This week’s mystery movie was the 1943 Twentieth Century-Fox picture The Gang’s All Here, with Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, Phil Baker, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, Eugene Pallette, Charlotte Greenwood, Edward Everett Horton, Tony De Marco, James Ellison, Sheila Ryan and Dave Willock.
Screenplay by Walter Bullock.
Based on a story by Nancy Wintner, George Root Jr. and Tom Bridges.
Lyrics and music by Leo Robin and Harry Warren.
Dances created and directed by Busby Berkeley.
Photographed in Technicolor.
Photographed by Edward Cronjager.
Technicolor director Natalie Kalmus.
Musical direction by Alfred Newman and Charles Henderson.
Art direction by James Basevi and Joseph C. Wright.
Set decorations by Thomas Little and Paul S. Fox.
Edited by Ray Curtiss.
Costumes by Yvonne Wood.
Makeup by Guy Pearce.
Special photographic effects by Fred Sersen.
Sound by George Leverett and Roger Heman.
Produced by William Le Baron.
Directed by Busby Berkeley.
Further information on The Gang’s All Here is available from the AFI Catalog.
The Gang’s All Here is available for streaming on Amazon. DVDs and Blu-rays show up on EBay.
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I picked The Gang’s All Here by going through the trades. According to the somewhat out of date database of films that aired on TCM, it’s only been broadcast once, in 2022. The print is spectacular, a pleasant change from the rather iffy prints of the last few weeks. The story? It’s a light, flag-waving morale booster from 1943 with Carmen Miranda. LOTS of Carmen Miranda. The finale with all the disembodied heads? It’s different.
I’m going to guess that Bosley Crowther gave it a passing grade.
Uh-oh. Fobbed off on one of the “alphabet critics” (the as-yet unidentified T.S., The New York Times, Dec. 23, 1943):
With the inevitable regularity of a Christmas necktie, another Twentieth Century-Fox musical has come to town for the holidays. Despite the almost stupefying prettiness of its Technicolor wrappings, The Gang’s All Here, now at the Roxy, makes a mighty dull Yuletide offering. It has brought together the same studio folk who have been familiar in one fancy musical after another — Alice Faye, of the maternal figure and cooing voice; Carmen Miranda, who wiggles at random but keeps her skyscraper hats firmly balanced; Edward Everett Horton, ticklish as ever; Charlotte Greenwood, with legs like stilts; and Eugene Pallette, with a figure like a barrel and a voice that might have come out of one. They have been joined by Phil Baker, who continues to confirm the impression that he is less comic than corny; Tony De Marco; Benny Goodman and his band; and a bevy of shapely ladies so beautiful they all look exactly alike. Or maybe it’s done with mirrors.
For Monday, we have mysterious children.
These youngsters are, as yet, unidentified. This is the Polka-Dot Polka sequence.
For “Tricky Tuesday,” we have a mystery woman. Her companion has been cropped out due to insufficient mysteriousness and will appear later.
Update: For “Hm Wednesday,” Tricky Tuesday’s mystery woman gets a mysterious companion.
Update: This is Charlotte Greenwood and Phil Baker.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (mystery movie and mystery number), Howard Mandelbaum (mystery movie and mysterious number), Robert Morrissey (mystery movie and enigmatic number), Douglas Wooley (mystery movie) and L.C. (mystery movie, mysterious number and mystery cast).
Brain Trust roll call: Sylvia E. (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery number and Tuesday’s mysterious woman), Howard Mandelbaum (Tuesday’s mystery woman), Anne Papineau (Tuesday’s mystery woman), B.J. Merholz (Tuesday’s mystery woman), Incredibleinman (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery woman) and Benito (mystery movie and Tuesday’s mystery woman).
For “Aha Thursday,” we have this mysterious trio!
Update: This is, from left, Eugene Pallette, James Ellison and Edward Everett Horton.
Brain Trust roll call: Anne Papineau (Wednesday’s mysterious fellow), Mary Mallory (mystery movie, Monday’s mystery number, and all mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Wednesday’s mystery guest), B.J. Merholz (mystery movie and Wednesday’s mystery guest), Mike Hawks (mystery movie and Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s mystery guests) and Sylvia E. (Wednesday’s mystery fellow).
For Friday, we have a mysterious guest as a disembodied head.
Update: This is Benny Goodman.
We also have a quartet of mysterious guests.
Update: This is, from left, Dave Willock, Alice Faye, James Ellison and Sheila Ryan.
And mysterious you-know-who.
Update: This is Carmen Miranda.
Brain Trust roll call: Mary Mallory (Thursday’s mystery guests), Blackwing Jenny (mystery movie and Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Howard Mandelbaum (Thursday’s mystery guests), Greg (mystery movie and Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests), Roget-L.A. (mystery movie and Thursday’s mystery guests), Anne Papineau (Thursday’s mystery guests), Dan Nather (mystery movie and Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s mystery guests) and Sylvia E. (Thursday’s mystery guests).
ladailymirror.com 
That’s “The Polka Dot Polka” number from “The Gang’s All Here.” Alas, I don’t know who the children are. “The Gang’s All Here” was the opening film screened at the Dream Theater in Monterey, CA, a real gem. Alas, the Dream Theater is no more.
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The Polka Dot Ballet from THE GANG’S ALL HERE.
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The Polka Dot Ballet from THE GANG’S ALL HERE
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Looks like The 5000 Fingers of Dr T, circa 1953? I don’t know the kids though.
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Excellent guess, but alas….
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I happened to have just watched this a week ago: The Gang’s All Here (1943). The “Polka Dot Polka” number. Fun!
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Maybe a scene from the Fox musical “The Gangs All Here” with Alice Faye & Carmen Miranda?
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Norman Ollestad and Carol Coombs in Tea for Two (1950).
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The Gang’s All Here (1943) w/Alice Faye, Phil Baker, Carmen Miranda, Edward Everett Horton, Charlotte Greenwood, Eugene Pallette, Tony De Marco, Benny Goodman.
This is the Polka Dot Polka scene.
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TWO WEEKS IN LOVE. Gary gray the boy.
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Oh my gosh! It is Ms Greenwood! That’s so strange when those moments happen. Wish I could do it on purpose. Anyway…
“The Gang’s All Here” 1943
I don’t know who those kids are, but will try.
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No kid names, but the number is “The Polka Dot Polka”. Mr. Berkeley’s finale for the movie that starts with the kid dancers and Ms. Alice Faye covering the history of the polka dance and polka dots, shifts to the adult dancers with neon hulahoops and ends with those surreal disembodied heads (the stars, plus Ms Greenwood, Eugene Pallette, Edward Everett Horton and Benny Goodman,) singing a completely different song – Wow! Found a link to it – amazing.
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Charlotte Greenwood.
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Charlotte Greenwood
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Charlotte Greenwood
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Charlotte Greenwell today — I’m guessing this is “The Gang’s All Here.”
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Greenwood, that is
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Charlotte Greenwood today. Is it THE GANG’S ALL HERE?
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Phil Baker with Charlotte
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THE GANG’S ALL HERE. The Polka Dot Polka Monday. Charlotte Greenwood Tues and today and Phil Baker today.
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Alice Faye sings Polka Dot Polka.
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Phil Baker.
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Phil Baker is one of the gang.
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Charlotte Greenwood and Phil Baker in THE GANG’S ALL HERE.
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Revealed – Phil Baker (sans accordion) at least I think it’s him.
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Eugene Pallette, Dave Willock, and Edward Everett Horton.
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The Gang’s All Here-Tuesday, Charlotte Greenwood. Wednesday: Eugene Pallette, Edward Everett Horton and some other fellow.
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Eugene Pallette, James Ellison, Edward Everett Horton.
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Tuesday and Wednesday stars Charlotte Greenwood and Phil Baker. Thursday’s mystery men are Eugene Pallette, James Ellison, and Edward Everett Horton. The movie is The Gang’s All Here.
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Eugene Pallette, James Ellison, and Edward Everett Horton in The Gang’s All Here (1943)
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Eugene Pallette, James Ellison and Edward Everett Horton
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Aha! THE GANG’S ALL HERE (1943).
Don’t know the kids, but I think that’s Charlotte Greenwood on Tuesday, add Phil Baker on Wednesday, and Eugene Pallette and Edward Everett Horton on Thursday (don’t know the soldier between them — James Ellison, maybe?).
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Benny Goodman, Dave Willocks, Alice Faye, James Ellison, and Sheila Ryan, and Carmen Miranda.
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Fun, fun choice of film this week.
Friday – Benny Goodman
Alice Faye, James Ellison, Sheila Ryan and Dave (my favorite astronaut from the Queen of Outer space”)
Carmen Miranda, the Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat
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Dave Willock – missed his last name
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Benny Goodman; Dave Willock, Alice Faye, James Ellison, Sheila Ryan, Carmen Miranda.
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Benny Goodman, Dave Willock, James Ellison, Alice Faye, Sheila Ryan and Carmen Miranda.
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