bkoganbing Back when they first came to Hollywood, the Three Stooges were known as Ted Healy's Three Stooges and were his second bananas in his films. The boys tired of that and went from MGM to Columbia where the rest is history. Yet in Swing Parade Of 1946 they are functioning as Edward Brophy's stooges in the same manner they did for Healy.The guys are dishwashers who later become waiters when there is a shortage and Brophy is in charge of the food. They work in a restaurant nightclub that's owned by Phil Regan who's a rich kid and whose father Russell Hicks wants him not involved in show business. In fact he's trying to shut his son down by hook or crook. Gale Storm is an aspiring singer looking for a break.This rather threadbare plot is the hook to hang some musical numbers by Connee Boswell and orchestra leaders Will Bradley and Will Jordan and of course Regan and Storm. Not to mention the usual Stooge antics with the slow burning Brophy.Harry Cohn over at Columbia where the 3 Stooges normally worked and worked on time and under budget must have owed something to Sam Katzman at Monogram. Maybe he lost their services in a poker game. I can't figure out why they were working at Monogram for a single film.Swing Parade Of 1946 is pleasant enough, nothing outstanding about it.

earlytalkie Swing Parade plays almost like one of those early talkie musical revues, that is, it has an acorn of a plot concerning an ambitious singer (Gale Storm) trying for a job in a nightclub. There are many musical numbers in the film's relatively short 74 minute running time, and just about everybody except The Three Stooges (quite funny here) gets a chance to sing. Gale Storm, one of my favorites, really gets a chance to show off her singing (and dancing) abilities here. Connee Boswell does a swell job on "Stormy Weather" and Louis Jordan tears up the stage doing "Caledonia". There is a big finale which looks like it cost little Monogram more of a chunk of money than they usually had to pay which again hearkens back to those early talkie revues. The version of the film I got can be viewed in it's original black-and-white or in a colorized version. A good example of an upscale Monogram film.

tavm In honor of Black History Month, I've been making comments on films that featured African-Americans. We're now in 1946 with Swing Parade of 1946. In this one, Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five perform "Don't Worry About the Mule" and "Caldonia" in segments that could easily be edited out by Southern theatres of the time without ruining the plot-what there is of one (which easily explains why he and his group are nowhere near the musical finale). Both performances bring a rollicking attitude that lifts the movie above the norm. The main reason I, and I'm sure many, would want to watch this movie today is because of The Three Stooges with Curly, especially, in fine form months before his stroke forced him to retire. The singing leads here are Phil Regan and Gale Storm. Ms. Storm displays some comic talents that served her well in her later TV shows, "My Little Margie" and "The Gale Storm Show". She also sings a wonderful rendition of "The Sunny Side of the Street" and "Oh, Brother". There's also Connee Boswell singing the third version of "Stormy Weather" I've heard this month (following Ivie Anderson and Lena Horne) that again takes my breath away. Ed Brophy provides perfect blustery segue from the plot to the Stooges as their boss "Moose". And Windy Cook provides some amusing impressions of boat motors and plane engines though the movie becomes a bit long by that point. And there's another player from my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life, here-Mary Treen who plays Marie Finch and does a nice duet with band leader Will Osborne on "A Tender Word Will Mend It All". No great shakes, but with the presence of the Stooges and Louis Jordan, Swing Parade of 1946 is definitely worth a look.

holme-1 Swing Parade is pretty dull and mediocre, and if it weren't for the stooges, this movie would've bombed! The highlight is certainly the stooges. The best part is when they lose Moose's watch and attempt to get it, but that only lasts five minutes.Overall: D+