Main Cast: Frank Morgan, Virginia Grey, Dan Dailey, Billie Burke, Nydia Westman
Release Year: 1940
Country: US
Run Time: 47 minutes
Plot
It is perhaps unnecessary to point out that the MGM programmer Hullabaloo bears no relation to the 1960s rock-and-roll series of the same name. Frank Morgan plays Frank Merriweather, an old-time actor who tries to revive his fading career on radio (just as John Barrymore was then doing in real life). His first attempt at radio success culminates in a Welles-like "Invasion of Mars" scare, which loses him his job. Merriweather manages to redeem himself in the last scenes by trotting his talented youngsters (Virginia Grey, Virginia O'Brien and Leni Lynn) before the microphones. The film's funniest scene finds Merriweather offering a re-enactment of the recent MGM feature Boom Town, delivering astonishingly accurate imitations of Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Spencer Tracy and Hedy Lamarr-a bit of cinematic ledgerdemain accomplished by dubbing the Boom Town soundtrack over Frank Morgan's lip movements. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ann Morriss - Wilma Norton; Donald Meek - Clyde Perkins; Reginald Owen - "Buzz" Foster; Charles Holland - Bellhop; Leni Lynn - Judy Merriweather; Virginia O'Brien - Virginia Ferris; Curt Bois - Armand Francois; Sara Haden - Sue Merriweather; Larry Nunn - Terry Merriweather; Barnett Parker - Stephens; George Lessey - Arthur Jay Norton; Connie Gilchrist - Arline Merriweather; Cy Kendall - Wilson
Morgan is the star of the film, as a fading actor who is trying to revive his career by starring on a radio program. When his most recent broadcast, a science fiction invasion from Mars story, panics the nation, he is fired. He decides to jumpstart his career by creating a new show which features his talented children.
A highlight of the film is Morgan's reenactment of the current MGM hit film Boom Town, with Morgan's character, Frank Merriweather, supposedly imitating the voices of the stars of that film. In fact, the Boom Town stars' voices were dubbed over Morgan's. The voices of Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert, Spencer Tracy, and Hedy Lamarr are used.
