This utterly delicious hilarious swing musical is terrific. Made as part of a series at Universal that seem to be the dance version of those MGM Andy Hardy films; instead (and better) here we have the dynamic and effervescent talent of Donald O'Connor with gorgeous Gloria Jean and zany Peggy Ryan who make a trio of song and dance talent that is an entertaining as it is astonishing. MISTER BIG is completely engaging for its 63 minutes and with sensational tap numbers from the jivin' Jacks and Jills solid Universal production values and a roster of house actors, this film deserves renewed appreciation on DVD. It would be appropriate for Universal to box-set all these teen 40s musicals with Donald O'Connor and the Jivin Jacks and Jills and set them before a very appreciative public again. The group tap numbers are real musical dynamite; O'Connor is simply hilarious; the music numbers are fun and the sets and art direction is excellent. The other titles in the series are: GET HEP TO LOVE.... CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK... PATRICK THE GREAT... GIVE OUT SISTERS... PRIVATE BUCKAROO... and WHAT'S COOKIN'.... all of which I now am keen to enjoy. What a teen talent Donald O'Connor was! I have never seen his early comedy films and this intro into the 40s musicals he made has me enthralled to see more. MISTER BIG is the sort of musical with acrobatic group tap dance numbers you could only dream of, and here is a 63 minute musical with 7 songs and routines, better than I could have wished for. MISTER BIG is just great. My dollars are ready for the whole box set, when Universal care to plonk it on a shelf in a DVD store anytime soon.
9 Reviews
Enjoyable aside from some stunning racism
athousandchurches2 December 2009
As a fan of musicals in general and Donald O'Connor in specific, I was all set to enjoy my first dive into the teen musicals he made with Universal in the 1940s. Mister Big turned out the be incredibly enjoyable in some respects, and incredibly cringe-worthy in others.
On the one hand, the performances are generally top-notch, the one-liners are that wonderful mix of hokey and enjoyable, and Donald wears some ridiculous clothing. (Am I the only person who wants to tell him to stop trying on his father's suits? They all look so big on him!) The entire movie is worth buying just for the opportunity to watch Peggy Ryan kick Donald O'Connor in the face in "Rude, Crude, and Unattractive"--the play violence is half the gimmick in their dancing, but that song goes above and beyond the usual. O'Connor's interpretation of Hamlet's soliloquy is likewise charming, and Gloria Jean's solos are a delight.
On the other hand, there are some painfully racist scenes--I'm honestly surprised the other reviews haven't mentioned them. There's an entire number in blackface, and a group of black children are allowed the opportunity to perform with the lily-white main cast in the final number...from a hayloft. Because, of course, people of colour performing in a stable-like setting doesn't imply that they're animal-like at all. Insert eye rolling here.
I'd love to see Mister Big and all the rest of the hep musicals released on commercial DVD someday in a proper boxed set. Even if they're imperfect, these films need to be preserved for study and enjoyment (because really, the less racist moments are worth watching multiple times). However, if the other titles in the O'Connor/Ryan/Jean catalogue contain such blatant racism as is found in this one, I can understand why Universal's been hesitant to put these to press.
My 8/10 rating is for the parts of the film that didn't make me cringe from the unrepentant blackface and marginalization of the blacks in the cast. Including those parts, my rating goes down significantly.
On the one hand, the performances are generally top-notch, the one-liners are that wonderful mix of hokey and enjoyable, and Donald wears some ridiculous clothing. (Am I the only person who wants to tell him to stop trying on his father's suits? They all look so big on him!) The entire movie is worth buying just for the opportunity to watch Peggy Ryan kick Donald O'Connor in the face in "Rude, Crude, and Unattractive"--the play violence is half the gimmick in their dancing, but that song goes above and beyond the usual. O'Connor's interpretation of Hamlet's soliloquy is likewise charming, and Gloria Jean's solos are a delight.
On the other hand, there are some painfully racist scenes--I'm honestly surprised the other reviews haven't mentioned them. There's an entire number in blackface, and a group of black children are allowed the opportunity to perform with the lily-white main cast in the final number...from a hayloft. Because, of course, people of colour performing in a stable-like setting doesn't imply that they're animal-like at all. Insert eye rolling here.
I'd love to see Mister Big and all the rest of the hep musicals released on commercial DVD someday in a proper boxed set. Even if they're imperfect, these films need to be preserved for study and enjoyment (because really, the less racist moments are worth watching multiple times). However, if the other titles in the O'Connor/Ryan/Jean catalogue contain such blatant racism as is found in this one, I can understand why Universal's been hesitant to put these to press.
My 8/10 rating is for the parts of the film that didn't make me cringe from the unrepentant blackface and marginalization of the blacks in the cast. Including those parts, my rating goes down significantly.
Interesting "hep" movie
Tom_Barrister27 May 2005
Originally titled, "School of Jive", this movie is one of the standard "Hep" musicals that were popular with the young crowd during the WW2 years. It features the popular Gloria Jean, Donald O'Connor, and Peggy Ryan in a swinging, breezy, upbeat production that runs at a frantic pace for the full 63 minutes.
The plot is simple: Teens, in a school that teaches the arts, would rather perform popular music of the day. They overcome their stuffy highbrow sponsor's objections by performing a Swing musical instead of the classical work that's requested. Of course, the kids' version is a big success.
The movie features jazz and swing music, and popular bands of the era appear. A lot of the dialog, while dated to that day and age, is nonetheless entertaining. O'Connor and Ryan are their usual energetic selves and, of course, perform their zany songs and dances. Gloria Jean is charming as always and sings beautifully. Several other kids and adults perform as well, including a very talented six-year-old Elinor Donahue (who later played Betty in "Father Knows Best" and has many other TV and screen credits).
I haven't seen this movie on TV for over 25 years, and it's hard to find a good copy of it. However, you can buy a quality copy of it from Gloria Jean herself at her website. IMDb policies forbid the posting of URL's, but you can find her site by using your favorite search engine and her full name of "Gloria Jean Schoonover".
The plot is simple: Teens, in a school that teaches the arts, would rather perform popular music of the day. They overcome their stuffy highbrow sponsor's objections by performing a Swing musical instead of the classical work that's requested. Of course, the kids' version is a big success.
The movie features jazz and swing music, and popular bands of the era appear. A lot of the dialog, while dated to that day and age, is nonetheless entertaining. O'Connor and Ryan are their usual energetic selves and, of course, perform their zany songs and dances. Gloria Jean is charming as always and sings beautifully. Several other kids and adults perform as well, including a very talented six-year-old Elinor Donahue (who later played Betty in "Father Knows Best" and has many other TV and screen credits).
I haven't seen this movie on TV for over 25 years, and it's hard to find a good copy of it. However, you can buy a quality copy of it from Gloria Jean herself at her website. IMDb policies forbid the posting of URL's, but you can find her site by using your favorite search engine and her full name of "Gloria Jean Schoonover".
An all around great film
mggbikeluvr10 February 2011
I heard of this movie while watching a documentary about Donald O'Connor. I thought it sounded good and watched some clips online. It was great! I tried to find the film and I couldn't find it anywhere. Finally, after a few months of searching, I found that Gloria Jean herself was selling copies. I bought one immediately. I saw it and it is now my favorite movie. The comedy is hilarious. Like the rationing scene between Peggy and Donald. I loved the songs. They were very well written and the choreography was phenomenal. All the performances given were stupendous. Especially Bobby Brooks and the Ben Carter Choir. They were fabulous! I highly recommend this film to everyone. It is appropriate for families to watch, too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Fun and Jazzy Musical Programmer that has influenced today's teen musicals.
mark.waltz16 August 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Every era has had its variation of the influence of teenagers on American culture, whether it be Mickey and Judy in the early 40's or the Sweet Apple kids of "Bye Bye Birdie" in the early 60's. Today's High School Musical series, "Glee" and "Smash" owe a lot to these, but never is the importance of teen culture more obvious than in the series of low budget musicals that Universal filmed in the 1940's. Usually starring the team of Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan, they were jazzy, peppy and fast moving, made on lower budgets than what MGM was doing with "Babes in Arms" and "Strike Up the Band!".
The storyline here surrounds a dramatic school where the kids prefer jazz over what school owner Florence Bates prefers them to do-Sophocles' "Antigone", which has no interest whatsoever for the kids. There are a dozen musical numbers that prove that the kids talent lies elsewhere, but will highbrow Bates see that? Typical teen romantic adventures only are a shadow in this story, so the music is the thing. Some blackface numbers seem really unnecessary, although when a young group of black teens (the Ben Carter Choir) sing "We'll Meet Again", it is really touching. This is the type of musical to just accept as a product of its time, one that will never be a classic but filled with plenty of what would influence the arrival of rock n' roll just a decade later.
The storyline here surrounds a dramatic school where the kids prefer jazz over what school owner Florence Bates prefers them to do-Sophocles' "Antigone", which has no interest whatsoever for the kids. There are a dozen musical numbers that prove that the kids talent lies elsewhere, but will highbrow Bates see that? Typical teen romantic adventures only are a shadow in this story, so the music is the thing. Some blackface numbers seem really unnecessary, although when a young group of black teens (the Ben Carter Choir) sing "We'll Meet Again", it is really touching. This is the type of musical to just accept as a product of its time, one that will never be a classic but filled with plenty of what would influence the arrival of rock n' roll just a decade later.
Probably, the apex of the Don + Peggy + Gloria Jean musical comedy series.
weezeralfalfa2 February 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Thankfully, now viewable at You Tube, along with most of Don O'Connor's early Universal films. Many consider this the most entertaining of his wartime musical series, nearly all of which included Peggy Ryan as his slapstick and dancing partner. At age 18, Don was certainly in top form as comedian and singer. I'm also partial to the previous "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". Mr. Big is, of course, a nickname for Don O'Connor's character. Don, along with costars Peggy Ryan and Gloria Jean(Patricia), are students at the Davis School of Theater, owned by conservative old Mrs. Davis(Florence Bates):Patricia's aunt. Old Jeremy Taswell(Samuel Hinds) is the Principal. His daughter, Alice, and her boyfriend Johnny are featured teachers. Don earns his nickname by trying to run things at this school, in Mickey Rooney-mimicry, and by being popular with the girls. In the opening scene, Gloria is singing, while Don and Peggy are in the Orchestra in Johnny's classical music class. When Johnny has to step out for a while, Don takes over the Orchestra, and switches to swing music, his favorite. Johnny makes a show of being mad at Don, but isn't really, as he has secretly composed some boogie-woogie music. After an energetic jive dance scene at a local teen hangout, Don proposes a musical comedy he has written for the class yearly play. Johnny is receptive, but Mrs. Davis wants a classic play that will showcase Gloria's operatic voice. Behind her back, Johnny agrees to try out Don's play, with Gloria's OK, not telling Mrs. Davis. Some Broadway producers show up for the show and are very impressed, causing Mrs. Davis to change her attitude from shock to pleased. Of course, Don and Peggy are the centerpiece of the abundant musical and comedic action throughout the film.
My guess is that many people will object to the inclusion of a prominent blackface minstrel show. If so, I don't think this is fair, as this was still considered an acceptable form of entertainment, even at this rather late date in the blackface era. I know of 3 other films starring Don, which included him in a blackface number, one as late as '53. Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney also did an extensive blackface show in one of their contemporary films. Bing Crosby did a blackface number in the '42 "Holiday Inn", along with introducing "White Christmas", and again in the '44 "Here Comes the WAVES". I thought the blackface show in this film was done in good taste. It was even followed by Ben Carter's choir of real African Americans, who had no relation to the rest of the story. Later, an African American spiritual was featured without blackface, as part of the play. I haven't heard 'whities' complaining about all the circus clowns who have donned 'whiteface' disguises!
This was Gloria Jean's last film costarring with Don and Peggy, and many consider it their most entertaining. In future Don + Peggy films, usually Suzanna Foster or Ann Blyth took her place as the 'good girl' non-dancing songstress love interest for Don. She had a nice solo in "Moonlight and Roses", as well as several songs with Don, sometimes with Peggy included.
Elinor Donahue, later to gain wide recognition as the elder teenage daughter in the popular TV series "Father Knows Best", was the cute little tap dancing girl. Reportedly, she started tap dancing before age 2!, and also had some very early radio singing engagements.
As in many Universal musicals of this era, 'The Jivin' Jacks and Jills' were on hand to enhance many musical numbers...Ben Carter was a well-known African American performer and promoter of AA theatrical talent. I'm sure I heard the soprano-like voice of Bobby Brooks in his choir. Bobby also sang a number in the Don + Peggy films "Top Man" and "This is the Life".
Florence Bates, although 3X the ages of the 3 stars, didn't start in show business until just a few years earlier, having been well educated and traveled. She naturally was cast as brassy middle-aged women, often authority figures, as in this film. I remember her in the Errol Flynn western San Antonio, and as Vera Ellen's dancing instructor in "On the Town"
Ex-Glenn Miller big band singer Ray Eberle was on hand to sing the ballad "This Must Be a Dream". Sinatra considered him his chief potential competition to be the young pop singer idol of the '40s. Don, to my ear, was just as good. He was backed up by Eddie Miller's Bob Cats. Miller had been a featured singer and clarinetist with Bob Crosby's Bob Cats, among others, and took over Crosby's reorganized Bob Cats for a couple years.
My guess is that many people will object to the inclusion of a prominent blackface minstrel show. If so, I don't think this is fair, as this was still considered an acceptable form of entertainment, even at this rather late date in the blackface era. I know of 3 other films starring Don, which included him in a blackface number, one as late as '53. Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney also did an extensive blackface show in one of their contemporary films. Bing Crosby did a blackface number in the '42 "Holiday Inn", along with introducing "White Christmas", and again in the '44 "Here Comes the WAVES". I thought the blackface show in this film was done in good taste. It was even followed by Ben Carter's choir of real African Americans, who had no relation to the rest of the story. Later, an African American spiritual was featured without blackface, as part of the play. I haven't heard 'whities' complaining about all the circus clowns who have donned 'whiteface' disguises!
This was Gloria Jean's last film costarring with Don and Peggy, and many consider it their most entertaining. In future Don + Peggy films, usually Suzanna Foster or Ann Blyth took her place as the 'good girl' non-dancing songstress love interest for Don. She had a nice solo in "Moonlight and Roses", as well as several songs with Don, sometimes with Peggy included.
Elinor Donahue, later to gain wide recognition as the elder teenage daughter in the popular TV series "Father Knows Best", was the cute little tap dancing girl. Reportedly, she started tap dancing before age 2!, and also had some very early radio singing engagements.
As in many Universal musicals of this era, 'The Jivin' Jacks and Jills' were on hand to enhance many musical numbers...Ben Carter was a well-known African American performer and promoter of AA theatrical talent. I'm sure I heard the soprano-like voice of Bobby Brooks in his choir. Bobby also sang a number in the Don + Peggy films "Top Man" and "This is the Life".
Florence Bates, although 3X the ages of the 3 stars, didn't start in show business until just a few years earlier, having been well educated and traveled. She naturally was cast as brassy middle-aged women, often authority figures, as in this film. I remember her in the Errol Flynn western San Antonio, and as Vera Ellen's dancing instructor in "On the Town"
Ex-Glenn Miller big band singer Ray Eberle was on hand to sing the ballad "This Must Be a Dream". Sinatra considered him his chief potential competition to be the young pop singer idol of the '40s. Don, to my ear, was just as good. He was backed up by Eddie Miller's Bob Cats. Miller had been a featured singer and clarinetist with Bob Crosby's Bob Cats, among others, and took over Crosby's reorganized Bob Cats for a couple years.
Awesome fun
cinbud22 May 2010
My copy of this is so murky it's like looking through the mists of time, but the movie itself is as fun now as it was in 1943. It was a star-maker for Donald O'Connor, and it's easy to see why - he's hilarious, adorable, and already shows the crisp, weightless precision in his dancing that later became his trademark.
Peggy Ryan (like a young Lucille Ball!) and Gloria Jean (endearingly beautiful and with a voice to die for) are both at their best, and Louis DaPron, head choreographer at Universal, did right by the Jivin' Jacks and Jills, who are thrilling to watch. Some even get small acting parts, but it's their acrobatic dancing that astounds, then and now.
As another reviewer commented, there is a routine in blackface, and that is always jarring for modern audiences, me included. The later sequence where the black children sing in a hayloft could (as the earlier reviewer suggested) be seen as demeaning, or it could be seen as the kids being an angelic choir (I think more the intent). I doubt that Universal gave it a lot of deep thought either way... it was intended as a means of separating on stage two separate 'acts', the choir from the dancers.
There's not too much time wasted on plot here, but what little there is is friskied-up by off-the-cuffs and a general lack of formality. According to Peggy Ryan, the filming took eight days. The result is a film with a lively spontaneity that would only have been muted with further polishing.
Peggy Ryan (like a young Lucille Ball!) and Gloria Jean (endearingly beautiful and with a voice to die for) are both at their best, and Louis DaPron, head choreographer at Universal, did right by the Jivin' Jacks and Jills, who are thrilling to watch. Some even get small acting parts, but it's their acrobatic dancing that astounds, then and now.
As another reviewer commented, there is a routine in blackface, and that is always jarring for modern audiences, me included. The later sequence where the black children sing in a hayloft could (as the earlier reviewer suggested) be seen as demeaning, or it could be seen as the kids being an angelic choir (I think more the intent). I doubt that Universal gave it a lot of deep thought either way... it was intended as a means of separating on stage two separate 'acts', the choir from the dancers.
There's not too much time wasted on plot here, but what little there is is friskied-up by off-the-cuffs and a general lack of formality. According to Peggy Ryan, the filming took eight days. The result is a film with a lively spontaneity that would only have been muted with further polishing.
10/10
debutoftheseason13 November 2021
At the Davis School of the Theater, run by Jeremy Taswell, where teenagers learn drama and serious art, instructors Johnny Hanley and Alice Taswell are in love. Students, including Donald, Patricia and Peggy, secretly want to be singers. Patricia's aunt, Mrs. Davis, who owns the school, disapproves. Donald wrote a musical comedy for the class piece of the year that students want to do; but Mrs. Davis selected it and insists they make Sophocles' "Antigone." Taswell agrees that the kids will play Donald's show. Donald manages to keep Mrs. Davis away on the day of the show, and when the Broadway producers present are flooded with Donald's play, she will be a supporter.
GREAT MUSICAL..BUT WHERE IS "THE BOOGIE-WOOGIE SANDMAN"-& "KITTEN WITH MY MITTENS LACED"?!!
crawfordfred25 July 2023
II love this Donald O'Connor/Peggy Ryan musical. .This is definitely the best musical that teamed Donald O'Connor with Peggy Ryan and Gloria Jean .but why were two of the really great,totally hep songs written for "Mister Big"-for the singing and tapdancing talents of Donald O'Connor and Peggy Ryan-"Kitten With My Mittens Laced" and "The Boogie-Woogie Sandman"-cut and edited out of this films-and just used as piano accompaniment for a backyard group jitterbug dance and as background music to accompany a generic,elementary beginner tapdance routine for Mary Eleanor Donahue? I have three photos of the"Kitten With My Mittens Laced"comedy song & tapdance routine performed by Donald and Peggy in aarge,beauriful living room setting with the Jivin' Jacks and Jills in the background watching and enjoying Donald's & Peggy's singing & dancing .and these photos are definitely.still shots from the actual film..but this O'Connor/Ryan routine is not in the print that I have on dvd .which I did purchase from Gloria Jean herself a few years ago. Does this routine that was cut from "Mister Big"hopefully still exist on a DVD format! I knos they both did this same song a little later on in the 1944 Film-"Follow The Boys"-and it is really sensational .but I wouldovecto find the version that was filmed for"Mister Big"- and would also love to see the other song & dance routine:The Boogie-Woogie Sandman" that was also written for-but cut from this movie..and only a recorded orchestration of the music from this song was used as a brief music accompaniment for Mary Eleanor Donahue's rehearsal tap routine. I do have the sheet music for"The Boogie-Woogie Sandman"-so that's how I am familiar with this song .but wouldkve to see if it was actually filmed for"Mister Big"-as a song & dance for Donald & Peggy! And O' onnor's brief so dance moments is his routines with Peggy Ryan and The Jivin' Jacks & Jills on this film are really great!
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