Lucille (and all the other cadets' dates show up), so does Helen...to keep him company because he's sick. The dance is about to start, Lucille is waiting for Bud...and Bud finds out Helen is on campus looking for him. Now we're in a whirl of misunderstandings, miscues, schemes and subterfuges, all powered by Hugh Martin's and Ralph Blane's songs, by Harry James and His Music Makers swinging at the prom, by broad performances from the cadets and their dates and by relentless enthusiasm and good cheer. Among the standouts in the movie are Lucille Ball playing herself. Not only is she gorgeous, she handles the comedy with aplomb, which includes making some gentle but sharp fun of herself as a movie star. William Gaxton as her agent is amusing, conniving and does no lasting damage to anyone. The two of them bring polished comic performances to the movie. June Allyson and Nancy Walker recreate their stage roles and do fine jobs. With Gloria DeHaven, they are a smash singing "The Three Bs," with Harry James backing them. That's the Three Bs as in barrelhouse, boogie and the blues. The script is amusing and corny. "Is it true," asks Bud, "that everyone in California sleeps under two blankets?" Answers O'Reilly, "No. How could all those people get under just two blankets?" The young men -- boys, actually -- playing the cadets bring a lot of unabashed enthusiasm to their parts. Somewhere in the crowd is an unbilled Stanley Donen. Kenny Bowers can be funny but the director should have had him tone down the mugging. Tommy Dix comes up to Lucille Ball's shoulders, has a baby face and a kind of eerie young-Mickey-Rooney sincerity. He also has a big, polished baritone voice. Dix handles his part well and, at the conclusion, power-sings the big production number, "Buckle Down Winsocki," while all the cadets and their dates march around the field during graduation. You'll enjoy the movie best if you just sit back and not be too critical. This was Hugh Martin's and Ralph Blane's first score. Except for "Winsocki," none of the songs became well-known. Still, they have style and spirit. "Three Men on a Date," "The Three Bs" and "Ev'ry Time" I thought held up well over more than 60 years. On the strength of this score, Martin and Blane were offered the assignment of writing the songs for Meet Me in St. Louis, and that put them on the map. I don't think they ever topped "The Boy Next Door," "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." If you like college musicals (although I suppose Best Foot Forward is really a prep-school musical), this one has enthusiasm and a fine performance by Lucille Ball. I'd also take a look at Too Many Girls (1940), also with Ball and with an outstanding Rodgers & Hart score, and Good News (1947), with a charming performance, this time as the lead, by June Allyson.
