Million Dollar Legs (1939)

Nice effects though.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

This is a good B' campus sports romance comedy. Betty Grable is top billed here but she has a minor role as a girlfriend of one of the athletes. The real star is Peter Lind Hayes, Middleton College's student president. Hayes is cast as annoying character (Freddie Fry) who is always on the make for a dollar. Every event is a chance to exploit his friends and the student body. This is all played out in a rather playful way, with everyone just shrugging off Fry's selfish attitude.The plot centres on the school's athletics program which is on the skids due to the Dean's lack of interest in athletics. The Dean is played by Thurston Hall who delivers who usual solid performance. John Hartley stars as the Dean's son who just happens to be a star rower. Much of the film follows the students as they try and get the rowing program back in the water.Donald O'Connor is also billed but has a minor role as young jockey. He provides a key tip that allows the student to back his horse and raise some money for the rowing team. Jackie Coogan, also billed, only has a couple lines, is 25 years old and looks 35, which strains credibility as his is suppose to be a student. This marks an interesting point in the movie itself. That being that the older kids are quite horrible to the freshmen, which causes a couple of cringes because some of the "kids" look 35.The finale has Middleton College up against a rival in a big rowing challenge. Middleton wins; the Dean sees the error of his academics only attitude; and Fry comes through by giving a little back to the student body. A very competent well made Paramount B'.

Though not very long, about 65 minutes, this film should have been a short! There's virtually no story and the whole thing seems a series of competition sequences in the water. Either the crew practices or competes! Intercut in-between are a few sequences where the leading man, the boring John Hartley, fights with his powerful dad or is seen with Betty Grable.Now, Betty Grable! Though top-billed, she's not seen very often. She doesn't sing or dance at all and is given absolutely no chance to act or stand out. A SHAME! She's very beautiful as always but one notices the darker hair. For those who love her, don't have too many expectations because she's not even decorative in this film. The director, Nick Grinde, gives her no chance AT ALL! Peter Hayes is there, at least! In a not very (supposedly) sympathetic role, he steals the film the moment he appears. He's full of the energy and the talent John Hartley lacks so much. He was a very charismatic actor and it's a shame we haven't seen him more often.Unfortunately, we don't see much of the very handsome Buster Crabbe either. HE is the one that should have been the leading man and Betty Grable's partner. As the coach, he has the authority required and is effective, but his part is not very important. One wishes he'd take his shirt off as always in his films to display that superb torso and compete with the boys in order to win that competition but he doesn't. Again, A SHAME! Besides that, it's interesting to see a bit of Jackie Coogan, the former child star (see genius Charlie Chaplin's movies of the 20's!) and first husband of Betty Grable. He gives his best shot but, as it's the case for Betty Grable, he's not given any chance to show-off his talent.All in all, try to see this film if you can but don't expect to much.

Rather lame as college humor/romance/drama/sport pictures go, though one of the few to use crew as the sport.Those looking for why Betty Grable was so popular probably should look elsewhere.Not related to the W.C. Fields 'Million Dollar Legs (1932)'.

College escapades featuring burgeoning talent were never so easy to take. Somewhat presaging Best Foot Forward, this was Betty Grable's first top ten grosser. To this day, Betty is the only adult female to score consistently highly in the top 10 grossing performer list -- she did it nine straight years. Aside from Shirley Temple, no other woman has managed to do it more than 3 years in a row. So, the impact she made for her studios in movies like this is greatly forgotten by today's movie scholars who prefer the superior acting and early feminism of Kate Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Ida Lupino. But, make no mistake, in studios where dollars, count, Betty Grable was a bigger star than the other 3 combined. And movies like this were why.