What a beautiful movie!

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

A Brilliant Conflict

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

George Archainbaud directed this B Musical, produced by Hal Roach, which features an Oscar nominated Score from Edward Ward and the Academy Award nominated Song "Pennies for Peppino", with lyrics by Chet Forrest and Bob Wright; Louis S. Kaye and M. Coates Webster wrote the screenplay. The story (between the songs) that holds it together is pretty lame:A debutante, played by Marjorie Woodworth, travels by clipper plane to the Caribbean with several of her comely girlfriends (Claudia Drake, Jane Kean, Jayne Hazard, and Dorothy O'Kelly aka Kelly) to find a Latin lover she'd written to that had sent her an autograph picture. Her father funded the trip because she'd convinced him that it would be strictly an education excursion; he sent a chaperon (Norma Varden) along, and hired an elderly guide to make sure. But the first person the girls meet is Harry Bernard (George Givot), a younger man with an annoying giggle who's on the run from the law (Edward Gargan) and poses as the older guide (Byron Foulger, uncredited), who'd been too afraid to fly in any case. Meanwhile, the plane's pilot (William Marshall) woos the debutante while the lawman's efforts are hindered by a half-pint shyster (Jerry Bergen).Thankfully, the comedy's running time is barely 45 minutes.

I viewed the film on TCM and wrote the lyrics to "Pennies for Peppino" down. I also figured out the music in 5 minutes (not too difficult). I could not understand the line toward the end that goes with the number 4. They were counting. Is it "A coin for the nice Chiquita"? I collect all Oscar nominated songs and this was the only one I did not have. "Cry Freedom" is also sketchy. I met the composers Chet Forrest and Bob Wright many years ago in Miami and they did not have "Pennies for Peppino" but they did have the certificate from the Academy to prove it was nominated. They also had the Tony Award on the wall for composing "Kismet". I was thrilled to finally hear the song - it was 20 years in the search for it.

This Movie, "Flying with Music" was shown on Turner Classics today! It was shown as part of "Movies nominated for Oscars" Month. My Tivo decided it was something I would want to watch...and BOY was my TIVO right! "Flying with Music" is just so bizarrely wonderful. There is something about Roach Studios Movies of the early 40s that captures an essence of the 40s that neither the Large Studios, nor the Poverty Row Studios ever really got. It is hard to put into words, but there is a "reaching" for quality above means, and from the looks of it, "Flying with Music" may have had the largest budget spent on a movie from this Studio.Everyone sings, everyone dances...there is barely a breath taken between unfamiliar songs with a Latin Beat, or songs simply crooned in the best Bing Crosby manner. There is an endless Lagoon Number number featuring Tribal Beats and scantily clad dancers.But what you really need to see is sequence with the Oscar nominated song "Pennies for Peppino". It comes out of nowhere, and if you didn't know that THIS is the Oscar nominated song from the movie, you may not give it much thought. A group of children see the cast in the back of a Cart being slowly pulled to town and begin to "beg" for Pennies to be thrown to them ...offering to sing, dance, stand on their heads just for "Pennies for Peppino".There is just something about knowing that this little song, in this short sequence, in this "little " movie lost the 1942 Best Song Oscar to White Christmas gives it that tiny bit of majesty.

This is a typically wacky fast-paced Hal Roach comedy padded with some laughably ridiculous musical numbers. It has everything - coochie dancers, pan-American travelog, Latin crooners, jungle romance, buxom blondes, blackface mammies, mediums, even a midget. The only furnishing it lacks is a suitably funny leading man. George Givot's performance as the obnoxious boob running from alimony payments wont leave you begging for more. Despite the occasional cramp he puts in the fun, the rest of the cast sail through the gags effortlessly. I hope it shows up as an extra in a DVD package in the future - a true delight.