Just what I expected

A Major Disappointment

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"Thousands Cheer" is a light comedy musical that apparently was made as a morale booster right in the middle of World War II. Of course, anyone who ever served in the military would laugh at the relationship between the good-natured and gentle Col. Bill Jones, played very well by John Boles, and Pvt. Eddie Marsh, played by Gene Kelly. Such things as seen here just aren't real in the military. Nor should they be, I think most vets would agree. But, as a morale booster, such an unbelievable situation works well in creating the venue for Marsh and the colonel's daughter, Kathryn, played by Kathryn Grayson to get together for some song and dance. She does the singing and he does a little dancing. The best is Kelly's dance routine with a floor mop. The plot is goofy and weak, and the stars are for the entertaining numbers. Others in the cast contribute to some comedy and entertainment. Eleanor Powell has a good tap routine, and a number of Hollywood folks get cameos in this film. It's enjoyable and entertaining, but there's nothing dynamic about it.

Thousands Cheer (1943) starring Gene Kelly was made using the very best of MGM's actor and movie technician talent in color, and is well done in those areas. I never saw Kelly do such a good job acting, and the same is true for his co-star, Katherine Grayson. Other major actors part of the movie all do well, including Mary Astor, Mickey Rooney, and Judy Garland. It's a spectacular movie technically, and quite a showcase for good actor movie star work done well and skillfully, a credit to all who appear in front of the camera and worked on the machines behind the screen. But there is no script worth the name, and not a single good song appears in this movie, which is supposed to be (and is) a "musical." Judy Garland does her best at the end of the movie with a mediocre song, even though she's always worth seeing. One of the true saints of world cinema history. The movie is an embarrassment of riches except for the bad (non-existent) script and the lack of a single good, memorable song. And this from the then biggest and richest movie studio in the world, MGM. It's an oddity worth seeing for its display of talent, unconnected as that turns out to be with good writing and good song composition. The color especially is dazzling. It's an upbeat "crowd-pleaser" movie needed and delivered during the World War II years. But the lack of good writing and good songs makes it mediocre.

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.