Main Cast: Lucille Ball, Ann Miller, Eddie Bracken, Frances Langford, Desi Arnaz
Release Year: 1940
Country: US
Run Time: 85 minutes
Plot
Now immortalized as the film on which Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz met, Too Many Girls is a faithful adaptation of the Richard Rodgers-Lorenz Hart-George Abbott Broadway musical hit. The light-as-a-feather plotline finds four football players hired to escort dizzy heiress Connie Casey (Lucille Ball) when she goes off to attend a southwestern college. The girls far outnumber the boys on campus, which is sheer ambrosia for the four "protectors": Clint Kelly (Richard Carlson), Jojo Jordan (Eddie Bracken), Cuban exchange student Manuelito (Desi Arnaz) and Al Terwilliger (Hal LeRoy). The order of billing should indicate who ends up romancing the icy Connie, but the other boys don't go home empty-handed either, not with such cuties as Pepe (Ann Miller) and Eileen (Frances Langford) around. As was customary in collegiate musicals of the era, the whole thing ends with the Big Football Game, with the four heroes emerging triumphant. It doesn't take a microscope to spot a young Van Johnson among the chorus boys, especially since he shows up on-screen even before the opening credits! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Too Many Girls is an acceptable and moderately entertaining film version of the Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart stage hit. If the musical was more entertaining on Broadway, that's essentially because -- as usual in the 1930s and '40s -- Hollywood jettisoned too much of the show's score (its biggest asset) for the film version. Still, the lovely "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" remains, as does the haunting "You're Nearer," the charming "Love Never Went to College," and the eyebrow-raising but energetic "Spic and Spanish." Frances Langford does a good job belting out her solos, Ann Miller dazzles every time she gets the chance to lead the dances, and a very young Desi Arnaz catches the eye during his solo moments. Lucille Ball's singing is dubbed (acceptably), but the acting is her own, and it's a fine performance. Those who know Ball only from television will probably be surprised at the subdued, natural way in which she handles her role. Richard Carlson looks good but is rather bland and Hal LeRoy is rather unbelievable, but Eddie Bracken is amusing and nobody is really damaging. Girls is pure froth, and if it's nothing to write home about, it's nicely packaged and easy to watch. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
