Follow the Boys (1944) aka. Three Cheers for the Boys. Romance wrapped up in large-scale variety entertainment. Vaudeville artist becomes dancing partner and husband to film star in Hollywood. War comes, and he provides entertainment for the troops.
Follow the Boys (1944) starring George Raft, Vera Zorina
Gloria Vance: You have no inhibitions, have you?
Tony West: I can’t afford them.
Product Description
From Australia to Scotland, and China to New Guinea, George Raft, Vera Zorina and an impressive parade of
celebs “Follow the Boys” in this star-spangled, wartime tribute. When screen star Tony West (Raft) is rejedted for military service, he keeps the news to himself but finds another way to serve, organizing camp shows for the enlisted men that indude such big-name stars as Marlene Dietrich, Orson Welles, W.C. Fields, Dinah Shore, The Andrews Sisters, Sophie Tucker, Jeanette MacDonald and mony more.
Unfortunately, his war efforts are so all consuming that they soon overshadow the news of his wife’s (Zorina) pregnancy, threatening to turn their relationship into another casualty of war. This rousing dramo, which showcases some of the most popular stars and musical adts of its day, endures as o stellar collector’s item rife with sheer entertainment!
Songs and acts
- George Raft – several dance numbers
- Vera Zorina – dances to “A Better Day is Coming” and “I Feel a Song Coming On“
- George Raft and Zorina – dance to “Tonight“
- Delta Rhythm Boys – “The House I Live In“
- The Andrews Sisters – “Shoo Shoo Baby” and a medley of their hits including “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön“, “Hold Tight, Hold Tight (Want Some Seafood, Mama)“, “The Beer Barrel Polka“, “The Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B“, “I’ll Be With You in Apple Blossom Time“, “Pennsylvania Polka“, “Victory Polka“
- Sophie Tucker – “The Bigger the Army and the Navy” and “Some of These Days“
- Donald O’Connor and Peggy Ryan – “Kittens With Their Mittens Laced“
- Jeanette MacDonald – “Beyond the Blue Horizon” and “I’ll See You in My Dreams“
- Orson Welles – performs a magic show including sawing Marlene Dietrich in half
- Dinah Shore – “I’ll Get By“, “I’ll Walk Alone“, “Mad About Him Blues“
- Arthur Rubenstein – performs “Liebestraum No. 3 (A Dream of Love)”
- Louis Jordan – “Is You Is or Is You Ain’t Ma’ Baby“, and “Sweet Georgia Brown“, with Raft performing the charleston
- W. C. Fields – performs a comedy routine with a billiard table, from his days in vaudeville
- Carmen Amaya – “Merriment“
- The Delta Rhythm Boys
- Gautier’s performing dogs
- Charlie Spivak and his Orchestra – “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot ” and “Besame Mucho“
- Ted Lewis – “Good Night“
Cast of characters
- George Raft (Scarface) … Tony West
- Vera Zorina (Star Spangled Rhythm) … Gloria Vance
- Grace McDonald (What’s Cookin’) … Kitty West
- Charley Grapewin (The Petrified Forest) … Nick West
- Ramsay Ames (The Mummy’s Ghost) … Laura
- Charles Butterworth (Thanks for the Memory) … Louie Fairweather
- Elizabeth Patterson (The Cat and the Canary [1939]) … Annie
- Regis Toomey (Mighty Joe Young) … Dr. Henderson
- George Macready (The Great Race) … Walter Bruce
- Jeanette MacDonald … Jeanette MacDonald
- Orson Welles’ Mercury Wonder Show … Mercury Wonder Show
- Marlene Dietrich (Witness for the Prosecution) … Marlene Dietrich
- Dinah Shore (Walt Disney’s Fun and Fancy Free) … Dinah Shore
- Donald O’Connor (Singin’ in the Rain) … Donald O’Connor
- Peggy Ryan (Private Buckaroo) … Peggy Ryan
- W.C. Fields (You Can’t Cheat an Honest Man) … W. C. Fields
- The Andrews Sisters (Buck Privates) … Andrews Sisters
- Artur Rubinstein … Artur Rubinstein
- Carmen Amaya … Carmen Amaya and Her Company
- Sophie Tucker (Broadway Melody of 1938) … Sophie Tucker
- Delta Rhythm Boys (Crazy Hause) … Delta Rhythm Boys (as The Delta Rhythm Boys)
- Leonard Gautier’s Bricklayers … Leonard Gautier’s Dog Act ‘The Bricklayers’
- Ted Lewis and His Orchestra (Hold that Ghost) … Ted Lewis Orchestra
- Freddie Slack and His Orchestra … Freddie Slack Orchestra
- Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra … Charlie Spivak Orchestra
- Louis Jordan and his Orchestra … Louis Jordan Orchestra