Reveille with Beverly is a 1943 American musical film starring Ann Miller, Franklin Pangborn, and Larry Parks directed by Charles Barton, released by Columbia Pictures, based on the Reveille with Beverly radio show hosted by Jean Ruth.[2] It is also the name of the subsequent soundtrack album.

Reveille with Beverly
Newspaper advertisement
Directed byCharles Barton
Written byHoward J. Green
Jack Henley
Albert Duffy
Based onReveille with Beverly
1941-44 radio show
by Jean Ruth[1]
Produced bySam White
StarringAnn Miller
William Wright
Dick Purcell
CinematographyPhilip Tannura
Edited byJames Sweeney
Music byJohn Leipold
Production
company
Columbia Pictures
Distributed byColumbia Pictures Corporation
Release date
  • February 4, 1943 (1943-02-04)
Running time
78 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40,000 (estimated)
Box office$2,100,000 (USA)

The film featured a number of notable guest appearances by such important big band era musicians as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, The Mills Brothers, Bob Crosby, Freddie Slack, and Ella Mae Morse.

In his narration for the 1977 documentary film Life Goes to War, Johnny Carson remarked that while he was stationed on Guam during World War II, he had "memorized the entire score—and most of the dialogue—of Reveille with Beverly".

Plot

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Beverly Ross wants to be a radio personality, but has to run the switchboard at a local station. The blustery station owner Mr. Kennedy wants no part of programming the "jive that she loves", preferring the classics.[3] She sends the pompous early-morning personality Vernon Lewis away for a vacation, so she can transform his dull classical-music program into a jive session. She invites suggestions and requests, and is swamped by mail from soldiers. She now devotes her show to the military, and the program becomes a success as "Reveille with Beverly." Much of the film consists of musical numbers, visually representing the records she plays. The thin storyline connecting the songs concerns itself with Beverly and Lewis vying for control of the show, resulting in Beverly constantly leaving and returning to her old job at a record store.

Cast

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Soundtrack

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References

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  1. ^ "Jean Hay, 87, Host During War Of 'Reveille With Beverly' Show". AP. 3 October 2004 – via The New York Times.
  2. ^ Edwards, Owen (May 2004), "'Beverly': Better Than the Bugler", Smithsonian Magazine, pp. 35–36
  3. ^ Bruce Eder. "Reveille with Beverly (1943) - Charles Barton - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
  4. ^ "Reveille with Beverly (1943)". IMDb.
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