Radio Stars on Parade
Brief Synopsis
A pair of wacky agents take their clients to audition for the top radio shows.
Cast & Crew
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Leslie Goodwins
Director
Wally Brown
Jerry Miles
Alan Carney
Mike Strager
Frances Langford
Sally Baker
Ralph Edwards
Skinnay Ennis
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Musical
Release Date
Aug
1,
1945
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 9m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,216ft
Synopsis
To escape the unwanted attentions of gangster Lucky Maddox, nightclub singer Sally Baker follows Danny, her G.I. boyfriend, to Los Angeles. On her dressing room table, Sally leaves behind a letter from Los Angeles talent agent Lou Merwin promising her radio work . When Lucky, who is wanted by the Los Angeles police, discovers the letter, he sends his thugs, Steve and George, to retrieve Sally. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Mike Strager and Jerry Miles, an unemployed comedy team, stumble into a broadcast of the radio show Truth or Consequences and are recruited as contestants by Ralph Edwards, the show's host. Encouraged by the audience's reaction to their antics, Mike and Jerry decide to visit Merwin's agency. Before they arrive, however, Merwin's bookie, Rudy Campbell, calls to demand that Merwin repay his $2,500 gambling debt within twenty-four hours. Deciding to take an unexpected trip to Mexico, Merwin runs out of the office, and as he passes Mike and Jerry in his waiting room, he appoints them to be his assistants. Soon after, Sally comes to the office looking for work, and Jerry offers to arrange an audition for her with band leader Skinnay Ennis. When Steve and George learn that Sallly is to meet Jerry at the radio station the next day, they phone Lucky, who flies to Los Angeles on the next plane. As soon as he lands, an informant notifies the police that he is in town. Posing as a lawyer representing Sally's father, Lucky goes to the talent office and offers Mike $2,500 to prevent Sally from performing on Ennis' show. Meanwhile, at the radio station, Jerry, posing as a waiter, crashes Ennis' rehearsal and convinces the band leader to audition Sally. Impressed by Sally's talent, Ennis hires her to perform that afternoon, and Sally calls Danny with the good news. When Jerry returns to the office, Mike shows him the $2,500, and just as Jerry is insisting that they return it, Rudy appears and snatches the bills from Mike's hands. After Lucky and his thugs learn that Sally is scheduled to sing with Ennis that afternoon, they force Mike and Jerry to accompany them to the radio station and join the audience for Ennis' broadcast. After giving them the slip, Mike and Jerry run across the stage and through the corridors of the station, finally seeking refuge in the Truth or Consequences studio. There they are welcomed by Ralph Edwards, who enlists them in a contest to see who can dress as a woman the fastest. After racing to don corsets and girdles, the two are bewigged and instructed to leave the studio and return with the first two men they meet. As fate would have it, George and Steve enter the studio at that moment and are challenged by Edwards to a game of tug-of-war with the women. The game is played over a mud bath, and, as a joke, the end of the "women's" rope is tied to two offstage mules. After the mules pull the thugs into the mud, Edwards yanks off Jerry and Mike's wigs. Recognizing their prey, George and Steve chase Jerry and Mike, who then run into the studio in which Dick Tracy is being broadcast. Lucky and his goons's entrance into the studio is accompanied by the sound effects of machine gun fire, followed by the order to give themselves up. Not realizing that they are listening to a radio broadcast, the gangsters throw down their guns. Just as Lucky discovers his mistake, the police arrive and arrest him. After changing their clothes, Mike and Jerry return to Ennis' studio to watch Sally perform. Upon finishing her song, Sally runs into Danny's arms, dashing Jerry's hopes of romance.
Director
Leslie Goodwins
Director
Cast
Wally Brown
Jerry Miles
Alan Carney
Mike Strager
Frances Langford
Sally Baker
Ralph Edwards
Skinnay Ennis
Don Wilson
Himself
Tony Romano
Himself
Town Criers
Cappy Barra Boys
Rufe Davis
Pinky
Robert Clarke
Danny
Sheldon Leonard
Lucky Maddox
Max Wagner
George
Ralph Peters
Steve
Warren Jackson
Attendant
Jack Rice
Attendant
Erick Hanson
Attendant
Carey Harrison
Mr. Claypole
Charles Hall
Front end of horse
Jack Grey
Rear end of horse
Emory Parnell
Detective
George Magrill
Henchman
Harry Woods
Rudy Campbell
Ray Walker
Lou Merwin
Donald Davis
Newsboy
Billie Haywood
Maid
Tommy Quinn
Sound effects man
Foster Phinney
Sound effects man
Ed Hart
Waiter
Jack Carrington
Technician
Carl Kent
Crew
Harold Adamson
Composer
Harold Arlen
Composer
C. Bakaleinikoff
Music Director
Monte Brice
Screenwriter
Albert S. D'agostino
Art Director
Harry D'arcy
Assistant Director
Mort Greene
Composer
Walter Keller
Art Director
Terry Kellum
Re-Recording
Robert E. Kent
Screenwriter
Robert E. Kent
Original Story
Frank Loesser
Composer
Jimmy Mchugh
Composer
Johnny Mercer
Composer
Renie
Gowns
Harry Revel
Composer
Sid Rogell
Executive Producer
Gene Rose
Orchestra Arrangement
Darrell Silvera
Set Design
Ben Stoloff
Producer
John E. Tribby
Recording
Leslie Urbach
Dialogue Director
Vernon L. Walker
Special Effects
Harry Wild
Director of Photography
Edward W. Williams
Editing
Film Details
Genre
Comedy
Musical
Release Date
Aug
1,
1945
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 9m
Sound
Mono
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
6,216ft
Articles
Radio Stars on Parade
This madcap comedy wasn't the first time RKO had created grand musical spectacles starring radio talent--New Faces of 1937 (1937) and Radio City Revels (1938) had done the same, to little fanfare (one contemporary film historian described them as "a tedious mish-mash"). But RKO wasn't willing to give up on its radio revues, especially since it provided a place for RKO-created comedy team of Wally Brown and Alan Carney--a poor man's Abbott and Costello--to put their shenanigans on screen. Here, they play an unemployed comedy team who get mixed up with gangsters, gambling debts, and an accidental appearance on Truth Or Consequences when they cross paths with radio talents like singer Frances Langford and jazz guitarist Tony Romano (both fixtures of Bob Hope's "The Pepsodent Show" on radio, as well as his globe-trotting USO tours). While RKO was apparently impressed with the end result, further radio personality-themed pictures never materialized from the studio. For what it's worth, the photogenic cast at least gives the lie to the familiar insult "Now there's a face for radio".
Radio Stars on Parade
This madcap comedy wasn't the first time RKO had created grand musical spectacles starring radio talent--New Faces of 1937 (1937) and Radio City Revels (1938) had done the same, to little fanfare (one contemporary film historian described them as "a tedious mish-mash"). But RKO wasn't willing to give up on its radio revues, especially since it provided a place for RKO-created comedy team of Wally Brown and Alan Carney--a poor man's Abbott and Costello--to put their shenanigans on screen. Here, they play an unemployed comedy team who get mixed up with gangsters, gambling debts, and an accidental appearance on Truth Or Consequences when they cross paths with radio talents like singer Frances Langford and jazz guitarist Tony Romano (both fixtures of Bob Hope's "The Pepsodent Show" on radio, as well as his globe-trotting USO tours). While RKO was apparently impressed with the end result, further radio personality-themed pictures never materialized from the studio. For what it's worth, the photogenic cast at least gives the lie to the familiar insult "Now there's a face for radio".
Quotes
Oh, Junior would you accompain this young lady?- Jerry
Anytime, anyplace and anywhere!- Tony Romano
Just a second, he means on the guitar!- Mike
Oh, well. It will still be a pleasure.- Tony Romano
Trivia
Notes
According to a Hollywood Reporter news item, RKO executives were so impressed by the first cut of this film that they decided to produce more films featuring popular radio personalities. No other such films were ever produced by the studio, however.
