Vashirdfel
Simply A Masterpiece
Mathilde the Guild
Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
JohnHowardReid
Copyright 13 November 1942 by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. New York release at the Capitol: 10 December 1942. U.S. release: 15 October 1942. Australian release: 14 October 1943. Copyright length: 87 minutes. Australian length: 8,019 feet. 89 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Soldier needs to marry socialite within seven days to get $100,000 inheritance.COMMENT: Not a highly-rated musical by most critics, but I found it vastly entertaining. Its fast-paced highjinks are of special appeal to nostalgia radio buffs: Harold Peary does his Gildersleeve - complete with fatuous giggle - and the script takes in no less than two radio shows, including the hilarious "Truth Or Consequences",As for the songs: Beyond an obviously dubbed voice handling Mature's chores as a crooner, there's a great line-up including Ginny Simms' "Can't Get Out Of This Mood" - a wonderful solo number which is then delight¬fully reprized by Marcy McGuire and Arnold Stang. Miss McGuire (who is supposedly a puckish sixteen but actually looks somewhat more mature) also has the delightfully zesty "Touch Of Texas" song and dance. The dances themselves are most energetically staged - and here Mature is in unbelievably rhythmic form, particularly in the rousing opener, "Please Won't You Leave My Girl Alone?", which is lavishly reprized at the conclusion by the whole cast.As if this were not enough, both Les Brown's and Freddy Martin's Orchestras strut their stuff; and there's also an hilarious spoof contributed by Lynn, Royce and Vanya of the de rigeur nightclub number of numerous "B" musicals where a top-hatted Fred Astaire second-rater whirls a girl around the dance-floor for an inordinate amount of cheap footage. If these skillfully mistimed acrobatics don't raise a few laughs, Peter Lind Hayes is on hand with some maliciously accurate Ronald Colman, Lionel Barrymore and Charles Laughton impersonations.You would think there was not much left for Miss Ball to do, but as usual she proves herself an expert comedienne, handling both slapstick and wit with equal dexterity - and so attractively photographed and costumed as to make Mature's interest totally believable. Her "punishment" on "Truth Or Consequences" is a gem.Anyone who fails to be entertained by at least some aspect of this film is mighty hard to please. I liked it all, just about. True, the fast gallop slows to a canter now and again, but Tim Whelan is as sure-footed a director as they come. All told, Seven Days' Leave is breezy, zestful, escapist, nostalgic if juvenile entertainment, presented with craftsmanship and style, and enacted by a marvelous cast.Mature joined the Coast Guard for the duration of the war after this one. An amiably dashing fellow when he was young, Mature had an unexpected gift for tongue-in-cheek. Alas, when he returned to Hollywood in 1946 he began to take himself all too seriously. Producers obliged by casting him as Doc Holliday, Samson, Demetrius, Horemheb, Chief Crazy Horse, Zarak Khan, Kasim Khan, Hannibal, etc. His talent for self-parody was not utilized again until After the Fox (1966).
John T. Ryan
ONCE AGAIN WE bring you a picture to be reviewed that we should have done some time ago. In fact, we did believe that we had done this for SEVEN DAYS LEAVE (RKO Radio Oictures, 1942), but we must have confused this with another Service Comedy. (I think it was DONDI.) ANYWAY, THIS MOVIE stands out as being quite unique, difficult to classify and definitely custom tailored to a United States just entering World War II. From beginning to end all of the action takes place in NYC with a gang of newly trained, uniformed Soldiers. But it is far, far away from any Theatre of War. It would appear that it is a sort of 'Bachelors Party' for the Military.THE CAST OF this one features so many of the performers who were popular at this time. This featured group was not only made up of film actors; but who was on top of his game in Music, Theatre, Vaudeville and Radio. So, we had a healthy helping of the varying musical talents of Les Brown, Freddy Martin, Mapy Cortes, Ginny Simms and the eccentric dance team of Lynn, Royce & Vanya.FROM THE WORLD of big time Network Radio, we see Ralph Edwards & Company recreate a broadcast of TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES. The 'show' interestingly enough includes the pre-show warm-up and 'selection' of contestants.AND THOSE CONTESTANTS were the co-stars Lucielle Ball & Victor Mature. For the muscular Mr.Mature, this was a radical departure from his other roles that he would play. His 'Johnny Grea' proved that he could handle comedy, as well as his greatly varied characterizations in ONE MILLION B.C., KISS OF DEATH and SAMSON & DELILAH.OF COURSE THE co-star, Lucielle Ball was smooth in her performance; which was more of a straight role. This was long before she had become both a Redhead, as well as being 'Lucy Recardo.' THE VERY TALENTED Peter Lind Hayes made a rare film appearance as a sort of second banana to Victor Mature; giving him ample screen time to both do some great comic bits and to display his abilities as an impersonator of well known actors Ronald Coleman, Lionel Barrymore and Charles Laughton.THE PICTURE SERVED to introduce to two others, now familiar to several generations since. The first was Harold Peary, from THE GREAT GILDERSLEEVE show (a spin off from FIBBER McGEE & MOLLY). The powers that be at RKO thought that including GILDERSLEEVE would be a draw. (Well, Schultz, we can't say we disagree.) THE OTHER PERFORMER bowing in his first flick was Arnold Stang. Small, be-speckled and speaking in a near slur, he would have a long and highly visible career on Radio, TV, the Movies and in commercials. His tag-line of "Chunky! What a chunk o' chocolate!", can still be heard reverberating across the years! (in our minds) THE STYLE OF acting in use here would appear to be a throwback to an earlier era. it is very much like that used in Vaudeville, Burlesque and in the Silent Movies. The overdone expressions and held poses would seem to suggest a kinship with both Newspaper Comic Strips and the popularity of the Comic Book; which had only recently emerged as a force in publishing.AT THE CONCLUSION of this Comedy-Musical fun fest, we have the women now in uniform seeing off the soldiers on a troop transport; which was heading into a true Theatre of the War. It didn't matter either.THE FRIVOLITY WAS now over and was replaced with the grim realities of combat.
mark.waltz
Lucille Ball may get the guy (Victor Mature), but her teenie bopper sister Mickey (Marcy McGire) gets the songs. In her film debut (the first of half a dozen she would do during the coure of World War II and briefly after), McGuire steals the scene as the typical bubbly bobby-soxer. In fact, McGuire would even get to sing with Frank Sintra in his acting film debut ("Higher and Higher") at the height of his fan craze, but here, she's with the future Queen of TV Comedy.The plot line surrounds a soldier (Mature) who must convince Ball to marry him in order to receive an inheritance. The problem is that they are both engaged. But this is Hollywood in its golden age where reality didn't matter, and we all know what that means. McGuire gets the guy too (Arnold Stang, remembered more as the voice of TV's Top Cat), a squeaky voiced squirt who knits. Appearances by "The Great Gildersleeve", Band leader Les Brown and radio host Ralph Edwards ("Truth or Consequences") round out the cast, plus a nice collection of second rate but enjoyable 40's songs keep the rhythm hot.After a nice opening ("Please Won't You Leave My Girl Alone"), we meet McGuire singing "Take Me Back to New York" (not to be confused with Cole Porter's "Take Me Back to Manhattan") who then sings "I Get the Neck of the Chicken" after attracting helium voiced Stang. After a rendition of "Can't Get Out of This Mood" by former Kay Kyser vocalist Ginny Sims, McGuire speeds it up to a chase between her and Stang. An acrobatic dance team gives an amusing performance, while Lucy briefly sings "Pop Goes to Weasel" in the "Truth or Consequences" sequence, and another soldier gives hysterically funny impressions of Ronald Colman, Lionel Barrymore and Charles Laughton.
edwardsrc
"Seven Days' Leave" is a WWII-era musical comedy about a young Army soldier [Mature] who is due a large inheritance. The problem is, he must marry a certain girl [Ball] whom he does not love, in order to collect.If one is a Lucy fan, this movie is a great watch. Lucy is actually drop-dead gorgeous in this flick, more so than she had ever been in her entire career, in my opinion.Also, Harold 'The Great Gildersleeve' Peary adds to the fun, along with Marcy McGuire as the younger sister to Lucy's character.Unfortunately, this film as a whole is quite mediocre. And, Victor Mature sings twice. FFWD required.All in all, one watch of this movie is definitely worth it. The video is even worth owning if you like Lucy.
