Customer Reviews

Song of the Islands [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's Techicolor gone haywire in this romantic comedy musical when Betty Grable returns to her South Seas island home and meets up with a rancher's playboy son Victor Mature (who died this week) and falls in and out of love - several times. Catchy tunes, lush locations (on the Fox backlot!) and Grable - in a grass skirt - does a mean hula-hula number backed up by a bevy of Hawaiian beauties. Timeless comedy from Jack Oakie, Hilo Hattie, Thomas Mitchell and Billy Gilbert - as a cannibal. The only question the critics asked was why did it take four scriptwriters to put this confection together! Never mind, it helped us take our minds off World War Two. And Grable made her best ever entrance in a movie when she sails into a lagoon singing the title song. Fine escapist fare.

Oh Spare Me! No this is not high cinematic art. Nor is it high camp (All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard)this is just great Old Hollywood. Too good for the folks that thrive on cinematic trash for the trash element (The Blob, Pink Flamingoes)and not campy enough for the Crawford/Davis gang. This is High Hollywood Formula (Check out Weekend in Havana, similar story, almost the same castbut WOW!)
Here's the basics: A stud (Victor Mature) and his lackey drift onto a pacific isle. They meet a "native" (Betty Grable) and off they go on a love chase. Except there's a land use issue, some capitalist thorns, and (Victor's) old man flies in from Chicago. No, we can't have this. Or can we? Turns out that Grable's old man has some philosophies of his own. Intertwined with all of this are some first rate musical numbers, especially the jitterbug/hula fandango at the end.
Bezerkley types will certainly be offended by the cannibal stereotype that sullies this otherwise well aged film. But then, as we often say on this side of the bay (when OUR views are not being challenged) Get Over IT!
The final number is a hot '40s dance theme that will keep all but the most determined cynics and clones whistling for days.
One interesting aspect for those of a historical bent, is the file footage of cattle being loaded onto a boat from the water, a classic Hawaiian ranching scene that used to be commonplace.
Another interesting historical note is that the film is registered 1942, but there are no war references, so this is obviously one of the last of the pre-december 7th productions in the pipeline before the war took over Hollywood.
So it ain't high art. Relax. You're not drinking good enough wine. Try something else, and WATCH THIS FILM!

Betty Grable is all peaches and cream and spectacular curves as she hulas her way to Hawaii. Song of the Islands also stars one of her favorite leading men, Victor Mature, one of her favorite supporting stars, Jack Oakie, and one of her favorite directors, Walter Lang. Put them all together in glorious Technicolor with plenty of songs, dances and comedy for one of Betty's biggest box office hits. Nothing serious here, folks, but musical-comedy fluff from Fox's backlot at its best. And the number one movie star of the 1940s---Betty Grable!

When I watch a musical I want to be entertained and this movie is very entertaining. When you combine the talents of Betty Grable with the escapism of a South Seas set you have a formula of great cinema. Be it a little campy it's campiest at its best. Also a measure of good film quality is the enduring story and production values. I enjoyed watching this movie as a boy just as I enjoyed watching it last week, many years later. Like music, that is a way to judge if you have a classic. From a historical prospective this is a great example of this genre.

This is a wonderful movie and a lot of fun I brought it for my dad but I loved it just as much.

I have always thought this to be one of Betty Grables best movies, remembering it as I did from television showings from several years ago. However, this version of the film is shorter than it should be, and it seems that one of the songs, 'Blue Shadows and White Gardenias' has actually been cut from the release print in this recording. You can even tell where it should have been!

There is another version of this film available, and I would go for this one (with a different cover design) rather than the one pictured.

I love Betty Grables films, but this one I was'nt too keen on,it didn't have a much of a story to it really, sorry.

This movie was slow to the point and lacked excitement. But there was only one scene that I chuckled on, it was when the old hawaiian lady's uncle; chewed on a leg from an animal. As he took a bite, he crunched on the bones of the leg; looking like a wildman with a wild eyed stare at the visitor of the island. Turned out that the old lady's uncle was a cannibal. The only thing that kept this movie from dying out, was the dancing and singing from Betty Grable, and the old Hawaiian lady.

Betty Grable sings. Victor Mature is shirtless in some scenes. Jack Oakie annoys. The scenery is beautiful. Nothing special. Just a pleasant enough time waster.