Panama Hattie (1942)

Director:

Norman Z. McLeod

Writers:

Herbert Fields (play) and
Buddy G. DeSylva (play) ...

Release Date:

September 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Old Dark House | Navy | Alligator | American Abroad | Bumbler

Cast

Red Skelton	...	Red
Ann Sothern	...	Hattie Maloney
Rags Ragland	...	Rags (as 'Rags' Ragland)
Ben Blue	...	Rowdy
Marsha Hunt	...	Leila Tree
Virginia O'Brien	...	Flo Foster
Alan Mowbray	...	Jay Jerkins, Dick's Butler
Dan Dailey	...	Dick Bulliard (as Dan Dailey Jr.)
Jackie Horner	...	Geraldine 'Gerry' Bulliet
Lena Horne	...	Herself - Singer in Phil's Place
The Berry Brothers	...	Themselves, Performers

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #7829) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Company:

Loew's

Trivia:

Pierre Watkin (Admiral Tree) and Stanley Andrews (Colonel John Briggs) were in studio records for those roles, but never appeared. Lester Dorr was listed as a cast member in a news item but was not seen in the movie.

Movie Connections:

References The Invisible Man (1933)

Soundtrack:

Just One of Those Things

mediocre MGM version of Merman's Broadway hit

Highly mediocre musical is a botched filmization of Ethel Merman's Broadway smash. In this one, the marvelous Ann Sothern at the peak of her pin-up girl beauty almost saves the film with another delightful performance. Glossy MGM production values and a game cast including Dan Dailey, Red Skelton, Virginia O'Brien and the lovely Lena Horne give it their all. Story is very thin but this was still a huge hit at the time. Probably because Miss Sothern was then one of MGM's top box-office draws at the time. Sothern's "Lady Be Good"(MGM,1941) is a far superior film with a charming script and an Oscar-winning song but was somehow less popular than "Panama Hattie." WHo knows why some films make a fortune and others tank....