the audience applauded

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

A typical extra-light musical comedy of its time. Lots of patriotic references related to the war; popular dances of the time; ridiculous script; but some good performances. Lucille Ball plays herself and does it well. Harry James and his orchestra play beautifully, and James plays The Flight of the Bumblebee on his trumpet. A young Chill Wills looks trim and shows a preview of his future wonderful acting skills. A youthful June Allyson and others do some very good vocals, and a young Nancy Walker is hilarious (a forerunner performance of her later outstanding comedy). The script is more like a high school farce, but the movie is worth seeing because of those other neat features.

I have just seen Best Foot Forward for the first time on DVD, several times before on TV but the first time where I could actually see everyone's faces and expressions, thanks to my 40" screen and the amazing DVD transfer. What a great experience. Being a staunch classic movie watcher I thoroughly enjoy the great musicals of the 40's and this movie is definitely one of them. What a delightful experience and right up my ally. FUN, FUN, FUN!!! So many talented young performers, far superior to their modern day counterparts, many with Broadway training which boosts the quality of the movie, and reprising their roles from the Broadway smash hit of 1941-1942. A testament to the quality of the performer in those days in that the teens were actually teens -- not twenty-somethings playing a younger role.The Three B's with Nancy Walker and June Allyson (reprising their Broadway roles) and Gloria DeHaven a sheer delight to the eye and ear. Nancy Walker giving an outstanding performance as "the ugly duckling" who steals the show from the other girls.Lucy is beautiful and charming and great as the actress in a slump whose Press Agent, William Gaxton, thinks appearing at Winsocki's Graduation Prom as the date of the Captain of Cadets, Bud Hooper, is just the publicity boost she needs to put her back in the Hollywood limelight. A sound idea in theory but the complicated reality causes a lot of trouble for the characters and a lot of fun for us.Tommy Dix, also coming from the Broadway production, as Elwood C.(Bud) Hooper is unquestionably the star of the show and we follow with delight the merry journey he so capably leads us on as we experience the misfortunes his crush on Lucy and subsequent mash note invitation to be his date for the Graduation Prom, render him. His facial expressions and intuitive body language enhancing his wonderful performance.His friends, Dutch and Hunk, enthusiastically portrayed by Kenny Bowers and Jack Jordan and reprised from their Broadway roles, are a delight and amiably offset and enliven their sometimes too serious friend Bud.The score is upbeat, Harry James and his Music Makers a treat, especially for those of us not around at the time, to enjoy. The story is charming and a great showcase for the wonderful talent. I can see where it brought much needed happiness to a country disheartened by the trials of WW II as it was a big hit in 1943.The highlight of the movie is the finale which takes place at Winsocki's Graduation. Tommy Dix gives a one in a million performance as he belts out, "Buckle Down Winsocki," his Coronet recording of "Winsocki" reaching #1 on The Hit Parade.It is a sheer visual and audio delight to watch the smile shine on his face as he goes into the chorus and see the glow that emanates from him as he so beautifully performs his song. His glorious baritone voice a treasure to behold.It is easy to understand why Broadway audiences were standing and cheering as he sang "Winsocki" and was the hit of the show. I only wish I had the good fortune to see him perform it live I would have been standing and cheering him too. However, I feel most fortunate to have his brilliant performance and glorious voice in my movie and CD collections so I can enjoy him over and over and over again.

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.

A kid at a military academy named Bud Hooper (Tommy Dix) sends a fan letter to Lucille Ball asking her to be his prom date--despite the fact that he has a girlfriend, Helen Schelsinger (Virginia Weidler). Ball accepts under the pressuring of her agent (William Gaxton). Bud's two roomies (Kenny Bowers, Jack Jordan) are also hot for Ball. Add Nancy Walker and Harry James and his Orchestra and thing go barreling out of control.Not a great musical but enjoyable. The color is bright, the film is full of life and there are some very funny (if dated) lines. Most of the songs are unmemorable (and go on far too long) until the last one--it's a great little number called "Buckle Down Winsocki" and easily stops the show.Acting--well Ball is just incredible--VERY sexy, funny and believable. Dix is just so-so as Bud, Weidler is good as his girlfriend. His two roomies--one is OK (Bowers) but the other (Jordan) over OVER ACTS to a truly annoying degree. It reached the point that every time he was on screen I was cringing away. Walker's character is treated dreadfully--she's the butt of some VERY cruel jokes. Still she manages to be funny regardless. Also this is one of you few chances to see Walker sing and dance (pretty well) and see Lucy sing (although her voice is obviously dubbed). And there's Gloria DeHaven and June Allyson in bit parts!Nothing great but I enjoyed it. If the songs had been better this would have gotten a 10. As it is I'm giving it a 7. Worth catching.