What a beautiful movie!

Overrated

Good concept, poorly executed.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

"Thousands Cheer" is a light comedy musical that apparently was made as a morale booster right in the middle of World War II. Of course, anyone who ever served in the military would laugh at the relationship between the good-natured and gentle Col. Bill Jones, played very well by John Boles, and Pvt. Eddie Marsh, played by Gene Kelly. Such things as seen here just aren't real in the military. Nor should they be, I think most vets would agree. But, as a morale booster, such an unbelievable situation works well in creating the venue for Marsh and the colonel's daughter, Kathryn, played by Kathryn Grayson to get together for some song and dance. She does the singing and he does a little dancing. The best is Kelly's dance routine with a floor mop. The plot is goofy and weak, and the stars are for the entertaining numbers. Others in the cast contribute to some comedy and entertainment. Eleanor Powell has a good tap routine, and a number of Hollywood folks get cameos in this film. It's enjoyable and entertaining, but there's nothing dynamic about it.

Besides its silly title, "Thousands Cheer" has some major problems that make it a mediocre film at best.Released during WWII, it was designed to uplift morale at home (for civilians) and overseas (for the military). The film starts rather well, with the prodigious talents and adorability of Kathryn Grayson on display. It has a lighthearted air and is filled with colorful (Technicolor) scenes, plenty of quality music, and sharp fashions.But as the story unfolds, it proves to be thin and little more than an excuse to display the talents of various studio stars. In one scene, Ms. Grayson is listening to Jose Iturbi play the piano over the phone. What a way to put a piano solo into the story! Before she hangs up the phone, Iturbi says he is coming to the base to put on a show for the troops there. And in the wink of an eye, the entire storyline is hijacked for a concert of performances by orchestras, dancers, comedians, a trapeze act, etc. The romantic plot is addressed briefly at the end--with a totally ridiculous denouement that involves two couples. And then the film wraps with a rousing anthem designed to invoke a plethora of stirring motivations within the viewer.As a story, the film is almost a flop. It is better to appraise its value as a concert show. On that basis, the film does sometimes succeed. As I mentioned, Kathryn Grayson's singing is one of the highlights. As star after star steps onstage, there are other good moments, like the song "In a Little Spanish Town", with vocals by Gloria DeHaven, June Allyson and Virginia O'Brien. Personally, I would have enjoyed some strong swing dancing.The song "I Dug a Ditch" is fun when performed by a comic lead singer, and it is even more fun when operatic Grayson croons its silly lyrics, but when it is performed for a third time later in the show, it feels like the song is driven into the ground.

Although the production values for "Thousands Cheer" were very, very nice (since it was made by MGM), I thoroughly hated practically every minute of this dreadfully dull film. The plot was thin, the main character VERY unlikable and the variety show was, for the most part, dreadful. In so many ways, you can find better films than this one."Thousands Cheer" is a WWII propaganda film that is part story and part a variety show featuring MGM acts. The star is a very young Gene Kelly. He has just been inducted in the military and spends most of his time complaining and just being unpleasant. For some bizarre reason, the Colonel's daughter (Kathryn Grayson) has fallen for him. But, because he is almost always in trouble and is so troublesome, the relationship seems doomed.In addition to this plot that I could not care less about (mostly because Kelly's character was just unlikable and argumentative), the film had a VERY long sequence that was a variety show of MGM stars supposedly performing for our troops. Mickey Rooney was the emcee and it featured some mostly bland performances by the likes of Frank Morgan, Judy Garland, Red Skelton and Eleanor Powell. These sequences made me a bit mad because similar stuff was done so much better in Warner's "Stage Door Canteen" and "Hollywood Canteen". These similar variety shows intended to entertain and bolster our troops were just much more fun.So it obviously sounds like I didn't like this film--and that is indeed true. The problem is that there were many, many wartime armed services films that were better and there were variety shows that were better. Despite "Thousands Cheer" being in color, it just didn't deliver and was a terrible role for Gene Kelly.

Predictable World War 11 yarn where Gene Kelly falls for Katherine Grayson. He is not too thrilled with the army and her father is his commander.The movie is greatly patriotic which of course was needed during the war years.Grayson's mom is played by Mary Astor who left her father years before because of his devotion to duty. Naturally, Grayson would like to see them reconcile.The second part of the film deals with a cavalcade of MGM stars putting on a show for the troops. The singing is good but the sketches with Frank Morgan, Ann Sothern, Donna Reed, and Marsha Hunt are ridiculous.Of course, the film resolves itself with Kelly going off to war and Grayson singing as beautifully as ever.