Coney Island

(Walter Lang, US 1943, 96 min., 35mm)

Betty Grable, George Montegomery, and Cesar Romero star in this rather fanciful, gorgeously staged Technicolor trip back to that famous late Victorian seaside resort, with its seemingly endless variety of amusement parks, burlesque houses, and honky-tonks. Grable plays a saloon singer whose career and affections are fought over by the two main male principals, but it's the dances and songs that really keep this picture moving. Numbers include "Cuddle Up a Little Closer," "Pretty Baby," and the inimitable "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphey's Chowder?"

Introduction and post-screening discussion with Michael Lasser.