Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

TheLittleSongbird The talents of Busby Berkeley, Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda, Charlotte Greenwood and Edward Everett Horton are enough to want to check 'The Gang's All Here' out.Watching it for myself, being familiar with a lot of the work of almost all of them (least familiar with Greenwood), 'The Gang's All Here' is well worth the time. Anybody wanting entertainment and spectacular musical numbers need look no further. 'The Gang's All Here' is neither among the best or worst film musicals ever, but it is perfect for an hour and forty minutes of sheer fun and escapism.Don't watch the film expecting to be impressed by the plot, which here is threadbare and very routine and when there is any resemblance of any it's far-fetched, corny and far-fetched. As this is the case of it not being about the story, it was somewhat easy to overlook. It was less easy to overlook the rather rushed romance and James Ellison being as charisma and personality-free a leading man as you can possibly get. Phil Baker is under-utilised and his material is weak, so he doesn't shine here.Alice Faye however certainly does, in fact she charms and allures and her voice is hauntingly beautiful in two of her most beautiful and heartfelt songs in any film. As does the ever exuberant Carmen Miranda, especially in the has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed and enormous fun "The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat", which is one of her most classic and unique routines. Busby Berkeley was always a very talented director and choreographer, and that is in evidence in 'The Gang's All Here'. Especially so in the very ahead of its time and jaw-droppingly surreal finale "The Polka-Dot Polka".The film boasts too a great opportunity to see and hear the wonderful talents of Benny Goodman and his orchestra, who are on top form. Edward Everett Horton and Charlotte Greenwood provide hilarious support, Eugene Palette also being very funny.Similarly the songs range from evoking many emotions ("A Journey to a Star," "No Love, No Nothing") to cheering you up without fail after a hard day ("The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat", "The Polka-Dot Polka"). Choreographically, it's the latter two songs too that stand out, Berkeley's finales were always spectacular but not many are this ahead of its time and surreal as here. Production-values-wise, it is gorgeously lavish, with exquisite bright colours that leap out of the screen and like a delicious confection, and the cinematography, which is still great throughout, is especially dazzling in "The Polka-Dot Polka". The script has some nice moments too, the best coming from Horton, Greenwood and Miranda's hilariously mangled English.Overall, the gang's all here and so is the entertainment value and spectacular musical numbers. 8/10 Bethany Cox

froberts73 My favorite musicals? The Busby Berkeley Warner Bros. flicks which had the advantage of better songs than this 20th Century item. That aside, I was happy to see the Berkeley direction and dance numbers which, as always are thrilling, exciting, and so very imaginative. Those numbers, alone, put this flick in the top bracket.One question I have concerns James Ellison with that all-American look. I thought he was delightful and enjoyable so how come he never became a good-sized star?Alice Faye, preggers during the shooting was, as always, lovely with her perpetual sweet smile. She and 'Philsie' seemed like an odd couple, but it was evidently a good marriage. They had a good show.Carmen Miranda, slaughterer of the English language, was unique and fun. Ever see the Confidential picture book of her? Gad, in any language.Charlotte Greenwood, like the other characters in the movie, portrayed themselves. I especially enjoy Eugene Palette and the voice he borrowed from Andy Devine (whose voice came from someone shoving a stick down his throat). Horton and the others were top-notch.All in all, you can be glad the gang was all there, even if the plot wasn't. Dig that hurry-up-let's-end-it-quick finale. Suddenly, it's we were just friends, etc.Minor, minor complaint. This is one of Fox's best and, while today's Fox is a pain in the rear end, yesterdays's Zanuck studio was a blessing.

JLRMovieReviews Director and choreographer Busby Berkeley is in his element and is at his best with a new star, Miss Carmen Miranda! Carmen Miranda? You don't know her! Well, after this you will. A petite lady with a larger-than-life persona who can dazzle you with her spirit and stage presence. Alice Faye gets top billing and this movie can be found on a Alice Faye DVD collection as well as Carmen's DVD set, but Miss Miranda stops the show cold with some of her best showcases put on screen: the banana song and the trutti-frutti hat. Another highlight is Faye's polka-dot number, which closes the movie, another eye-popping showcase courtesy of Busby.I can't help feeling they could have picked a more charismatic actor for the lead other than James Ellison, and there are few things I could nit-pick about, but this is a musical which does defy believability anyway. He and Alice's romance did seem a bit rushed and forced near the beginning. Costarring Eugene Palette, Charlotte Greenwood and Edward Everett Horton, this is one upbeat film that you shouldn't think about too much and just enjoy. Oh, yeah, what about the plot, who cares?

Tom Barrister In 1943, the United States was in the middle of World War 2, and the entire country was involved one way or another in the war effort. Many who didn't serve in the military did their share at home working in war-related production. Entertainers did their part to keep the moral of the country (particularly the soldiers) high by performing overseas and at home, and Hollywood pitched in by producing several entertainment-based war pictures. "The Gang's All Here" is one of these movies.The movie, like most Busby Berkeley musicals, is short on plot and long on entertainment, and like most Berkeley movies, it moves right along without dragging its heels. The story is a familiar one of that era: A soldier falls in love with a singer, with the usual developments and complications. While the story is a bit thin and well-traveled, it isn't absurdly so. The dialog is well-written, albeit a bit dated to the era (as were many movies made in that era), and the acting is fine, with veterans such as Eugene Palette, Charlotte Greenwood, Edward Everett Horton, and James Ellison supporting (and often covering for) the many entertainers in the movie (and if you look hard, you can even find Jeanne Crain, a young Johnny Duncan, and Frank Faylen (who was better known as Herbert T. Gillis in the TV series "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis").The entertainment is top notch and includes: the fabulous Alice Faye, Benny Goodman and his orchestra, the zany Carmen Miranda and her orchestra (Banda La Lua), accordionist/comedian Phil Baker, dancer Tony De Marco, and singer Aloysio De Oliveira. Songs include "A Journey to a Star", "No Love, No Nothing", "P'ra que discutir" and "Diga o Ella", "Minnie's in the Money", "Soft Winds", "The Jitters", "I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo" and "Paducah".All in all, this is a top notch movie that breezes along for the entire hour and 43 minutes and is well worth watching.