Four Jills in a Jeep (1944)

Must See Movie...

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

With so much talent, while definitely worth watching, 'Four Jills in a Jeep' could have been great. Instead, to me, it was more decent but uneven, and while most of the cast fare well and there are many entertaining bits a couple are not used well.It is easy to see why some may dislike 'Four Jills in a Jeep'. The story isn't much of one and is more an excuse to string along the acts together. The dialogue is forgettable at best and often stilted and on the wrong side of silly. While singing beautifully (of course), Dick Haymes is somewhat dull with his performance betraying acting inexperience and Kay Francis is rather wasted.However, Carole Landis epitomises class and glamour and Martha Raye brings a lot of manic energy to her performance here. Practically forgotten Mitzi Mayfair is a vivaciously cute presence and does a great job in the dance department.Supporting them more than ably are a dynamite Carmen Miranda (living up to her nickname "The Brazilian Bombshell"), a heartfelt Alice Faye (her rendition of "You'll Never Know" is more than likely to induce tears in the eyes and even rolling down the cheeks), an amusing Phil Silvers (in a hilarious scene involving an audience heckler) and charming Betty Grable even if she has been much better elsewhere. Jimmy Dorsey provides invaluable support too, and the Jitterbug sequence is a delight.Production values are very nicely done, black and white is crisp and the photography is pleasing enough. Some songs are more memorable than others but most are a very pleasant listen, though "You'll Never Know" comes closest to being a classic, and cleverly and dynamically choreographed.On the whole, uneven but entertaining. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The adventures of four babes on a binge, four minxes on a mission, or four dames on a dare was popularly documented by one of the four, the beautiful blonde Carole Landis who literally found love on this mission but unfortunately later died tragically. She's traveling all over the world with Kay Francis, Martha Raye and Mitzi Mayfair to entertain the boys. Kay Francis, the mother hen of the group, doesn't sing or dance, but she does look good in clothes, and once considered the most fashionable woman in Hollywood, she's still very chic as herself, even in the middle of nowhere. Martha Raye, the self-declared "Miss Big Mouth", is at the height of her popularity here, doing what she loved to do most, entertain the troops and living the life that would eventually give her the nickname of "Colonel Maggie".Mitzi Mayfair, the most obscure member of the group, was the star of a few musical shorts, but her name means almost nothing surrounded by the other three. Throw in comic man Phil Silvers as the women's driver and cameos by Alice Faye, Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda (all singing songs they've already performed on screen), and you've got a feel good war musical that gives indication of what the stars were doing to entertain the troops. This film was just one of many, and upset some film viewers because it seemed to be made more out of self-gratification than to serve a purpose in the war. The four girls names are mentioned in another similar 1944 movie, "Follow the Boys", but here, their adventure is dramatized, much of it fictional, but most of it entertaining.There's certainly nothing remarkable in the story, even if the girls were often thrown into danger during their mission to entertain as many troops as they could. This was Kay's last big studio movie, and got some rather shocking revelations years later when Phil Silvers commented on Kay's romance with a General showed what a good actress she was, insinuating details about her private life long after she was deceased. This is actually closer to a movie music video with a slight plot than an actual musical comedy so as historical reference, it is of value, even if some of what is presented on screen really isn't based upon fact.

Four Jills in a Jeep was inspired by a book that Carole Landis wrote about the tours she made with USO overseas at the beginning of American participation in World War II. Besides Carole, the other three performing with her on this tour were Kay Francis, Mitzi Mayfair and Martha Raye. When 20th Century Fox did this film they appealed to the fantasy of every GI in the field as well those potentially going overseas. Not only do the stars entertain the boys over there, but they get romantically involved with a few of them. Talk about a morale booster. Besides the four stars playing themselves, Alice Faye, Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda came on via radio broadcast from the Armed Forces Radio broadcast show Command Performance USA. All of them reprised numbers that they had sung in Fox musicals. In addition to the female film stars Four Jills in a Jeep was the feature film debut of singer Dick Haymes. After Crosby and Sinatra, Haymes was probably the best known male singer of the Forties. He had a smooth baritone and really knew his way around a lyric. He introduced a song How Blue the Night that became a hit for him and just in time to record as the famous musicians strike against the record companies was just concluding.Seeing Dick Haymes in an army uniform is quite ironic indeed as it was later brought out about how he had claimed Argentine citizenship in order to avoid the draft. Haymes was born in Argentina of visiting American parents. His career sank like an anchor after that one.Phil Silvers did a version of the character he later perfected as Sergeant Bilko in the Fifties on television. Martha Raye who also made it big on television in the Fifties, complements Silvers well in the comedy department. Phil's a funny guy all right, but he should only be taken in moderation. Martha of course entertained our troops in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam with the same enthusiasm that you see here on the screen.With Jimmy Dorsey and his band in the cast for some up to date Forties swing, what more could you get in a Forties musical. A nice film, I'm sure appreciated both at home by the Rosie the Riveteer crowd and the troops abroad.

It is a good, light-hearted story for the day. Funny and cute. Does not follow the genre of today of having to be realistic. Even at that, it is a great reference to 40's fashions and styles, and the girls are great. Martha Raye is just beginning to slap stick in the Phillis Diller style of later years, Carole Landis is just SO gorgeous, Kay Francis only lisps once (which I caught, but didn't understand until I read about it later), Mitzy Mairfair dances beautifully with such powerful legs that one wishes she would have done more movies, and it is so fun to see Phil Silvers in a row that had to be a prelude to Sgt. Bilko eventually. Overall, it was a very delightful film of an era long passed.