''Sensations of 1945'' is a 1944 American

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Andrew Stone and starring

Eleanor Powell Eleanor Torrey Powell (November 21, 1912 – February 11, 1982) was an American dancer and actress. Best remembered for her tap dance numbers in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s, she was one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's top dancing stars du ...

. Released by

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

, the film was an attempt to recapture the ensemble style of films such as ''

Broadway Melody of 1936 ''Broadway Melody of 1936'' is a musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935. In New York, the film opened at the Capitol Theatre, the site of many prestigious MGM premieres. In New York, the film opened at the Capitol Theatre, the site ...

'' by showcasing a number of top musical and comedy acts of the day, in a film linked together by a loose storyline. ''Sensations of 1945'' stars dancer Powell and Dennis O'Keefe as two rival publicists who fall in love, but the film's main purpose is to showcase a variety of different acts, ranging from tightrope walking to comedy to Powell's athletic tap dancing. The rollicking supporting cast features

W.C. Fields WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former h ...

in his final role the year before his death, C. Aubrey Smith, Eugene Pallette, dancer David Lichine, Lyle Talbot,

Sophie Tucker Sophie Tucker (born Sofia Kalish; January 13, 1886 – February 9, 1966) was an American singer, comedian, actress, and radio personality. Known for her powerful delivery of comical and risqué songs, she was one of the most popular entertaine ...

, jazz pianist

Dorothy Donegan Dorothy Donegan (April 6, 1922 – May 19, 1998) was a classically trained American jazz pianist and occasional vocalist, primarily known for performing stride and boogie-woogie, as well as bebop, swing, and classical. Early life, family ...

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalis ...

Woody Herman Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

, jazz pianist/composer

Gene Rodgers Gene Rodgers (March 5, 1910, New York City – October 23, 1987, New York City) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He is best known for being the pianist on Coleman Hawkins' famous 1939 recording of " Body and Soul". Early life ...

, and

Les Paul Lester William Polsfuss (June 9, 1915 – August 12, 2009), known as Les Paul, was an American jazz guitarist, jazz, country guitarist, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, luthier, and inventor. He was one of the pioneers of the solid body ...

. The picture is notable for several reasons. It was Powell's first and only film after leaving

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

, where she became a star nearly a decade earlier; it was also her final starring role in a film, after which she would only make a cameo in MGM's ''

Duchess of Idaho Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

'' in 1950 and some unused footage of her would appear in a 1946 MGM compilation, ''

The Great Morgan ''The Great Morgan'' is a 1945 American musical-comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film is considered one of the more unusual in the MGM canon in that it is a compilation film built around a slight plot line, with a running time o ...

''. Powell's dance inside a giant pinball machine (as part of the song, "

Spin Little Pinball "Spin Little Pinball" is a novelty musical number from the 1944 musical film ''Sensations of 1945'' featuring Eleanor Powell in her last major film role prior to her retirement. In the number, Powell tap dances as if she were a life-size pinball, ...

") has been cited by critics variously as both a highlight and as the nadir of her film career. The film was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Music Scoring.

Plot

Cast

as Ginny Walker * Dennis O'Keefe as Junior Crane * C. Aubrey Smith as Dan Lindsey * Eugene Pallette as Gus Crane *Mimi Forsythe as Julia Westcott * Lyle Talbot as Randall *Hubert Castle as The Great Gustafson *

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American comedian, actor, juggler, and writer. Fields's comic persona was a misanthropic and hard-drinking egotist who remained a sympathet ...

as Himself *

as Herself *

as Herself *The Christianis as Themselves *Pallenberg Bears as Themselves * Cab Calloway and His Band as Themselves * Woody Herman and His Band as Themselves * David Lichine as Himself * Richard Hageman as Pendergast * Marie Blake as Miss Grear * Stanley Andrews as Mr. Collins *"Uncle Willie" as Himself *

as Himself *Mel Hall as Himself *Johnson Brothers as Themselves *Flying Copelands as Themselves *Starless Night as Himself * Les Paul Trio as Themselves *And

Louise Currie Louise Currie (born Louise Gunter; April 7, 1913 – September 8, 2013) was an American film actress, active from 1940 into the early 1950s. Biography Currie was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the daughter of Charles W. Gunter, a banker, ...

, Constance Purdy,

Wendell Niles Wendell Niles (December 29, 1904 – March 28, 1994) was an announcer during the American golden age of radio and later in television. Early years Niles was born in Livingston, Montana and grew up there. He attended New York University and ...

Anthony Warde Anthony Warde (born Benjamin Schwartz; January 1, 1909 – January 8, 1975) was a noted American actor who appeared in over 150 films between 1937 and 1964. Early years Born as Benjamin Schwartz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on New Year' ...

External links

* * 1944 films American black-and-white films United Artists films Films directed by Andrew L. Stone 1944 musical comedy films American musical comedy films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films {{musical-comedy-film-stub