Steve Kimball (Jack Haley) is a foreign correspondent, famous for a book he’s written about his experiences with the war. With victory secured by the Allied powers, Steve is more than ready to return home to New York, where he has a lecture tour planned.

(Image via Movie Poster Shop)
(Image via Movie Poster Shop)

Securing passage to the United States is difficult, as many high-ranking generals and other American folks are just as eager as Kimball to return to the States. Reluctantly, Steve agrees to chaperone a 15-member traveling music troupe back to the States on a ship.

Stranded in Europe as tweens when the war broke out during one of their tours, the singers are now a few years older, but not quite old enough to travel without supervision. Will Steve survive a sea-faring voyage surrounded by toe-tapping, word-rhyming hepcats?

Anthony Mann directs 1945’s Sing Your Way Home, a musical-comedy from RKO. Joining Jack Haley on screen are Marcy McGuire, Glen Vernon, Anne Jeffreys, and Donna Lee, among other players.

As a life-long fan of The Wizard of Oz, I was excited to find a Jack Haley musical to watch. Out of all of Judy Garland’s co-stars from her Dorothy days, I’ve probably seen the smallest amount of films from him. Here he stars as an egotistical newsman who plays party-pooper to a cheerful group of teens. His performance is very good and he brings quite a few laughs to the film.

His character, along with Marcy McGuire’s young Bridget, provide a unique twist on the usual “journalist in wartime” angle. Kimball is a well-known and conceited reporter. Bridget is a reporter’s daughter who really wants nothing to do with the business, but must team up with Kimball to write articles in code so he doesn’t reveal to the captain that she’s a stowaway.

The song and dance scenes of Sing Your Way Home are truly delightful. The lyrics are pretty cheesy, with tunes like “Heaven is a Place Called Home,” but it’s the type of cheese that puts a smile on your face. There’s also quite a bit of witty dialogue to be enjoyed.

(Image via loveless422 on Tumblr)
(Image via loveless422 on Tumblr)

The film does seem to drag a tiiiiny bit, for being relatively short. I think this is due to the fact that the story is so thinly-written. This isn’t a major problem for the musical-comedy loving viewer, as the cast is charismatic enough and the songs are sweet enough to keep things enjoyable.

Sing Your Way Home is a short and light mood booster, blending music, light drama, and a little dose of end-of-war patriotism. Recommended for fans of the genre, particularly B-musicals. The score: 3.5/5

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