It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

And because it clicked, MGM did what all the other major studios were doing--hiring their big stars to do cameos in a picture obviously aimed at entertaining the troops overseas. Paramount did it with STAR SPANGLED RHYTHM, Warners with THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS, Universal with FOLLOW THE BOYS, so it was only a matter of time before MGM came up with THOUSANDS CHEER.If nothing else, it serves as a good showcase for the talents of KATHRYN GRAYSON (their newest singing bird) and GENE KELLY (although his dancing is limited here). For good measure they gave them MARY ASTOR and JOHN BOLES for parents, a story about a girl who wants to get her mom and dad back together again (where have we heard that one before?), and a whole bunch of MGM's brightest stars or character players in a "let's put on a show for the boys" routine.Too bad the only thing missing is a good script. Otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the gorgeous Technicolor, the dreamy close-ups of Kathryn Grayson at her musical best, and guest stars like LUCILLE BALL, JUDY GARLAND, LENA HORNE, FRANK MORGAN, VIRGINIA O'BRIEN, RED SKELTON and MICKEY ROONEY to perk up interest in a sagging script for the second half of the movie.Summing up: Could have been a lot better. If this is your kind of ticket, check out THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS for a better star-filled time.

Predictable World War 11 yarn where Gene Kelly falls for Katherine Grayson. He is not too thrilled with the army and her father is his commander.The movie is greatly patriotic which of course was needed during the war years.Grayson's mom is played by Mary Astor who left her father years before because of his devotion to duty. Naturally, Grayson would like to see them reconcile.The second part of the film deals with a cavalcade of MGM stars putting on a show for the troops. The singing is good but the sketches with Frank Morgan, Ann Sothern, Donna Reed, and Marsha Hunt are ridiculous.Of course, the film resolves itself with Kelly going off to war and Grayson singing as beautifully as ever.

Well, I'm stumped as to why this film isn't better known. I'd barely heard of it. Kathryn Grayson is at her most adorable in this one. She sings like an angel, she looks like an angel, she wrinkles her nose like an angel. Gene Kelly is charming, but underused.The last hour of the film is a star-studded camp show for the boys, and I'm certain that the film was sent overseas to entertain the troops during the war. The finale is somewhat bizarre and stilted -- Grayson singing with what looks to be 400 middle-aged men from different countries -- and provokes a sort of desperate hope that the world will one day again be at peace.'Thousands Cheer' is an odd hybrid of musical-comedy, review and morality play, but I decidedly enjoyed and appreciated it. See if it doesn't make you misty.

Gene Kelly plays the "King of the Trapeze turned buck army private" magnificently, supplemented with the chirping of Kathryn Grayson. It shows how, even in his early years, (This is only the second year of Gene in Hollywood pictures) he was a great dancer/actor. (His dance with the mop was the best part of the movie for me) This great movie is supplemented by the great bands of Jose Iturbi and Bob Crosby, and with the great talents of silver screen greats like Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Gloria DeHaven, June Allyson, and the spectacular Judy Garland. This movie is a must for all classic musical buffs!!!